2019 Liebster Award Nomination

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The Solo Life blog has been nominated for a Liebster Award! I am beyond excited, since I’m still very new to this whole blogging thing. But I love the goal of this award, which is to promote and encourage each other in the world that is blogging.

The Rules

If you’ve been nominated and choose to accept, there are certain rules that must be followed for eligibility.

You must write a blog post and include the following:

Thank the person who nominated you
Answer the 5 to 10 unique questions given to you by the person who nominated you
Write a small post about what motivates you in life (not just in blogging)
Nominate 2 to 6 new bloggers
Create 5 to 10 unique questions for your nominees
Post these rules

After publishing, you also must provide a link for them to your post and to the official Liebster Award 2019 site.

A huge shout out and thank you to Renee (aka The Holidaymaker) from Dream.Plan.Experience for nominating me for the Liebster Award. Renee is a daydreamer and planner who has fallen in love with Europe. Her goal is to use her own travel experiences to inspire others to plan their next holiday. If you want some travel inspiration, look no further!

What Motivates Me

Two things to know about me are that I am independent and an introvert. I love to do my own thing and have no problem doing it by myself. I’ve always been comfortable with my own company and love my quiet alone time as much as hanging out with friends and family. Put those 2 things together, and solo travel is a no-brainer for me.

I have only been solo traveling for about 3 years now, and honestly want to kick myself sometimes for waiting so long. Which is why I started my blog, to help others who may have been in a similar mindset. The mindset of having to wait for someone else in order to explore or travel. My goal is to continue stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things and go to new places, while also showing others that solo travel doesn’t have to be scary. If an introvert who doesn’t like change can do it, anyone can.

Answering my Nominator’s Questions

#1: What is a tourist destination that you believe is currently negatively impacted by tourism?

The tourist destinations that first come to mind are the U.S. National Parks that are too popular right now. My experience with this occurred a few years back, when I was visiting family in California. We decided to go to Yosemite, since I’d never been. Upon entering, we saw miles and miles of blackened forest from a fire that had only recently been taken care of. We found out that the fire was a result of campers. The devastation that humans brought to such natural beauty made me realize for the first time how responsible we need to be with the world we have.

#2: What book or movie inspired you to travel there? Did it meet your expectations?

I actually don’t think I’ve visited anywhere inspired by a book or movie first. I have done the opposite though. I’ve been inspired to read a book or watch a movie based on places I’ve visited.

Book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This is a nonfiction work all about Savannah, GA. I read this book after visiting Savannah. It’s a great read for anyone who likes southern history or true crime.

Movie: Baby Driver. This movie was filmed mostly in Atlanta, and parts of it were actually filmed in the building where I worked at the time. That definitely swayed my decision to see the movie.

#3: Where did you last travel to and how did you select that destination?

My last solo trip was to Harpers Ferry, WV. Only an hour and a half from D.C., it was the perfect weekend trip to hike and enjoy the amazing fall foliage. This was actually my second visit here this year, as I went during the summer too. I first decided on Harpers Ferry since it’s so close to D.C. and had an amazing hiking trail and overlook I wanted to check out.

#4: Have you made some deliberate choices to support a more eco-friendly and sustainable approach when traveling? If so, please share 1 to 3 tips.

I have just recently focused more on becoming more eco-friendly while traveling. I never fully thought about how terrible travel can be on the environment, from all the travel-sized toiletries that get thrown away to the negative effects of car and plan travel on air quality.

I’m working on a blog post to highlight some of my tips and favorite brands, but here’s a sneak peek.

Stop using travel-sized toiletries: I am guilty of hoarding these mini shampoos and soaps from hotel rooms, discount shelves, and that aisle at CVS (you know the one). I am refusing to buy any more of these suckers and switching to reusable bottles or bars instead.
Bring your own water bottle: I have so many water bottles that I hardly ever use. My goal is to use these from now on instead of buying an overpriced bottle of Dasani anywhere else.
Buy sustainable clothing and accessories: I’ve recently discovered that there are tons of brands these days making clothing, bags, and accessories from recycled materials. My favorites right now are GoLite, for active and travel apparel, and Patch, for bamboo bandages.

