My Liebster Award Nomination

After many months of research and hard work here on The Girl On The Move, I’m delighted to share the news that I’ve been nominated (twice – by two lovely ladies!) for the Liebster Award.

A big thank you goes to Rachel of The World in a Weekend and Lindsay of Coffee Break Travel for the nomination! Be sure to head over to both Rachel and Linday’s blogs to read more about their travels!

For those of you that don’t know, the Liebster Award is a virtual award given by fellow bloggers to newbies who are establishing themselves and their blogs, as a way of spreading the word and recognising their efforts.

Let’s get started!

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1. Where are you from?

I’m an English girl, born and raised in the beautiful county of Oxfordshire. I’ve spent some time living in Germany where I worked in a school and I’ve also lived in Southampton down on the south coast whilst I was studying at University.

2. If you had to live in another country, which would it be and why?

Now that’s a tricky question and something I often think about. I am rubbish at making travel related decisions and there are just so many beautiful places out there to choose between! The dream would probably be Italy though, as its pretty, the weather is warm and because I LOVE Italian food.

3. What is the luckiest thing that has happened to you while travelling?

This might not quite fit the bill but my boyfriend and I celebrated five years of being together in Paris back in 2014. It was early spring and the city was in full bloom, with hundreds of cherry trees showing off their pink blossom and bright clusters of daffodils on every patch of greenery. After a visit to the Eiffel Tower, we strolled up towards the Ècole Militaire and I snapped a shot of the Eiffel Tower through the pale pink blossom. For a year it proudly acted as my Facebook cover picture, until I decided to enter it into a photo competition aiming to find the ultimate ‘Springtime’ image. Guess what? I won first prize and a 1^st class UK getaway to York. If that’s not lucky, I don’t know what is!

4. What is your greatest achievement so far and why?

This would have to be graduating from university. Probably a rather boring answer, but after four years of (virtual) blood, sweat and tears, I am so relieved to be finished with my Bachelor’s degree and to be able to move onto something new.

5. What has been your scariest travel experience?

Thankfully, I’ve not experienced anything very scary whilst travelling and to be honest, I’d be quite happy for it to stay that way!

6. What travel destination most exceeded your expectations?

Madeira. Definitely! I had absolutely no expectations before my recent trip to Madeira – I was aware that to many the island is seen as somewhat of a ‘bucket-list’ destination for those in their retirement, but nonetheless, I had also heard that the island is beautiful with plenty of flowers and plenty of sunshine. I was very pleasantly surprised and can safely say that I had a fantastic holiday in Madeira. We found lots of things to do – from exploring the capital of Funchal, strolling through the island’s many tropical gardens, visiting the volcanic caves in the north, witnessing stunning views of the mountain ranges and rocky cliffs, as well as that all important activity – relaxation.

7. What’s the strangest food you’ve ever eaten abroad?

I can’t think of anything really strange that I’ve eaten whilst on my travels. Having done limited travelling outside of Europe (I am looking to rectify this asap!) I can’t say that I’ve been particularly exposed to many of the weird and wonderful culinary delights that are out there. The strangest it gets for me are probably ‘escargot’ aka snails in Paris, does that count?

8. Where did you make the best friends on your travels?

This would have to be Germany – so long as ‘on your travels’ includes my Year Abroad. During my time in Düsseldorf, I met so many lovely people from across the world and also strengthened friendships with people at home and from uni as we were forced to make more of an effort to keep in touch. Apart from that, the majority of my travels up until now have been with either my parents or my boyfriend without much opportunity to meet new people plus I rarely return to destinations I’ve visited which makes it hard to stay in touch with new friends.

8. What made you start blogging?

My interest in the world of blogging probably started when I moved away from home and moved down to Southampton to start my course at university. I won’t pretend I had the best time during my first year – I’m not much of a party animal so Fresher’s wasn’t really for me – and so instead spent a lot of my time discovering a number of bloggers and watching vlogs on YouTube. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before I found my feet in Southampton and met some lovely people so I devoted less time to social media and more time to being sociable.

Anyway, let’s get to the point. I had always thought about starting my own blog but until my move to Germany (my year abroad) I didn’t think I had anything worth writing about. But in 2013 I set up my previous blog Dovaston’s Dusseldorf Diaries as a way of documenting my experiences of life in Germany and life as an English Teaching Assistant. Two years later and to coincide with a new chapter in my life, I decided it was time to make the transition across from my old blog to something a bit more grown up. The Girl On The Move was born!

10. What’s the one thing you don’t leave the house without (key, phone and purse/wallet excluded)?

I cannot be without my camera. I absolutely love taking photos and you never know when or where you are going to find something photo-worthy!

11. Do you prefer travelling in large cities or smaller towns and in the countryside?

Whilst I love exploring cities, I think that the countryside and smaller towns are what really define a country and where you find the most authentic experiences. Sure, I love ticking off the iconic city landmarks and joining in on the tourist trail but I am always looking for somewhere undiscovered, more peaceful and less commercial.

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So that’s enough about me. I’d like to nominate the following bloggers for a Liebster Award:

Merve from Merveilleux Marvels

Emily from Feet Meet World

Annemiek from Travellist.nl

Sara from Instantraveler

Deniz from Sea Blue, Sea Green

♥

Instructions for Nominees:

Thank the blogger who nominated you for the Liebster Award with a link back to his or her blog.

Answer the 11 questions that your nominator asks you.

Nominate 5 – 11 bloggers of your own, with under 1,000 followers or more if they haven’t already done a Liebster, who you think deserve it.

Create 11 questions for your nominees.

Display the Liebster Award logo on your page.

List these rules in your post.

Questions for nominees (and visitors!)

Where are you from?

If you had to live in another country, which would it be and why?

What is the luckiest thing that has happened to you while travelling?

What is your greatest achievement so far and why?

What has been your most memorable travel experience?

What travel destination most exceeded your expectations?

What’s the most delicious food you’ve ever eaten abroad?

What is your top travel tip?

What made you start blogging?

What’s the one thing you don’t leave the house without (key, phone and purse/wallet excluded)?

Where do you think is the most underrated destination and why?

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I really hope you enjoyed reading my answers and thank you again to the lovely Rachel and Lindsay who nominated me!

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