Liebster Award!

A few weeks ago I woke up to a wonderful notification – a lovely fellow travel blogger Steph at The Travelling Teacher nominated my blog for Liebster Award! Getting recognition for your blog is always a wonderful thing and I am forever grateful to Steph for this acknowledgement. The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to bloggers to recognize great blogs and the hard work we put into them. It helps to discover new blogs and to build a sense of community in the blogging world!

THE RULES:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you
• Nominate 11 bloggers that you think are deserving the award
• Create 10 questions for them to answer
• Let the bloggers know you nominated them

MY ANSWERS:

1. What’s your earliest travel memory?

When I was a little girl I used to travel with my grandmother and mom all around Russia to various resorts as well as Moscow and St. Petersburg. I particularly loved our summer vacations in Sochi (where 2014 winter Olympics where held) as well as strolls along historic streets of mesmerizing St. Petersburgh!

2. How did you catch the travel bug?

I remember the first time my grandfather took me to Dubai on his business trip. Immersing into a totally different culture absolutely fascinated me and inspired me to travel, meet new people and explore the unknown parts of this beautiful world we live in.

3. Who would be your ultimate travel companion (can be living or no longer with us)?

I might have lucked out and can firmly say that I have more than one ideal travel companions: 1. My sweet husband has absolutely corrupted my soul when it comes to gastro travel. We both share passion for food and adore venturing out on culinary adventures together (as you can well see from my numerous foodie blog posts). 2. Two of my absolutely amazing girlfriends Nata and Nino have been my travel partners in crime forever. We know everything there is to know about each other, share tons of interests and sync so well when we travel. They are ideal partners on trips where there is lots of sightseeing to be done.

4. Your best piece of travel advice (can be something someone has told you or your advice for others)?

Plan ahead. While being spontaneous is great and you should always leave some room for improvising, I am a firm believer that planning your itinerary ahead of time, booking in advance and researching other blogs and reviews for the things to see, eat and do is paramount for making most of your vacation AND budget.

5. Favorite movie that inspires you to travel?

I remember one night my girlfriends and I were staying at a small hotel in Rome. We were about to depart for Florence the next day and my friend Nino threw us a movie night. We watched Under The Tuscan Sun. I remember being so inspired by the scenes of the beautiful vineyards, cute cobblestone streets, gorgeous colorful houses and delicious Italian food. Tuscany not only lived up to but exceeded all our expectations in the end.

6. How do you like to travel? (plane, car, train?)

Definitely by airplane! I have been traveling for as long as I can remember and I have always had particular fondness for airports. As exhausting as flights can be, there is something in the atmosphere of an airport that attracts me – the buzz, the anticipation, the duty free shops… :P And with added bonus of wifi nothing can really beat the convenience of flying.

7. Where’s the most remote or off-grid place you’ve ever been?

My husband and I lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti for almost two years. It certainly was a unique experience. We learned a lot about the vibrant Haitian culture and people and got to enjoy the beauty of this tropical Caribbean island. The country is still in a rough place from political and economic perspective, but I hope that one day it will manage to utilize its beautiful recources and catch up with other prosperous Caribbean nations.

8. What’s been your worst moment whilst travelling?

My mom and I were once flying from Tbilisi, Georgia to West Palm Beach, Florida in winter via Charlotte. It snowed and as it often happens, the flights got canceled. It got resolved pretty well though. I miraculously managed to get two seats for a flight to Miami instead, which was two hours away from our destination, but still much better than spending the night in the airport.

9. Your favorite item of travel memorabilia (travel souvenir?)

You see, I don’t really have one. I am all about collecting experiences and memories, rather than things. Although, I must say I cherish my travel photos a lot.

10. What’s your guilty pleasure/vice whilst travelling?

I am a fitness junkie and yogi and try to lead a pretty active lifestyle on a daily basis. But when I travel I allow myself to relax and have a little break from the regimen. Plus, sightseeing counts as a workout, right? ;)

11. If you could only travel to one more place where would it be?

The thing is I’m very bad at picking just one. It would be Machu Picchu, Australia or New Zealand. But there are so many other places in the world I would love to see!

My nominations go to the following great bloggers who constantly inspire me to improve my skills and internet space:

1. Angie at Silverspoon London – the blog of this lovely girl is way beyond any awards, but I still wanted to mention her because her blog has had a great impact on me. I swoon over her wondrous luxury travel destinations and gorgeous food photography that matches so well with her skillful narrative.
2. Amber at In Temper – if you love chocolate you have to follow this blog. She regularly shares recipes and insights about the delicious world of chocolate which make even me (a person who is not keen on pure chocolate) drool a little.
3. Celia at Celia in Tokyo – this girl inspires me with her stories and equally beautiful photography of rural Japan, something I yet have to explore.
4. That Day I Got Hungry – a food blogger who manages to tell beautiful stories via her culinary experiences in London.
5. Gabriela at Cooking Without Limits – apart from posting delicious recipes, this food blogger has won my heart with her stunning food photography. Looking at them alone would make you want to cook.
6. Hungrycookie – a funky blog about all things food and travel.
7. Katie from Little Brantley Abroad – this lovely American blogger shares her passion for travel via her interesting stories.
8. Marcella at What A Wonderful World who constantly amazes me with the beautiful photos of her life in vibrant Chile.
9. Kaho at Chuzai Living – I connected with Kaho today and instantly fell in love with her blog. She is a Japanese American currently living in Mumbai and shares her passion for interior design and travel via her absolutely gorgeous photography.
10. Rachel at Rachel in Ireland constantly ignites my dream to travel to Ireland one day.
11. Lizzie from Pocket Planet who regularly shares some savvy travel tips along her wonderful worldly adventures.

11 questions for my nominees are:

1. What made you want to start blogging?
2. What advice do you have for new bloggers?
3. What is the fondest travel memory you have?
4. What is your most embarrassing travel tale?
5. If you could pick any place in the world, which city would you want to live in? Why?
6. If you were made the boss of an airline for a day and could make one change to make passengers lives better, what would it be and why?
7. Have you had any disappointing travel experiences when you visited the place and it failed to live up to your expectations?
8. What is the most off-beat place you have traveled to?
9. What is the most exotic or unique dish you have tasted?
10. How do you like exploring new places? Visiting historic sites/museums/backstreets/food scene or…?
11. What’s on your travel bucket list for this year?

Once again, thanks to Steph for the nomination, I’ve loved answering your questions! You have inspired me to find more wonderful bloggers out there! I cannot wait to read their answers to my questions now.

xoxo, nano