Long live the em dash!

Hello dear readers! I hope all is well? How was your festive season? How was your 2025?

As ever I started the year with some faint hope of getting back to blogging regularly and then failed miserably. Ironically I appear to have posted on the blog 13 times this year and so to appease the superstitious among you, I’ll throw one final post at you – “are you sure this wasn’t just a coincidence Jason?”

Alright maybe but still, I’ve been overdue posting something to the blog and long time followers will recall that every now and then I’ve thrown out a “fun” little, statistic-observing kind of blog-post out on the blog.

“Erm Jason, you can’t combine the words statistics and fun!”

Okay, so perhaps fun isn’t the right word but as a somewhat casual blogger my viewership is pretty modest but every once in a while my number of visitors inexplicably spike and it leaves me curious – “why are you here!?”

My most recent observation was a spike in visitors from Japan which I wrote about here. That’s followed “fame” in China and a dedicated blog-post to Libya and more recently I’ve been reflecting on the fact that 2025 is one of my best ever years for blogging!

As I said, for a relatively long term blogger my numbers are pretty modest. I’m sure if I wanted to I could really drive those numbers up but I don’t care enough. I started blogging properly in late 2017 but this has always been just a hobby for me. However if you look more closely you’ll see that somehow 2025 is my best blogging year since the dreaded 2020.

I’ve posted a little more frequently this year than the pitiful attempts over the last few years but it’s still surprising to see those viewing numbers triple since last year. Infact, the months in which I haven’t posted anything have been some of my best ever blogging months – what does that mean!?

I dare say that AI has played a factor. It has been noted this year that a good sign of AI-written content is a frequent use of the em dash – I’m always using the em dash!

Consequently I’m taking credit for all of the AI slop being produced out there in the growing cesspit of online content. There’s no other explanation for the rise in viewership other than AI traffic coming to the blog and learning the masterful ways of blogging from yours truly. When all of these future AI content creators are waxing lyrical about the mighty Tottenham Hotspur, know that the inspiration started here!

Joking aside, I truly don’t understand the fascination with this era of AI slop. The greatest thing about the internet is the connections we make to people all over the world. I’m so grateful for this community of bloggers that read my occasional nonsense. Give me genuine, real stories every time over the perfectly curated content that much of the internet seems to be chasing and craving.

I’ve found my online presence shrinking more and more over time, I get such little joy from the “social” aspect of social media anymore which seems more geared towards engagement rather than connection.

As I said at the start of the year, maybe that’s just because I’m ageing and I’m too old for the latest Tiktok trend (I’ve never once used Tiktok) and have no clue about what’s cool today but blogging seems to me to be one of the few remaining spaces online that retains what made the internet special in its early days. I do intend to blog more in 2026 (“you say that every year!”) so I’ll end this with a few fun blogging facts!

If we take the viewing numbers as legitimate, my blog has now been read by people in 134 different countries! My top country is unsurprisingly the USA, closely followed by those of you in the UK. Other countries that make up the top 20 include South Africa, Kenya, Finland and the Philippines.

The most recent country I’ve added to the list is Senegal, presumably bonding over our shared love of Tottenham Hotspur footballer Pape Matar Sarr!

I think I’ve had a visitor from every European country with the exception of Belarus who for some reason are neglecting to pay me a visit. Have I done something to upset you Belarussians?

In December I surpassed 20,000 total views on the blog which is more than I ever imagined for this little nonsensical hobby and I’m equally grateful and perplexed at the support for the blog.

Why are you here!? What’s inspiring somebody in the Maldives to step away from paradise for a moment to read my blog? Who in Syria and Lebanon and Mongolia and Iceland stumbled upon this little blog this year? Are you lost?

I first created a WordPress account back in 2014 but “JasonLikesToTravel’s” real launch was in 2017. This was the first post I have any actual love for – York!

Whether you’re new here or you’ve been around for the best part of eight years, thank you for reading! I appreciate every interaction the blog has had and I’m particularly grateful for some of the blogging connections I’ve made through WordPress. Fingers crossed 2026 will be a much better blogging year and you’ll be reading more from me next year – or still actively avoiding me if you’re in Belarus!

Anyway, thanks again! Happy New Year and catch you next time for the annual travel round-up!

Stay tuned!

Jason