Yesterday evening I was nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by the lovely Amy from Amy the Nomad. Now I have to admit I hadn’t actually heard about this award before I was nominated but as it means “favourite” in German I knew this must be good.
The Liebster Blog award is a way for bloggers to high-five each other and to share their favourite small-ish blogs with each other. This is how it works: You get asked 11 questions by the blogger who nominates you, which you have to answer. Now it’s your turn to think of 11 questions which your 11 favourite bloggers have to answer. And for a little fun, you tell them 11 random facts about yourself. Simple!
So here we go.
These were the 11 questions I got asked:
1. If something could stop you travelling, what would it be?
If I was offered my dream job at Greenpeace I would consider postponing my travel plans for a little while. Apart from that, only a family emergency could stop me.
2.If you had to choose one country and stay there, where would you pick?
That’s a tough one. If I could bring my family along then I would probably choose the US. It is such a diverse country I would have plenty to explore, from mountains, to sandy beaches and lots of great food along the way.
3. What is the strangest thing you have seen whilst travelling?
I don’t know if this counts as strange, but when I lived in Johannesburg a few years ago I was just fascinated by the proximity of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. The richest neighbourhood in all of Africa borders a slum which houses more than 1 million people. I just didn’t come to grips with that.
4. If you could re-live one day of your travels, which would it be?
Probably, the only day I ever spent in NYC. I was 14 years old and it was the first time I ever went on holiday without my family. It was such an amazing 24 hours and I’d just love to experience it as an adult.
5. Have you met someone on your travels that really made an impact on you/your life? Who and where?
All the people I met on my first solo trip to Israel in 2010. For some of them it was the first time outside the US, others were seasoned backpackers. But the whole experience of meeting all these interesting people from around the world and understanding that it is possible to travel more and live more just impressed me a lot.
6. Have you ever been arrested whilst travelling? Or had a major misunderstanding? Please share!
Thankfully I haven’t been arrested yet, but who knows what’ll happen on my RTW trip.
It’s not really major but when I took the ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island I was advised by another traveller in our hostel where to sit on the boat in order to avoid getting seasick. Unfortunately, there was a language barrier and I did the exact opposite of what he advised. It was a rough ride and I have to admit, I did get seasick.
7. What has been your most terrifying experience?
That must’ve been the time my friends car broke down in the middle of the night a on a dark highway just outside Johannesburg. It was exactly the sort of situation you are told to avoid before you travel to South Africa and we were terrified. Thankfully another friend who we’d just had dinner with wasn’t too far away and picked us up.
8. Whether you ever make it there or not, where in the world would you most like to go?
That would probably be India. I’ve dreamed about going there since I was a little girl and watched The Jungle Book. Hopefully I will make it there on my upcoming RTW trip, it is definitely on the itinerary!
9. What got you travelling in the first place?
My first solo trip to Israel opened my eyes to the world out there. I almost dropped out of grad school to stay there but in the end did the “sensible” thing and returned to London. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming about going on a RTW trip.
10. Which of your personal attributes comes in most handy when you are on the road?
I’m quite an outgoing person and not exactly what you’d call shy. This can be very handy when travelling as it helps to meet new people.
11. If you were a cartoon character, who would you be and why?
Haha, my friends used to call me smurfette because I am small blond and blue (this means tipsy in German). But nowadays I would like to think I’m more like Tinkerbell: independent, feisty and loyal (and she has an unlimited supply of fairy dust, that’s cool).
My 11 blog nominees:
- Jess – A passion and a passport
- Brooke – Her Packing List
- Lauren – Only chasing the sun
- Travel Fashion Girl
- Deborah – One eyebrow raised
- Alana – The paper planes blog
- George – Healthy travel guide
- Shannon – A little adrift
- Brenden – The Tipsy Nomads
- Jeremy & Angie – Living the dream RTW
- Alli – Alli Blairs travel bug
My 11 questions for my nominees:
- Which is the weirdest food you’ve tried when travelling?
- Which book has inspired you to travel?
- Do you have a favourite song you listen to when travelling?
- What is the first thing you do when you return home?
- If you could pick one country that you could visit the way it was 100 years ago, which one would it be and why?
- If you had to live in a decade other than this one, which one would it be, and why?
- If you could visit one fictional place, which one would it be?
- What was your biggest travel faux-pas?
- Which food do you miss most when travelling?
- What was your scariest travel experience so far?
- Who was the most interesting person you’ve ever met travelling and why?
And here are the 11 random facts about me:
- People think I’m joking, but I actually believe in fairies.
- I’m originally from Munich, which means I’ve been to the Oktoberfest almost every year of my life.
- I have an obsession for soup. I could eat soup every day, especially with noodles.
- I quietly sing “It’s a small world” to myself whenever I fly, to calm my nerves (I don’t like flying).
- I got asked for my ID at my 30th birthday party (which made me happy).
- My name means “salmon” in German. That’s why my friends call me fish.
- I miss the days when MTV was awesome.
- My parents used to dress my brother and me up in traditional Bavarian clothes. In Watford.
- I like glitter. A lot.
- If I could, I would live in Mickey’s house in Disneyland.
- Despite being an environmental activist, I love a McDonalds.
I feel really honoured to be nominated for this award, thank you again Amy! And thanks everybody for following me!!
Congratulations!
-Randomandunheardof
Thank you!
Fun blog you’ve got there!
Thank you I really appreciate that!
It’s really creative! Following you now!
Awesome
thanks for following!!!!
Wow thanks so much for nominating me! I just saw it and had no clue until now!
Oh, you’re welcome, I really like your blog. In hindsight I should’ve probably sent a direct message, sorry! Hope you enjoy answering the questions 🙂