Well-Caffeinated Traveller Nominated for The Sunshine Blogger Award!

I’m very proud to say that Well-Caffeinated Traveller has been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award.

What is it?
The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring. I’ve been inspired by many travel blogs over the years and it’s so rewarding to know that I can now do the same for others! Once nominated, a blogger is required to write a post in which they 1. thank the blogger for nominating them and link back to their blog, 2. answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you 3. eleven other blogs and give them eleven questions to answer 4. notify your nominees and 5. list the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

So, without further ado … THANK YOU SO MUCH to Diana of Handstands Around The World who nominated me for this award. Diana is a former gymnast who is now studying for her PhD in Nutrition. Despite the name of her blog, she’s only travelled around the States and North America so far. BUT like me, she shares a love of National Parks and hiking and has been on some amazing adventures! After she graduates she plans to conquer the rest of the world so stay tuned!

Here are my answers to her interesting and probing questions…..

1. What is/are your travel goal(s) for 2017?
My travel goals are the same as every other year: to see as much of this amazing world as possible! My list is long, but so far, I’ve already booked trips to Greece and Scandinavia and am also planning a road trip to hike in some of Canada’s amazing National Parks. I can’t wait to get started!

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
My favorite holiday has to be Thanksgiving. For me, Thanksgiving means family. I love the sentiment of gathering with all of your closest friends and family around a great meal to remember all the wonderful things that happened over the past year. There’s no pressure of finding the perfect gift for everyone – just spending time with the people who mean the most to you and genuinely enjoying each others company. And since I’m an American living in Canada, I get to experience it twice a year!

3. Most unique travel destination you’ve visited?
Great question! I’d have to say the Galapagos Islands. It was one of the most pristine places I have ever seen and even within the Islands themselves there was so much variety. One island had beautiful white sand beaches, another had stunning red sand beaches and a third was covered with lava rock which created spectacular black sand beaches. Then there was the wildlife that was indigenous to each islands. Never before had I seen such giant sea tortoises, birds with blue feet and so many different types of iguanas! I was constantly surprised by something new, making it a trip I will never forget!

4. What is one off the beaten path location that you recommend for me to visit?
The destination I’d recommend you visit is not so much “off the beaten path” as it is “it’ll take you a while to get there.” I’d have to say: New Zealand! From reading your blog, it looks like you enjoy hiking, nature and being outdoors. Not only is New Zealand my favourite country in the entire world, but it is insanely beautiful and offers some of the best hiking opportunities ever. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

5. Share your favorite photo from your travels:
Oh god, it’s impossible to choose just one, but one of my favorites from my most recent road trip of Utah has to be from an amazing hike at Bryce Canyon:

6. What is your advice for those trying to get into the world of blogging?
Just do it! Not to copy Nike or anything but it honestly isn’t difficult to get started if you truly enjoy writing. You can start with a free wordpress template, pick a topic and start writing. Write from the heart about topics you love and it won’t ever feel like a job at all.

7. What is your favorite song?
I love music so much. It lifts me up, calms me down, makes me want to dance and so many other things. It’s impossible to choose just one favourite song. It really just depends on my mood!

8. Worst travel experience ever?
This is a tough question because I honestly try to make every travel experience a great one. Instead, I think I’ll tell you why Beijing was one of my least favourite cities I’ve ever been to. I thought I would love it because it is a vibrant city full of history and culture, however, I found it to be very dirty, the people were not very friendly and the pollution was so bad I could feel the dirty air entering my lungs each time I took a breath. However, I don’t regret visiting China. There were parts of my trip that were really amazing. Beijing is just a city I have absolutely no desire to go back to.

9. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten while traveling?
Trying to come up with the answer to this question I’m realizing how I haven’t been to too many places with crazy food options. I guess it had to have been in Japan, where I tried bbq baby octopus on a stick or a wasabi flavored kit kat. Both were surprisingly delicious!

10. Where are you from, and what is the most common stereotype or misconception about your home town/state/country?
I’m originally from Boston, Massachusetts and the question I most often get asked is “Why don’t you have a Boston accent?” Seriously people, not everyone from Boston has the terrible accent you’ve heard in all the movies.

11. What is one important lesson you’ve learned in your travels?
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my travels, and the one I’d tell everyone else is to be flexible. Things never go as planned. Something is always bound to go wrong, so let it. Some of my best memories were of unexpected things that I never planned!

In no particular order, I am nominating the following bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger Award:

1. Nicole from Wanderlust Brunette
2. Anne from Go On Adventures
3. Fran from La Vida Nomade
4. Eemma from Always a Gringa
5. Marlies from Magnificent Escape
6. Danielle from Travel Food Adventures
7. Amy from Hit the Road Map
8. Emma from Luxury Backpacking
9. Danika from DBucketList
10. Giulia from Blocal Travel
11. The Pamley-Liddells from Journey of a Nomadic Family

Congratulations! My questions for you are:

1. What is your dream job?
2. What is the most amazing thing you’ve seen while travelling?
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
4. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten while traveling?
5. What is your favourite travel-related book or movie?
6. What is your favourite season?
7. What is one off the beaten path location that you recommend for me to visit?
8. What is your least favourite part of travelling?
9. If I gave you $1,000 how would you spend it?
10. What is your favourite social media platform and why?
11. What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from blogging?