I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been nominated for the Very Inspiring Blog Award by Marissa Sutera of Little Things Travel Blog, a website “for travelers and dreamers who believe in the little things in life” – hence the name!
I was incredibly inspired by her Tour Your Hometown series, and was very honoured to be included as one of its featured bloggers with my article on Shrewsbury, an up-and-coming English town that’s steeped in history, awash with beautiful timber-framed architecture, and surrounded by picturesque countryside and rolling hills.
Follow these steps to accept the award:
- Thank and link to the person who has nominated you.
- List the rules and display the award.
- Share seven facts about yourself.
- Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award.
Seven Facts About Me:
- I’m a cat person.
- My first holiday abroad was Denmark when I was 11 years old. I passed my Legoland driving test there, but now I like lego a lot more than I like driving! (I haven’t driven for since initially passing my test when I was 17).
- I skydived over Fox Glacier in New Zealand and it was a unique and incredible experience, but to this day I’m still not sure how I mastered the courage to do it (I’m scared of heights).
- I cycled from Venice, Italy to Poreç, Croatia in 7 days with no previous cycling experience. Hey, I’m always up for giving things a go!
- I’m a little bit obsessed with cactus.
- My favourite comedian is Bill Bailey. Look him up, he’s a genius!
- My ideal meal would consist of a nice piece of grilled fish (preferably salmon), an inventive salad and a fruit smoothie, followed by mango, sticky rice and coconut milk, and if I had to choose a favourite cuisine, it would most definitely be Thai.
Ten other bloggers who inspire me, in alphabetical order:
- Alex at Alex in Wanderland
- Amanda at A Dangerous Business
- Anna at Slightly Astray
- Ashlea at A Globe Well Travelled
- Dalene and Pete at Hecktic Travels
- Emily at Emily Luxton Travel Blog and Backpack South America
- Flora at Flora the Explorer
- Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps
- Laurence at Finding The Universe
- Victoria at Bridges and Balloons
I really struggled to draw up this list, not because I had trouble thinking of ten bloggers who inspire me but because I had trouble limiting it to just ten (there are many more bloggers I would have loved to have mentioned and who inspire me daily).
But what I have tried to do is include a good mix of established bloggers (writers who inspired me to start my blog in the first place) and relatively new names in the blogger circle (writers who I’ve discovered fairly recently but whose writing style/photography/branding/ethos has made them stand out from the crowd for me).
For me, it’s all about connecting with the person behind the blog too, and these are all people who have taken the time to interact with me – whether it be replying to a comment I’ve left on their blog, or commenting on mine, or Twitter/Facebook conversations or email exchanges. Engagement is invaluable, and I love getting to know the person behind the blog.
Special thanks to Marissa, and to all of my nominees for continually inspiring me to travel, to share stories, information and advice, and to capture the beauty of this world through my lens.
12 Comments
Thank you so much for including us Kiara!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for inspiring me to do so 🙂
Thanks so much for including me in this list Kiara! I love that you actually put thought into it and I feel very honored! 🙂
I hear that even for people with a fear of heights, skydiving isn’t very scary. Something about all the upward pressure of the wind makes it not feel so much like falling? As much as I want to, I still don’t think I could do it though!! How did you feel when you went?
You are right, the free-fall didn’t feel so much like falling as flying, it was incredible! The worst bit was getting in the tiny little plane to make the climb up to 12,000 feet! And I loved the moments after the parachute was released when I was just floating down taking photos of the incredible scenery below me 🙂
I’m honored to be included — and among great company! Thanks for your email. Your words are much appreciated!
You’re very welcome Alex 🙂 Your blog provided me with so much inspiration and was an invaluable resource when I was planning my itinerary for Peru, and you’re someone who shares my love for all things Thai 😉
Thanks so much for nominating me Kiara, that’s really nice for you and I’m genuinely delighted!!
I don’t have time to put together my acceptance post this week, but I’ll try to do so at some point in the future. Just know that I’m really grateful – and very jealous of your skydiving experience. That’s still on my bucketlist!
You’re very welcome Emily 🙂 It’s been fantastic working with you on the couple of posts I wrote for Backpack South America, and I regularly check back for updates to the site. God only knows how you find the time to run two websites, but it’s definitely inspirational!
Thank you Kiara. I’m honoured to be on such an excellent list. Thank you 🙂
You’re very welcome Victoria 🙂 I’ve been following your blog ever since you and Steve journeyed across South America in 2012. You write beautifully and your posts are always an inspiration to me 🙂
Thanks so much for the inclusion Kiara, much appreciated 😀
No worries, you’re very welcome Laurence! And whilst my photographs will never be even a fraction as good as yours, you give me something to strive towards 🙂