#5: If you could time travel, would you visit the past or the future? Why?

This was the toughest question to answer, and honestly it’s a toss up. I love history so much, but who doesn’t want to visit the future? Overall though, I’m going with the future, because I’m too nosy for my own good.

#6: What’s something you think every person should experience in their lifetime?

I think everyone should experience a big move at least once in their lives. As someone who moved a lot over the years, and who hated it every time, I can admit now that those moves shaped me into who I am today, and probably contributed to my love of travel.

#7: If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, what would you want to know?

I would want to know what my future self, in my waning years, would consider as my biggest regret in my life.

#8: What’s the most courageous thing you have ever done?

The bravest thing I’ve ever done was to move to D.C. from Atlanta last year. I knew no one in D.C. when I decided to move, and left behind everything safe and familiar with this move. For someone who hates change, this was a big leap out of my comfort zone. I can say though that it was hands down the best decision I’ve ever made.

#9: If you could live anywhere in the world, other than your current home country, where would it be? Why?

I’m torn on this one between two places. England would be amazing because my ancestry is 80% English/Welsh. I would love to connect with my heritage more. But I don’t really want to live somewhere cold and rainy, so Spain also sounds pretty great. I’d love to immerse myself in the Spanish culture and also be warm (it’s the little things).

#10: What have you learned the most about yourself as a result of blogging?

I have re-learned how much I enjoy writing. I used to love to write and somewhere in life I got away from that hobby. Blogging not only allows me to get my travel fix and hopefully help other solo travelers, but it also lets me creatively write again.

My Nominations

I am happy to nominate some fantastic travel bloggers for the Liebster Award, who I enjoy getting inspiration, destinations, and I’ll admit, blogging ideas, from.

Michelle from Travel After Five: As a travel consultant, Michelle started her blog after personally finding a lack of information around what to do in cities after 5 pm. Her goal is to offer a central place for other business travelers looking to take full advantage of work trips.
Andria from A Wanderful Plan: A self-proclaimed planning nerd, Andria’s blog grew from her love of planning trips. She hopes to inspire others to start planning, regardless of budget, duration, or fear of taking that traveling leap.

My Questions

I am keeping it short and sweet for my questions to my nominees for the Liebster Award, so here they are.

If you could go back to the past to change one thing, even knowing that it will affect the present that you come back to, would you do it? Why or why not?
Would you rather have the ability to talk to animals or speak every language known to humans?
Is there one destination you will not ever travel to, under an circumstances? if yes, what is the destination and why?
In 20 years, what do you think social media will look like? Will any of today’s social media platforms still be around?
What is the one piece of advice you would give your past self on the first day you started blogging?

It’s been an honor to be nominated for a 2019 Liebster Award and I wish the best of luck to my fellow nominees! To learn more about The Solo Life, click here.

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2 Comments

Andria

at Reply

I really enjoyed getting to know you more through this!!! I particularly liked your recommendations on sustainability. This topic is becoming more and more prevalent in my life. I’ve become a bit of a documentary junkie the past couple of years, sustainability along with minimalism and debt free are topics I’m learning so much about. My latest is the series ‘Broken’ on Netflix, totally recommend!!! You will not look at makeup, dressers, vaping and recycling the same way again! Things I’ve implemented from this series is use of more natural makeup products and we’re taking our waste to a local compost facility. I’m definitely checking in to the clothing lines you recommended, had no clue. Every little bit helps!!!

P.S. of course super appreciate the nomination as well 😉
- Jordan
  
  at Reply
  
  Hi Andria,
  Thank you! I totally agree. There are so many things we can all easily do to help make less of a negative impact on the environment. I will definitely check out the series! I love your changes you’ve started to make. And of course! I can’t wait to read more about you as well.