My Liebster Award Nomination

A big shout out to Flight of the Flibbertigibbet, who's a novice travel blogger like myself, for nominating me for this year's Liebster Award round!  For those who are unaware, as I was previously, the Liebster Award is an internet-only award given to new bloggers by other bloggers.  It's given to those who have 200 readers or less and is a great way to network with other bloggers in your blog genre of interest.  

Here are the official rules for those nominated for this year's Liebster Award.  In short, I have to write a post about my favorite blog (coming soon--stay tuned!), list 10 facts about myself via the questions Flight of the Flibbertigibbet provided, and nominate several blogs for the Liebster Award.

So, without further ado, here are the questions!

11 Questions About Me

1.Why did you decide to start blogging?

I decided to start blogging because I wanted a creative outlet.  I work in the science field, so there's not too much room for artistic creativity given that a lot of my work is research-based and gathering data.  It's nice to be able to have some "arts and crafts" time with my travel photos and blog.

2. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

The most adventurous thing I've ever done was skydiving back in 2010.  I'm not afraid of heights, but that doesn't mean I wasn't nervous!  The one thing keeping me calm was knowing that my tandem skydiving instructor (you're attached to a professional) wanted to live just as much as I did.  It makes you put a lot of trust in your partner.

3. Where is the worst place you’ve been and why?

I've never had an awful travel experience (knock on wood), so I don't have a "worst" place I've traveled.  However, I will say I didn't enjoy going to the Vatican.  I felt like we were all a school of sardines packed into the Vatican's halls, which made it very difficult to appreciate all of the beautiful art and tapestries inside.  I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't go back.

4. What’s your favourite travel book?

My favorite book on travel or favorite book to read while on travel?  I don't have a favorite travel book, per se (though I do like Rick Steves' travel guides), so I'll answer this assuming the latter question.  My favorite book to help me fall asleep while traveling is Anna Karenina (I'm still working on it) and I've been making my way through a lot of Cassandra Clare books since they're such easy reads.

5. What’s the biggest travel mistake you’ve made?

Hm.  Again, I can't think of anything.  My fiance is a pretty amazing travel planner for our vacations, so I've never felt like we made a big travel mistake anywhere.  I guess the closest I can come to answering this is not being prepared for the sticker shock in Norway.  I expected prices to be expensive, but not so much so that we literally ate salami and crackers every day.  We splurged on a beer each in our last city there and had one dinner in a restaurant, but that was about it.

6. Where is the best place you’ve been and why?

One of my favorite places I've been is Korcula, Croatia.  We had a wonderful view from our apartment, which was a very short walk to the Old Town.  The water was a gorgeous shade of blue.  It was just very relaxing and a nice place to stay a night or two if you want to unwind.

7. If you could meet any famous historical figure, who would it be?

This is a tough question.  There are so many amazing historical figures.  And there are a few not-so-great historical figures.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I'd like to meet former U.S. President Andrew Jackson to try and change his mind concerning Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears.  I can't begin to imagine what the Native Americans went through and I truly wish they hadn't been treated so wrongly.  

8. If you had to go and live a new country tomorrow, where would you move to?

I think I'd move to France, as cliche as that might sound.  Practically speaking, I speak French (though only conversationally), so it wouldn't be too difficult to get around.  Plus there are so many places in France that I'd love to see.  I've only been to Paris and Normandy, but I'd love to visit Provence and Burgundy.

9. How do you cope with writers block?

I keep a running list of blog ideas on my phone so that when an idea pops into my head I can jot it down.  Albeit, I haven't been blogging for a long time, nor do I blog every day, so fingers crossed I don't run out of ideas any time soon.  Another thing is to think about what vacations you've taken in the past before you started your travel blog and write about those.  Don't forget about "staycations," too.  Oftentimes you can find something to blog about that's more or less in your back yard.

10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

Honestly, probably still living in the U.S.  I can't see myself becoming an expat.  I very much like where I live and I enjoy my job.  I also enjoy having a home base--I'm not "nomad"-type material.  I enjoy traveling for a couple of weeks, but to me it's always nice to have someplace familiar to come home to.  However, I do still see myself traveling in 20 years!

11. What are your tips/advice for new travel bloggers?

My number one piece of advice is to blog for yourself.  If you want to blog to receive a claim to fame, that's great.  But stay true to yourself.  In the beginning I didn't and blogged about things I didn't really care about and it wasn't fun.  Then I found my niche in travel blogging.  It's still tough for me to find time to blog consistently, but I enjoy writing about my travels in the hopes that it will inspire someone to travel, too.

Liebster Award Nominations and Questions

I nominate:

• Emilee of Dark Horse Travel
• Jamee Nicole of Travel Play Love
• Sally of Passport and Plates
• Diana of In Between Pictures
• Chris & Rob of 2 Travel Dads

01. How old were you on your first international trip and where did you go?

02. What's your favorite UNESCO World Heritage Site that you've visited (or want to visit)?

03. What do you miss most from home when you're traveling?

04. What advice do you have for managing your time for blogging?

05. Where was the best meal you had while traveling and in what country?

06. What three places are at the top of your travel bucket list?

07. What advice do you have for long (8+ hours) of travel (plane, train, etc.)?

08. What country/city do you recommend that everyone should visit?

09. Have you made any good friends while traveling?

10. Who do you usually travel with (solo, significant other, friend, etc.)?

11. What was your happiest travel moment?