And the Liebster Award Goes to…

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As I read through my twitter notifications one Saturday morning, one tweet caught my eye.

Congrats! You won a Liebster Award! http://t.co/oBcVI8skOH @TLaigle @PeanutsPretzels @shedreamstravel @Apshawaya @BreadcrumbsG

— John & Heather (@RoamingDaWorld) May 23, 2015

What? I won a Liebster Award? Yay! Umm… What the #&@% is that?

The Liebster Award – How it Works

The Liebster Award is a peer nominated blogging award typically given to new bloggers. It’s not like the grammys, guys, but it’s still pretty cool. Here’s how it works and why I think it’s great.

1. You get nominated by someone. Yay!
2. You google Liebster Award and find out that it’s pretty common, but still pretty cool.
3. You accept the award and answer 11 interview questions posed by the person that nominated you and post them to your blog. I like this because it’s a fun way to get to know other bloggers you may not have heard of otherwise.
4. You nominate 5 new bloggers for the Liebster Award and pose 11 new questions you would like them to answer. Again, this is cool because a. you get to come up with fun interview questions, b. you get to sneak a peak into other blogger’s lives, and c. you can help each other out by spotlighting new travel bloggers that are doing some pretty great things.
5. Tweet it out, and spread the Liebster Love.

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by John and Heather from Roaming Around the World. Thanks guys! I feel honored to have made your list! Without further ado, here are the answers to your interview questions:

The Interview

1. What do you enjoy most about travel?

I love soaking in the feeling of new places. Maybe it’s seeing the mountains around me, or hearing waves crashing nearby. Sometimes it’s the smell of rain or the feel of dust in the air.

2. What is currently the top destination you desire traveling to? Why there?

I’m dying to go to Thailand once I get enough time off. Thailand tops my list for the scenery, the food, the culture, and the coral.

3. Do you have any quirky travel habits that others may find strange?

I pack an entire pharmacy when I travel – just look at my packing lists. Everyone laughs when they first see my pharmacy kit, but no one is laughing when I’m the only one holding the meds they need to calm an allergic reaction to life jackets or stop them from trashing yet another pair of pants (both true stories).

4. What piece of travel gear would you never hit the road without?

I would never travel without my camera. Taking photos often keeps me from rushing through places and teaches me to really appreciate what is in front of me.

5. What prompted you to begin blogging about travel in the first place?

I’ve always dreamed of making travel guides but never thought it was an attainable dream. Then one day it occurred to me that I could publish them in blog-form. I tell the long story over on my anniversary post: The Making of Breadcrumbs Guide – Year 1.

6. What has been the most difficult obstacle you’ve faced while traveling?

Climbing to the top of Dead Woman’s Pass on the Inca Trail was the most physically challenging thing I have done. But saying goodbye to my dogs is always the most difficult emotional obstacle, even if it’s only for a couple weeks.

7. What’s been the most memorable accommodation you’ve ever stayed at during your travels (good or bad)?

Garren and I rented a small cottage in Frigiliana in Andalusia, Spain that had a view out to the sea that I will never forget. I found the cottage through a 1am Google image search and it set the stage for the rest of our trip.

8. Would you recommend traveling to your hometown? If so, what are some insider recommendations you’d give to others visiting your city? If not, why should we stay away?

I come from the charming town of Stillwater, Minnesota where the number of antiques outnumbers the number of residents. (I totally made that up, but it’s probably true). Visit Stillwater if you’re looking for a summer weekend getaway where you can walk along the river, shop the quaint stores on Main Street, and stop by the pirate bar for a blackberry mojito! My favorite restaurant in town is LoLo.

9. What country or destination have you found to be the most surprising? Why?

India. I was left scratching my head more times than I can count. India was the country where I felt most American. The extreme contrast of Indian culture made me realize just how strong of a culture there is in the US. It’s not something I ever noticed until I was faced with a way of thinking that was so radically different from my own.

10. What has been a favorite beer you’ve discovered while traveling? (Not a beer person? Tell us about an interesting juice, tea, wine, soda or cocktail instead.) Cheers!

On Hawaii’s Big Island I loved the mojitos at Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers. When we ordered another round the waitress told us it would be just a few extra minutes as she had to go pick more mint from the backyard. That’s fresh!

11. Share with us one of your favorite travel tips!

Planning ahead pays off big time when it comes to travel. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been able to have extraordinary experiences thanks to proper planning ahead of time. That being said, you still need to be flexible and embrace the unexpected once you’re on the road.

Now comes the best part! My nominations for the next Leibster Award are:

Neysha from Travelsuras: Neysha’s posts about expat life in South Korea are so entertaining and whenever I read them, I find myself glued to the screen till the very end. She’s got a great style. Check out The Day I Ate All My Kimchi and Dating in Korea: From Slang Words to Defining the Relationship.

Becky from Live Laugh Leipzig: Becky and I work less than 15 steps from each other, yet we didn’t become friends until we both started blogging! She has some hilarious stories from her experience transitioning to expat life in Germany.

Annie from Annie Anywhere: You might remember Annie for featuring Breadcrumbs Guide in her post 15 New Travel Blogs to Follow. I love her open and honest style and helpful travel tips!

Emily from Let’s Roam Wild: Emily’s posts are full of fantastic photos and a fun writing style. She just got back from a big trip to SE Asia and I’m excited to hear more about all her time spent in Thailand!

Kiara from Gallop Around the Globe: Kiara and I both hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu within a couple days of each other with the same trekking company! I found this out months later while reading some of her posts on her trip to Peru. Check out her blog for more Peru adventures beyond the places I went, like Colca Canyon and Arequipa!

My Liebster Award interview questions for the new nominees are…

1. What trip or experience got your travel addiction started?
2. If you could be transported to any place right now, where would you go?
3. You have $10,000 to spend on travel. Do you do a bare-bones budget for a year OR one blow-out vacation to an exotic destination?
4. If cost is not a factor: luxury hotel or picturesque campsite?
5. What’s your guilty pleasure?
6. Are you a superfan of someone? Who is it? Be honest.
7. Go-to airport snack to perk you up?
8. Do you have a weird thing that you love that most people think is gross? Like peanut butter burgers or the smell of wet dog? (I’m guilty of the latter)
9. Most embarrasing costume you’ve worn (Halloween or otherwise)?
10. What sense (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) do you appreciate the most?
11. You can only watch one tv series for the rest of your life. Which one do you choose?

If you want to see the nominees’ answers, make sure you go follow their blogs so you don’t miss their Liebster Award posts!

Ok, and just because I had so much fun making up these questions, it would totally make my day if you, the readers, answered any or all of the questions in the comments! Yes, that’s right, I’m talking to YOU. You just got to know me a bit better so it’s only fair I get to know you too! 🙂

Let’s hear YOUR answers!