Liebster 2015 Award Nomination

I’m so excited . . . beyond excited to announce that I have been nominated for the Liebster 2015 Award. Now at this very moment you’re probably asking yourself what the Liebster Award is? The Liebster Award is handed out by bloggers to other bloggers. It’s a way to promote new or smaller blogs in order to get them more recognition throughout the blogging community.

 The meaning of Liebster in German means ” sweetest, kindest, lovely, endearing and sweetheart”. I want to give a HUGE thanks to Ryan Webster at A Backpack and a Boarding Pass for nominating me!! I was so excited when I heard that The World At My Feet  was being nominated and couldn’t believe. I had to tell everyone I could!! As part of the nomination I have to ask the following questions that were given to me by Ryan. In return I have to nominated 10 small blogs, who in turn will answer the questions I give them. I hope you guys learn something new about me and without further ado:

1. What are 11 fun facts about you?

~ I’m a huge animal lover
~ I’m a homeowner
~ In addition to writing on my blog, I’m a full time worker and a part time student
~ I have moved nine times so far in my life ( 4 of which were cross country)
~ I went to camp as a child and loved every minute of it. It taught me so much and I met people from around the world
~ I have lived in four states and moved back to two of them at one point
~ It took me until my 21st year on this earth to travel internationally
~ I have toe that grows crooked
~ I love DIY projects
~ I love to write stories
~ Reading is my favorite pastime

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

This is a really hard question to answer! After I read the question I had three places immediately pop into my head. They were Norway, Ireland and Scotland. Out of those three countries I have only visited Ireland (so far) and I was enchanted with the incredible natural beauty. I would definitely have to live somewhere that has natural beauty and outdoor activities.

3. What is your favorite travel destination and why? And what is your least favorite?

So far Ireland was my favorite destination, although London ranks close! I love Ireland because of it’s beauty. The natural beauty of the country and the beauty of it’s people. It’s astonishing how friendly people are and their willingness to go out of their way to help a stranger. That’s uncommon here in the states and it was quite refreshing to come across. At the moment I don’t have a least favorite destination. I’ve enjoyed everywhere I have visited.

4. Do you have any crazy or scary travel stories?

I’m not sure if this really falls under crazy or scary . . . maybe weird, creepy, or crazy. I recently returned from a trip to Chicago, where I met up with my best friend from high school. We were taking the train from Chicago to the suburb we were staying in. Toward the end of the trip a guy got on and sat across from us. Did I mention that he was tweaking out on some sort of drugs and acting really odd? We decided to move to the stairs to disembark, because we were approaching our stop. While standing on the stairs a ticket collector joined us and stood across from us. He accidently (I’m assuming/ hoping) bumped his arm into me. Which happens . . . except he turns and looks at me, touches my arm and said “It was a pleasure touching you. I’ll always remember it”. 

5. What is your favorite dish from abroad? What is your favorite dish from your country?

My favorite dish from abroad at the moment is Filipino pancit and lumpia. So incredibly yummy. My favorite dish from my country is pizza. I could eat pizza all day every day!!

6. Which Blog post are you most proud of?

The blog post that I am most proud of is My Travel Wishlist. This is a continually changing list of places I want to visit and experiences that I want to have. I think this list helps to keep me grounded and it’s something I look forward to doing. The more places you visit and see the more things come into focus for me.

7. What type of traveler are you (Backpacker/Budget, Luxury, Business, etc.) ?

I would say that I’m a mixture between a budget and luxury traveler leaning more towards budget. I’m always looking to save money (hey that’s more to go towards another trip), but who wouldn’t want some luxury in their life? I will never sacrifice my safety for money though.

8. What is the most useful or important thing that you have learned from your travels?

I love this question! I have learned so much from my travels that I can’t just list one. Throughout my travels I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that it’s ok to be alone and you don’t have to always be surrounded by people. I have learned to have more confidence in myself and to rely on myself. I have learned that while there aren’t good people in the world not everyone is out to get you. I discovered that its good for the soul to get outside your comfort zone everyone once in a while!

9. What are your favorite third-party sites when planning a trip abroad?

I have several third-party sites I use whenever I’m planning a trip. Believe it or not Pinterest is my first go to site! I can find so much stuff to do by just typing my destination in, and I can organize it on my boards so I always have it. My second site is Tripadvisor. I almost always check their site for reviews on things I want to do and places I’m looking at staying at.

10. What are your travel essentials?

I have a list of things that I always have to take with me on a trip. I have to have my passport (international travel)/ id, credit cards (always alert the companies), lotion, hand sanitizer, my ipad mini; a book (or three), chapstick, and sunglasses. Oh and you can’t forget a scarf!

11. What inspired you to create a blog?

My first international trip. It takes so much work to plan a trip yourself. There is so much that goes into it. Should I stay here? Should I rent a car, take a plane, a ferry, a train? Is this attraction worth my time and money? How can I save money without being too cheap and still have fun? I wanted a place that people could come to and read reviews about places I have been and the answers to all the above questions. It’s an overwhelming process that I wanted to help people with. I also wanted to inspire people to travel and prove that you can travel no matter what. I work full time, go to school and travel. I have also have responsibilities like being a homeowner and taking care of my dog . . . and I still travel. If there is a will, there is a way.

I nominate the following blogs . . .

~ Cathy Merrifield: Roarloud
~ Karlie: Miss Wanderlust
~ Hannah: Postcards from Hannah
~ Ginger: One Year, My Dear
~ Maggie: The Woven Whim
~ Melissa: A Broken Backpack
~ Mimi: The Atlas Heart
~ Melissa: KC Girl Travels
~ Jessica: Journey’s with Jessica

Nominees now you need to:

~ Now you need to create a post answering the questions I have for you (listed below).
~In your post make sure to link it back to ME with a thank you!
~ After answering the questions, nominated 11 other blogs with under 200 followers. You will need to provide them with 11 of your own questions, and provide them with the same instructions.
~ You will need to notify your nominees and provide them with the link back to your post, so they know what to do
~ When everything is completed, come back to my blog, comment on this post with a link back your post. I can’t wait to see everyone’s answers!!

Questions for the Nominees:

1. What are 11 random facts about you?

2. What is your travel style (luxury, business, budget, ect)?

3. If you had to choose between make-up or shampoo, which would you choose?

4. What can ruin a good travel person?

5. Why do you travel?

6. What inspired you start a blog and how long have you been blogging?

7. Do you have pets? Tell us about them and how you travel with that responsibility.

8. How do you deal with culture shock/homesickness?

9.  When and where was your first trip?

10. What is the most unusual experience you have had while travelling?

11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts!!