Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

As a somewhat new traveler and a newbie blogger, it felt pretty cool to have an awesome travel blogger such as Sebrin from The Clumsy Traveler choose me to be part of this fun award! I think I got a little too excited because I am still so new to all of this and wouldn't have thought that other travelers were looking into my blog! Either way, I'm thankful for the support from Sebrin along with other travel bloggers and friends. :)

This award has gone viral and I think it's a great way to connect with other bloggers that you don't necessarily get to see in person (or sometimes you do). The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award is a great way to get to know others in the blogging community. 

For this award, I am to answer the 10 questions Sebrin had chosen and to nominate other awesome bloggers to answer 10 questions from my request. Here are Sebrin's questions:

1. "Where is your favorite place to travel to?"

Barcelona. Er- Garmisch. I can't decide! Both are really great but different. I love Barcelona because it feels more like a city to live in for me. It was less touristy than a lot of other cities I've been to. Maybe because it was the first trip my husband and I took together and we really just wandered around the city. We didn't really do much either, we just hung out and we loved every single second of it.

Garmisch on the other hand is packed with so many adventures (as you all know from my post about Garmisch-Partenkirchen)! I can go on and on about the fun I've had there and since it's only a little over two hours from where I live, it keeps me going back!

Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

2. "What are your travel must-haves? Is there anything you can't leave home without?"

If i'm flying, then I must have a charged phone/iPod with headphones for music to distract me or else you'll hear me complaining the entire flight. I always think the worse when flying. 

If it's on a long bus ride, I must have a pillow! And two seats to myself, but most importantly, a pillow. My bus trip to Scandinavia and back was about a total of 32 hours in travel time and I didn't have a pillow. Worst mistake ever!

3. "How many countries and continents have you visited?"

So far I'm looking at 20 countries and 3 continents. 

1. 4. "Who did you meet in your travels that changed your life?"

I've met many people while traveling but one person stands out the most when I think about it. I wasn't necessarily traveling like I normally do when I met this person, I was more like moving to another country instead. Since I am choosing someone who changed my life, I am choosing wisely so I would say my good friend Lola is that person (she doesn't have a blog so convince her to start travel blogging)!

I was introduced to Lola when I first moved to Germany since our husbands worked together and she shared the same itch for traveling as I did. From the first day we met, we hit it off so well. Since we met last year, we have traveled to over 10 different cities together!

The reason why I say that she has changed my life while traveling is because she has a different, much warmer heart than I do. When we travel, she seeks to know and understand how other people feel and how to make sure everyone is happy. She respects other cultures and likes to submerge herself into another culture. Her life background also shows a lot about who she is, what she went through, and why she is the person she is now. She has a great soul and loves everyone she meets, no matter who they are. This is the kind of person I need in my life to help me keep a positive mind and encourages me to do my best!

Lola and I in Cinque Terre, Italy

1. 5. "What’s your number one tip for traveling? (hostels, travel hacking, packing guide, etc.)"

Research! Even just a little research on where you're traveling to will go a long way. Maybe it could just be a few words in a new language, some mannerisms, the capital, or public transportation maps. Trust me, it will ease some frustration instead of going head on into something you know nothing of. I know it can feel exciting to go somewhere unplanned and just go with the flow. But just a little research can prevent some of the negatives in traveling (pick-pocketing, disrespect from locals, sounding like a complete idiot, etc).

1. 6. "What is your dream, bucket list adventure? What makes it so wild/exciting?"

Probably to eat my way into Asia! I haven't traveled to Asia yet but when I do, I will eat everything and anything in sight! I want to eat great Asian cuisines but also try new and weird foods as well. I've seen the crazy things they eat from all over Asia, I am down for that! 

1. 7. "Tell me about your greatest travel adventure. Was it scary? Spontaneous? What made it an adventure you will never forget?"

Hands down- Morocco! My fellow travel girlfriends Lola and Suzie can vouch on that! We had been talking about visiting Morocco for so long and when we found cheap tickets, we had to jump on it! People had told us to "be careful" that Morocco was "dangerous" and all these other reasons to be afraid to travel there. It was such a fun excursion! We toured the markets, price haggled (my favorite part), ate some great food (that didn't give us a great feeling in the bathroom), road ATVs, got on some camels, drank a lot of tea with the locals, cooked a Moroccan dish, and shared some embarrassing yet funny moments during a Hammam!

Marrakech, Morocco

1. 8. "What travel books or movies have inspired you?"

Watch Departures on Netflix. Let me know how inspired you feel afterwards ;) 

1. 9. "Do you prefer to travel solo or with someone else?"

Both solo traveling and traveling with others have its benefits and slight disadvantages. I traveled alone before but I can only be alone for so long until I need to see a familiar face to talk to. I can talk to strangers. I do it all the time, but it's different when you already have a connection with someone and want to share your experience. It IS great meeting new people and hearing their experiences as well but if I had to choose, I would say to go with someone else.

10. "Where are you planning to go next?"

Next trip will be back to the lovely country of Ireland! I'm hoping the husband and I will rent a car and drive around the country and into the towns. Praying we don't run over sheep or get side swept because we looked the wrong way while driving! We also have plans for Garmisch (again, yes I know), Paris, Normandy, Brussels, Luxembourg, Köln, and Budapest. Hopefully this can all be done in the next two months!

Paris, France

I would like to nominate the following ladies for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award:

• Daria from NYC Globetrotter
• Jordan from Beer Time with Wagner
• Nicola from Polkadot Passport
• Alexis of A Southern Belles Fairy Tale
• Annie from Montgomery Fest
• Genevieve of The Wander Bug
• Laura from Girl x Departure
• Rachel of Department of Wandering 

It's understandable if a nominee is traveling and has other responsiblities in blogging so this is in no way mandatory. Answer if you would like to. Here are my questions:

1. How did you come up with your blog name?
2. Where haven't you traveled to yet that you've been dreaming of going?
3. Name somewhere that you just can't help but go back to. What makes it so special?
4. What was your worst experience while traveling? (C'mon, those happen more often than we anticipate)
5. What's your favorite social media platform to use to document your experiences and share with others?
6. Why did you start blogging?
7. When you're not traveling, what are you doing? (Besides breathing, eating, netflixing, etc)
8. Share your best advice in blogging for newbies (such as myself).
9. Name a restaurant, airline, tour guide, or hotel that gave you an experience like no other. Please, share your experience. 
10. What tools, websites, or apps do you use to find new places to travel to?

Please pass this award along as it encourages and motivates us female bloggers in the community ;)

Piazza de San Marco, Venice, Italy

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