I have recently been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by The Little Backpacker. The Liebster Award (from the German, meaning ‘dearest’)  is for up and coming blogs. Big thanks to The Little Backpacker and everyone who has been enjoying my blog lately. The Liebster Award is cool in that it links nominators with nominees by giving guidelines that include setting your nominees questions.

So here’s the deal – Liebster Nominee Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you and link back up to his/her blog.
• Answer the 10 (or 11!) questions which are given to you by the nominator.
• Nominate other bloggers for the award who have less than 200 followers.
• Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer
• Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.
• Here are my answers for the award questions. I hope you enjoy!

 

• What 5 things would you not leave for a trip without?

Boardshorts (if somewhere hot!), video camera, shades, iPod, passport (obviously!)

• How did you first get in to travel? Was it a random trip or did you always know you wanted to travel?

My first independent trips were whilst I was still at school, organising for my mates and I to attend the Le Mans 24 Hours race in France in 2006 and the Monaco Grand Prix in 2007.

• What country do you/are you visiting next?

I’m not sure! But I have big plans for 2014. Whilst living in Scotland I intend to visit the country properly for the first time, taking in the Highlands and islands, as well as visiting parts of Europe I am yet to see. Plus one big inter-continental trip at some point for sure!

• What is the biggest tick you completed on your bucket list this year?

Wow. So, so many. This year has been phenomenal. I jumped off a canyon, snowboarded, hiked a glacier, went in a helicopter – and that was all just in one week! I also rode an elephant, drove the Great Ocean Road in a campervan , attended two Grands Prix and stayed in the unbelievable Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. But in terms of ticking something off that has been on my bucket list for all my life – flying in a helicopter is number one. More specifically, being a filmmaker geek, filming out a helicopter stands out as the moment in 2013 when I said to myself ‘wow, I’m finally getting to do this’.

• Do you prefer hot, sunny, beachy destinations or cold, winter and snowy destinations?

Hot and sunny. But an ideal year in travel would include both. There’s even something gritty and exciting about wet and muddy destinations – there’s adventure to be had in any conditions!

• If you could go anywhere in the world, money no object, where would you go?

Antarctica. Mainly because I know that all the other continents are there and easily accessible – all I have to do is save money, book flights, wise up and figure out an itinerary. Antarctica is a whole different story. It is the coldest, windiest and bleakest of all the continents by far and it has a profound effect on the rest of the planet. We humans are melting enough ice with our global warming that this continent will be the most important to us in the next century. I would love to go and see such a crucial part of our planet for myself, but it would require far more preparation and planning than any other trip.

• What 5 tips would you give to someone who has never been travelling?

Read travel blogs, save more than you think you need, be skeptical of people selling you stuff (especially in different cultures), respect where you visit and embrace where you visit – the culture, the people, the landscape, the wildlife – embrace all of that and where you are will embrace you.

• Best travel experience? (Yes you can only pick one)

Hiking over Mordor aka the Tongariro Crossing on the North Island of New Zealand. It was difficult enough to make it super rewarding. The sense of achievement was wonderful and the views, well, sensational. That country took my breath away non-stop for the entirety of my time there.

• Worst travel experience?

I once missed a flight after going to the wrong airport in D.C. – not my finest hour. It cost us a whole day and a small fortune to get another flight to Miami because it was Labor Day weekend. Lesson learned.

• How do you prefer to travel? slow or fast? bus/train/car/boat?

Fast if I’m just getting to my destination in the UK, for instance. But anywhere new I prefer to take it slow and enjoy the journey and the changing landscapes out the window. My experience in New Zealand with Kiwi Experience really turned me on to travelling by bus.

Here are my nominees for the Liebster Award (I know you may have over 200 followers):

Daria & Jamie from Mr & Mrs Backpacker

Lynn from Women’s Independent Travel

Aiman & Zarek from 25 Days Off

A.L. from The Travelling Soul

Matt from LandLopers

 

Hera are my ten questions:

• What is the longest you have stayed in a place that is not your own country?
• What is your scariest travel experience to date?
• What travel experience made you the happiest?
• What items to you travel with now that you didn’t to begin with?
• What advice would you give to someone who wants to travel but is scared it might not be for them?
• Which is your favourite continent you have visited?
• What makes travellers awesome people?
• What’s your funniest travel story?
• If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of travel advice, what would it be?
• What’s the best way to chat up a travel blogger?

Thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing my nominee’s answers 🙂