Leveling at the end of the day just comes down to play style and ability to grit your teeth, yes there is some skill but mainly it's a case of just getting it done and taking advantage of what's around you....

I entered wotlk not knowing anything... I asked an old friend "So where do I start" they replied "borean" My next question was "how do I get there....?" I knew nothing about the new world or changes.

I got on a boat from stormwind in the end and set sail... Looked for quests and off I went.

Now I took advantage of several new aspects of the game as I learned about them...

Firstly... AV now gives you XP - So I didn't want to grind bgs for xp... however this gives you 2 advantages. IF you get ganked or you are waiting for quest mobs to respawn then enter an AV. On my server it's instant... So I wait till the last second to join the av then enter. Run to the first hut boss and kill him, 20k xp in about 3 minutes and I leave. I don't care if the av wins/loses or what I just get that quick xp boost and my mobs have respawned.

Second comes my more cunning approach, what happens (generally) when a new av (or any bg) starts? Everyone buffs everyone... so I que for an av once an hour (av has more players so more chance of buffs), run to the gate get 5 - 10 buffs and /afk. In 30 seconds I've gained health, spirit, +atts and intellect (plus countless 10-15 minute buffs). This really speeds everything up when solo'ing and allows you to do the tougher quests.

Finally I don't waste time... I didn't visit Dalaran until level 80... In fact I didn't even train any new skills until 80. I just kept going without "wasting time". You may argue getting skills at some point is worth it but every time you level? not a chance.

Just a few examples of taking advantage of the situation.

Also, I didn't sleep during the process.... Going to sleep means I have to remember what I was doing next... I only got food/drink whilst flying somewhere or auto running along a path! It does mean crossing your legs though sometimes

I'm sure if I did another character now I know the maps I could do it faster still but it's boxing time