Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

“The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award recognizes the unique voices of women bloggers around the world.”

A big shoutout and thank you very muchly to Fairlie from Feet on Foreign Lands for nominating me for this cool award. I was so touched by her words – “You offer your own unique voice, stories and interpretation of the world around you. Reading your blog posts, and/or engaging with you in various social media channels adds such a rich texture to my life.”

The blogging community is a pretty special one, filled with particularly awesome people. If you can keep your head out of the comparing mindset, then there’s plenty of mutual bloggy lovin’ to get on with. This award is an opportunity to share a bit of that love. I am required to acknowledge the blogger that nominated me (done!), answer her 10 questions, nominate 10 worthy bloggers and ask them 10 questions.

So here we go …

1.   What was the first blog post you wrote?

Oh the first post is so cringe-worthy! It was The Cutest-Ever Easter Egg Hunt. I’ve been so tempted to delete it, but it reminds me how hard it was to press publish on that first post. You have to start somewhere and hopefully you improve.

2.  Have you ever had a brag-worthy upgrade travel experience?

The only time I’ve ever been upgraded was not really brag-worthy, but it was so kind and meant so much to me. In 2004 we were living in Sydney, but getting married in Melbourne. We were flying down for the wedding and were upgraded to Business for the flight (with Qantas). Being such a short flight it probably didn’t make that much difference in itself, but I thought it was so kind of them. It made us feel very special and got the weekend off to a wonderful start.

3.   Is there anywhere you would never, ever, in a million years return to?

I would like never to return to Auschwitz. It was a horrible, desolate, emotionally devastating place. I wanted to go and was glad I did, but hope I don’t go again. It is the most tangible piece of history I’ve ever visited.

4.   What’s the top three destinations or experiences on ‘your list’?

I’m very Disney-focussed at the moment with our trip to Disneyworld and Disney Caribbean cruise coming up in October. I’m hoping to also get to Tokyo Disney and Aulani in Hawaii while the kids are young enough to get excited about the characters. But if I could head off on any trip tomorrow with money no object, then I would return to my favourite spots in Europe – England, Paris, then a Mediterranean cruise from Spain to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Some of these places I haven’t been to since 2002 and to me favourite places are like old friends. You don’t visit them once and then move on. You revisit as often as you can and soak up their warm embrace.

But, as in question 10 below, the special moments that are on “my list” are filled with beauty –

To experience the Northern Lights in Scandinavia

To see The Last Supper in Milan

To visit Chatsworth House in England

5.   What do you enjoy most in other people’s blogs or social media feeds?

I most enjoy a personal viewpoint. I don’t follow blogs to find out the facts. You can find that information anywhere. The bloggers I like are the ones that are like friends. That I can relate to. Reading their blogs is like having a coffee with them. For travel posts I love to find out why they went to a specific place and what they and their family enjoyed the most. And I like to see lots of photos of them enjoying themselves.

6.   What type of carry-on luggage do you have and what’s in it?

Usually I just take my handbag with a book, camera and a drink bottle in it, because the kids have small wheely cases that have all the iPads, headphones, snacks, cuddle toys, activities, changes of clothes, etc for them. But then it’s been a while since I’ve done a flight further than Fiji. When we fly to Florida I imagine hubster and I will share a wheely case with the essentials – change of underwear, a few toiletries, camera, neck pillows, books/magazines, water bottles, notebook and pen, snacks and phone charger.

7.   What’s the first thing you do when you get to a new destination?

If it’s longer than a couple of days then I unpack. I hate working out of a suitcase. Unpacking everything and hiding the empty suitcase in a cupboard makes me feel settled in.

8.   If you could pick anyone (dead or alive, and other than your usual travel companions) to sit next to on a long-haul flight, who would it be?

I am never going to strike up a conversation with a stranger sitting next to me on a plane, so my first choice would definitely be a friend or family member, but if it had to be a stranger I would choose Katharine Hepburn. She is my ultimate idol. I probably still wouldn’t talk to her though! 

9.   What is your most popular blog post?

What is the best age to go to Disneyland? is my most visited, but 13 Awesome School Holiday Destinations wins on number of comments.

10.   What makes a memorable moment for you?

If I do a quick memory scan to find the moments that stand out, then it is the beauty that I remember. It is wandering the corridors of the Musee Vaticani, the Louvre, the Musee D’Orsay or the National Gallery (London), surrounded by beautiful paintings and sculptures. It is cruising the Lemaire Channel in Antarctica with a sunny blue sky overhead and snow covered mountains reflected in the still icy water. It is the joy in my kids’ faces after we come off a rollercoaster at Seaworld (Queensland). That is the perfection of travel. Endless beautiful memories.

And now for the ten women who inspire and support me. You girls are my nominees for this award. I would love if you could answer the questions below. But mostly I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your bloggy friendship.

Anna from Colour Me Anna

Belinda from Gallerie B

Danielle from Miss Chardy

Leanne from Getaway Guru

Rene from Together We Roam

Sam from The Annoyed Thyroid

Seana from Sydney Kids, Food & Travel

Shannon from My 2 Morrows

Vanessa from Style & Shenanigans

Wendy from Beachstyle Mum

And here are your questions –

1. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
2. What aspect of your blog would you like to improve?
3. What is your most successful post on your blog to date?
4. What is your favourite travel-related movie?
5. What is your favourite form of social media to participate in?  Your least?
6. Did you do much travel before kids? Where were your favourite spots?
7. Did you ever plan a trip solely because a fictional movie or book was set there?
8. What is the best museum you have ever been to?
9. What do you enjoy most in other people’s blogs or social media feeds?
10. What’s the top three destinations or experiences on ‘your list’?