I’ve been nominated for my first blogging award, how warm and fuzzy! The lovely Lori from Travlinmad has nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award, a fellow blogger who I first came across on Twitter when her pretty hilarious post Bandana Thief caught my eye. I’ll let you find out for yourself what happened there.
That was back when I had first put my blog live, and I’d bunged up a few posts about my most recent holibobs and figured I’d give travel blogging a crack alongside the wedding planning, giving up shampoo and whatever else came into my head.
However, I quickly learned that I got nothin’ on Lori and other proper travel bloggers – I’m more of a city breaker than full-time wanderluster. But it’s still lovely to keep up with my travel blogging friends and envy their wonderful experiences. Lori recently shared a photo on Instagram from her tour of Pompeii – how can that not go on my must-see list?
In the months since launching my website and settling into the blogging community I’m starting to find that my biggest passion lies in green living, taking those baby steps towards cutting chemicals from my life and seeking out brands and bloggers who promote natural and sustainable products, with the odd personal post thrown in – and I can get pretty personal.
Blogging is so different today compared to just a few years ago. I’ve found it easier than ever to connect with likeminded people which makes this part-time hobby of mine that much more rewarding. From working with “mummy” bloggers to getting lost in political and alternative lifestyle blogs, I’ve been so inspired by the women out there who are writing for business, to make the world a better place or just for fun.
Anyways! Lori, the former marketing expert-turned-full-time travel photographer and blogger of Travlinmad was kind enough to think of me when she emailed her nominees for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, which basically “recognises the unique voices of women bloggers around the world”. Such a lovely thing when women support each other!
Thank you so much to Lori for enjoying my writing and nominating me for this – be sure and check out her blog and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Suggested rules for The Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award
- Thank the blogger who nominated you for this award in a blog post and link back to her
- Give answers to the 10 questions your nominator has asked
- Nominate 10 bloggers who have inspired you
- Ask your own 10 questions of your nominees and tell them of their nomination for the award
Travlinmad’s questions and my responses
1) What did you do before you started your blog (and what inspired you to start it)?
I was starting out in PR at the time, temping in an agency that worked very closely with “mummy” bloggers – it was from working with lovely and inspiring women like Vicky Psarias (Honest Mum), Sarah Bailey (Life in a Breakdown) and loads more who all made me miss writing for myself, and so I started developing my website in February this year until it was ready to launch in June, which I still tinker with more than I write on, but ah well!
2) Who’s your dream seat-mate on a long flight?
Obvs.
3) Where is your favourite place in the world you’ve been, and what’s so special about it?
Iceland – it’s where I got engaged this year, so it’s pretty special to me!
4) Who’s your (rock ‘n roll, literary, celebrity, etc.) idol, and what’s your intro line when you finally meet them? I know you have one!
Ricky Gervais. I’d just hug him and thank him for all the incredible work he does for animals, it’s a wonderful thing to see so much passion in a person for such a worthy cause.
5) What do you enjoy most in other people’s blogs or social media feeds (and what advice would you offer on how to make a blog more successful)?
I’ll always click through to a post that feels real. Reviews and how-to guides are great for when I’m researching a topic, but if another human being has taken the time to tell a personal story about themselves for the world to see, I like to take the time to get to know them a little better.
When it comes to making a blog more successful, I guess that depends on how you measure success! If you want to monetise your blog I would say invest in your site design, teach yourself SEO and how to take a decent photo, buy good photo editing software and graphics, and get familiar with Open Graph for social media.
Then of course there’s learning and focusing on the right social media channels, making connections with your audience and brands, and compiling a compelling media kit. It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain a website, let alone planning and writing the content – which in itself takes a good mix of competitor research, analysing your website stats and of course your own creativity!
For me though, I want to help people first and foremost whilst refining my own writing skills, so everything I do in terms of site design, SEO and social media is geared towards getting noticed by either people who need help/would want to connect with me, or people who may someday need a content writer or digital marketing consultant.
I also spend money on my site rather than try to make it, simply because I see blogging as any other hobby you’d spend money on – or rather, G lets me bum off his hosting and Photoshop accounts, and occasionally buys me new graphics to play with – but anyway, whether you’re trying to make money or just having fun, I think it’s important to appear professional.
6) Any favourite travel or inspirational quotes?
