It is hard to believe that five years ago this Saturday I read an article in USA Today that got me started with the Frugal Travel Guy blog. I, like most of you, had become the go-to guy in my niche of friends when it came to travel deals. The USA Today article explained how a gal took her recipes to a blog and began to share her recipes with the Internet world. And at the same time, monetize the blog using Adsense ads. It made perfect sense to me and we have been together since then.

From 19 readers that first day to now, there have been millions of pageviews, more emails than I can count and friends made along the way that I will cherish forever. Howie spent years behind the scenes volunteering his help and I can never thank him enough for all he has done for me (and for you) by helping with the technical stuff I had no idea how to handle.

I was thrilled to have my son Andrew and daughter Shannon work on the blog as  photographers and writers. As the blog grew and their lives became more involved in other areas (like grand-babies and law school) they have drifted from the every day picture but will not be forgotten for their contributions to the blog’s success.

I want to thank the gang at Internet Brands and Flyertalk for taking over the blog ownership this past January. I was at my wits end with the workload and you showed up in my life, just in time. Your faith in me and the blog was really rewarding, especially to think that you own the site that got me started in this hobby (Flyertalk). It is a great compliment to me and I am grateful for the opportunity to work for you now.

But most important is you the readers. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is to run into you at airports, on the street and at gatherings and hear of your successes. To think I had a small part in you seeing something in your lifetime you may never had thought possible made all the hours at the computer worthwhile.

The investment banking firm that helped me sell the blog to Internet Brands put out the standard press release upon the sale. I’ve bolded a portion of the text hopefully as an inspiration for you:

“Rick’s story is one that we’ve seen multiple times now and never grow tired of,” remarked Zane Tarence, Managing Director of Founders Investment Banking’s Internet & Digital Media practice. “A single individual with a computer and a passion for a subject can end up blessing a wide audience and building a nice business while doing so, and that is exactly what Rick was able to do with The Frugal Travel Guy.”

As I have said repeatedly over the last five years:

“You can do this”.

Not only can “you see the world at prices you can afford” but you can  ”blog about it and share your story as well”

Thanks for the readership, support, criticism and suggestions along the way and keep those Success Stories coming.