Liebster Award Nomination – 10 Facts About Us

We were recently nominated for the Liebster award, which is given to up and coming bloggers who produce interesting content, with the goal of giving these new bloggers more exposure. Our nomination was given to us by Myrthe and Thomas from the Nomada How Far travel blog. They are a Belgian couple who, at the time of this post, are traveling through Asia and leaving a trail of great stories. We will be sure to consult their travel tips before making our own trip to Asia and so should you. Upon nominating us for the Liebster Award, they tasked us with answering 10 questions with facts about ourselves and traveling. Of course, we had to do this in the classic He Said-She Said style.

1. Tell us something about yourself that most of your readers don’t know.

He Said: Although I am a rather open person and can talk with anyone about almost anything, I have become much more private in my life over the last few years. That may not be obvious with a public blog, but I am sharing a lot less with the world than I perhaps used to.

She Said: I would describe myself as a very shy and anxious person, to which most of my friends probably wouldn’t agree. This is because I’m very different with people that I’ve known for a long time than with those that I don’t know. I try my best to not show it to anyone which sometimes even leads to me being to hyperactive or direct with strangers which is quite weird and contradictory.

2. Which object do you miss the most when you’re traveling and why?

He Said: I think I have to agree with her on this one. There is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed, especially after a long trip.

She Said: My bed! Nothing is as comfortable as your own bed, especially the mattress.

3. What travel experience will you remember the most?

He Said: I have been fortunate enough to have countless, wonderful travel experiences, which makes it difficult to pick a most memorable moment. I would say that some of the most memorable moments come when one least expects it; sometimes even by accident. For example, I will never forget the time my parents and I were running out of funds on our 2 month trip through Europe, when we decided to book a 6 night stay in a small village outside of Innsbruck, Austria, just because it was the cheapest option. The gorgeous landscape and friendly villagers made Telfes, Austria an all-time favorite for all of us. A similarly surprising, yet unforgettable destination was the He Said-She Said trip to Mittenwald, Germany.

She Said: I don’t think that there is one single travel experience that I remember the most, but rather a combination of all of them. Every single trip shaped the way I think today and how I see the world which is probably one of the reasons why I’m so addicted to traveling. What I’ll definitely remember is the first trip with Ryne. It mostly felt like I was dreaming, especially when he told me that he loves me for the first time in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado (a little romance never killed nobody ;))

4. What’s your worst travel experience? Have you ever had a breaking point?

He Said: Terrible travel experiences are part of what makes a trip so worthwhile. As Clark Griswold always says, “It’s all part of the experience, kids.” In fact, this saying (connected with humorous memories) is likely what has gotten me through the bad travel experiences, and there have been plenty of them. Thankfully, I have never truly reached a breaking point, but I won’t forget the 29 hour day we had on our our Las Vegas trip, which involved two flights, an airport change, an unfulfilled request for food to be waiting on us upon arrival that resulted in a 2 hour extension to the night searching for and finding food that finally ended in me driving the last 30 minutes home after the previously mentioned sleepless 29 hours.

She Said: My worst but also most valuable travel experience was my trip to Australia. This is because it was the first time I ever flew a plane and left home for a longer time. It’s always hard to make the first step to something you really want and this experience was very harsh and intense, but definitely shaped my thoughts, beliefs and future for the better. I had several breaking points during that time, but never gave up.

5. Is there something in your backpack that you actually never use or don’t really need, but don’t want to throw away?

He Said: Although I am always the one who complains about too much useless stuff being in the backpack (probably because I’m usually the one who has to wear it), I will say that I do not like tossing out empty containers. Whether they are biodegradable or not, containers are always useful; especially if one finds himself in an emergency survival situation.

She Said: It’s usually maps that I got for free, but never used because Google Maps is faster 😛

6. On which achievement are you the proudest of?

He Said: One of my proudest achievements is the big decision I made to leave the comforts of my home and start a life in a new country. With her support, we have begun to build a life together that we could once only dream of—an achievement that I hope to build on for many years to come.

She Said: I’m very proud that I’ve seen so many places in spite of my age. Most people my age haven’t seen much apart from their own country or continent, usually because they are too scared to leave their comfort zone. Besides, I’m proud of my academic achievement and that I’m almost done with my Master’s. I’ve been very ambitious throughout the entire time.

7. Do you have future goals?

He Said: We have many ambitious goals, which we are determined to achieve. I have always been a dreamer, but she always helps give me the push I need to make my dreams (and now our dreams) a reality. Among these goals, we plan to someday soon be self-sufficient so that we can allocate more of our time traveling and doing the things that we love.

She Said: My ultimate goal is to be able to travel as much as I’d like to with Ryne by my side. 🙂 Preferably, I’d like to have a job that allows me to work from wherever I want to.

8. Why exactly do you want to travel so much?

He Said: My desire to travel clearly started as a young child. My parents did not have the ability to travel when they were children; therefore, they were determined to take us to as many places as they could afford. I always loved the family vacations and have always been fascinated by far off places and the mysteries that they hold. This fascination has undoubtedly developed into one of my greatest passions.

She Said: I want to travel so much because it makes me more than happy. To see new places and cultures is the most fulfilling feeling in the world. It’s just fascinating to discover things about our world that I didn’t know before.

9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

He Said: The places that have always sparked the most inspiration in me are the mountains and places where one has a clear view of the night sky. With that in mind, my dream home would be located in a very low population area in or in the foothills of the Austrian Alps.

She Said: It wouldn’t be a certain town but rather a secluded place but still close enough to an airport (for traveling) and a city. Ideally, this place would be located on the beach but with mountains behind the house. Sounds like New Zealand?!

10. What’s your next travel destination?

He Said: At the time of writing this article, the next travel destination is back to the USA to visit family and to take a short trip to California to experience the giant trees in Sequoia National Park.

She Said: My next travel destination will include Kansas, Las Vegas and most importantly California: Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. I’m so excited to see the famous giant trees in California.

We would like to thank Myrthe and Thomas from Nomada How Far for nominating us for this award. It is truly touching that they found our blog interesting enough to nominate it for the award. The nomination has given us a renewed sense of motivation to keep pursuing our dreams of becoming career travelers!

About the Authors

Authors Ryne Cook and Denise Braun from He Said or She Said

Ryne Cook and Denise Braun started their travel website with the goal of inspiring others to achieve their travel dreams through their own unique perspectives. Their biggest focus is to provide insider tips so that everyone can travel the world, no matter how small their budget is.

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