I have two quotes tattooed on me that I find particularly inspirational. I have “Aut viam inveniam aut facium” tattooed on my right shoulder, which is Latin for “I will either find a way or make one”. I had it designed with a poppy because my Mum’s Mum, who passed away from cancer when I was young, always had a Poppy Appeal wreath in her house full of poppies, and every time my sister and I visited we would beg for a poppy, which we would then dissect as kids do…
I also have “This too shall pass” tattooed on my left arm, which I had designed with an Alice in Wonderland inspired pocket watch and the font is an adapted version of the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film - which, incidentally, I hated. I had wanted it for years, and the mantra really did help me through a lot of bad times, but I actually kind of regret this one now as it just reminds me that my life used to be a bit rubbish; I’ve come a long way since those days!
7) Tell us about the most incredible meal you’ve ever had. Where was it, what did you have, who were you with, and what made it so memorable?
It would have to be The Fish Market in Rekjavik, Iceland. It was our last night and we were bursting at the seams from all the rich food we’d been eating the entire time we were there, so of course we opted for the enormous tasting menu. It was a little hit and miss, but it included the most amazing sushi we’ve both ever had, smoked puffin which is their national delicacy (and which I felt terrible for eating), and the coolest smoking dish of mussels and smoking pudding ever. The most memorable part though was all the cocktails we drank – they were like nothing I’ve ever had in my life!
8) What’s your most treasured souvenir you’ve ever brought back from your travels?
I have a confession to make: I very rarely buy souvenirs! I racked my brains for this one and literally the only thing I’ve brought back is a candle with volcanic rock in it from – you guessed it – Iceland. I could have said the chocolate shoe I bought in Bruges last year, but of course I ate that…
9) Who will play you in the movie about your life?
Amy Poehler, Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence, all the way. Strong, down to earth women!
10) What’s next? Tell us your Top 3 experiences or travels in the works or on your Bucket List, and what you hope to see/do when you’re there!
We’ve got a few trips planned for the next year. We’ll be heading to Bath for the Christmas markets with G’s parents this month, which is my favourite new Christmas tradition; I’m hoping to get some truly festive photos this year as I forgot to get any photos of the actual markets while we were in Bruges last year, d’oh.
Then in January we’ll be going to Austria for the first time to do some snowboarding with my Dad and Step-Mum. G’s snowboarded before but we’ve booked me some lessons, I start next week - I am so excited to see my first ski resort and feel the sting of the snow when I inevitably faceplant it!
Then, next October-ish we’ll be going to Rome with G’s parents for his Mum’s birthday, it’ll be the first time for all of us so obviously I’m looking forward to seeing all of the usual tourist attractions, plus I’ve spotted a blog post or two on some less well-known gems which I will be adding to the itinerary.
And now, for my nominees!
I’m nominating women* whose scribblings have taught me new ways of looking at the world, inspired me to do better, or really made me care about them and their lives. I hope to eventually meet them all along the way on this crazy journey called life – I do hope you’ll give them a visit and connect with their passions too!
*plus two honorary men whose blogs are too good to leave out of this list - I’m all for gender equality!
- Georgie, the gorgeous paleo lover whose recipes I seriously need to try
- Danny, a top pro-women guy who blogs about pure blogging
- Kellie, you’ll love her opinion pieces
- Evelyn, a gorgeous blogger I recently worked with who is just so lovely
- Jo, one of G’s (hilarious) old workmates who blogs about being a freelance journo
- Amber, whose series for green beauty newbies I’ve been following
- Efia, a fellow Matthew McConaughey fan and all-round gorgeous girl
- Sarah, one of the most helpful gluten-free bloggers out there, especially if you live in Bristol!
- Lizzie, the funniest mummy blogger I know
- And of course, I’d be a pretty terrible fiancée if I didn’t mention G’s blog about being a freelance graphic designer 😉
My questions for my nominees
- What inspired you to start your blog?
- What is your favourite part of the blogging community(/ies) you’re in?
- Where is your favourite place in the world you’ve been, and what’s so special about it?
- What’s your all-time favourite meal you wish you could eat right now (regardless of any diets you follow!)?
- What do you enjoy most in other people’s blogs, email newsletters or social media channels?
- Any favourite quotes?
- Tell us about the most interesting conversation you’ve ever had. Where was it, what did you talk about, who were you with, and what made it so memorable?
- What do you treasure most in your life and why? Can be a person, item or concept!
- If you could tell your 16-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
- What’s next for you and your blog?
Thanks for reading this post to the end, I hope you enjoyed it and have found some great new blogs to follow!
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