I am excited to announce that Faraway Horizons has been nominated for the 2018 Liebster Award!  This is a huge honor!  The Liebster Award is used to discover and recognize up-and-coming blogs that have a new, fresh perspective on the content that they create.  Not only is this Faraway Horizons’ first nomination, but it is an award given to bloggers from bloggers.

You’re your own toughest critic, right?  That must make the people like you your second toughest critic.  Considering that this nomination came from another individual in the blogging sphere makes it even more special!  Wander Bird, a fellow traveler and writer exploring the world, is who bestowed this great honor on Faraway Horizons.  Let me tell you, putting in the blood, sweat, and tears of starting a blog is not an easy or quick task.  To be recognized by another wanderer, writer, and blogger is an extremely encouraging accomplishment!

To officially accept this nomination, there are a few rules that need to be followed and some tasks that must be completed. Full details around these rules and tasks can be found here.

Three of the main tasks to accept a Liebster Award nomination are 1) answer the questions that are given to you by the blogger that nominated you,  2) create new questions that will be answered by the blogs that you will nominate,  3) find some blogs that you think are worthy of a Liebster Award nomination.

Here we go!

1) Questions that were given to me from Wander Bird:

What inspired you to decide the name of your blog? Explain the significance of your blog name.

It took a while to find the Faraway Horizons name.  It wasn’t even one of my top choices at first. I had a list of words and phrases that I was liking for the title of my blog.  As part of the naming process, I kept asking close friends for their opinion.  Through this lengthy process (took over one month to settle on a name) many names were eliminated for various reasons.  The result was a much shorter list of names.  Faraway was a part of one name option.  Horizons was part of multiple others.  Eventually, with the help of my roommate, the combination of Faraway Horizons was born.

Faraway Horizons stands for the restless adventurer.  It signifies the never ending longing for the next horizon that still needs to be discovered.  This name reminds us that even when we love the place we currently are, there is still more out there and if you never go, you’ll never know what you might have missed.  There is a lot to see in this world.  Get out there and explore the next faraway horizon.

When did you start travel blogging? Describe your journey so far.

The idea of writing about my adventures was born in October 2017.  I gave a speech to my public speaking club about a trail I had recently completed.  Afterwards, a member asked if I had ever thought about trying to get my stories published online.  This thought eventually morphed into thinking, “Why don’t I just publish my stories on my own website?”

In December, I started writing more and looking into creating my own blog, which lead to purchasing a course about websites, because at that point I knew just about nothing!

My website, Faraway Horizons, was launched on August 18, 2018 – the one year anniversary of when I started hiking the trail that started this whole process!  Since then, I have been working on publishing content on my website, Instagram page, and Facebook page, as well as increasing followers for each of my three platforms.

Which is your most favourite place that you visited so far and why?

My favorite place I have ever visited was Melbourne, Australia.  I was lucky enough to study abroad in this wonderful city for five months while in college.  Melbourne is the place that had really started my need to travel and see more of the world.

Which is your most preferred social media platform to engage with fellow bloggers and why?

I’ve found that Facebook is the best way to engage with fellow bloggers.  There are a lot of groups out there for general travel bloggers and niche bloggers.  Facebook has been the easiest platform for me to share/gain knowledge, see what others are doing, and explore who else is blogging across the world.

Which is the most vivid memory of all your journeys so far?

One of my favorite memories is from the 220 mile trail that I had hiked with my sister last year.  The story that started this process is actually posted on my blog.  You can read the story here.

What would you categorise yourself as – travel writer, blogger or influencer?

That’s a tough question, because I feel like the line between each of those categories is very blurred.  I’m writing about experiences through my perspective.  With this lens, I have been utilizing a storytelling approach to bring the audience into the adventures.  The goal behind Faraway Horizons is to inspire others to have more experiences participating in outdoor activities.  What I am currently not doing is writing reviews, which I feel would be an important part of being a travel writer or influencer.  Based on this, I would put myself in the blogger category.  However, who knows what the future holds!

Describe your ideal outfit for a road trip. What would you prefer the most and why?

Since my road trips are often accompanied by day hikes in the area, my ideal outfit would be a tank top, running shorts, hat, and hiking shoes.  The tank top and shorts would be made out of performance/quick-dry fabric.  I would also have a daypack loaded with tasty snacks!

What are the top 5 travel destinations on your bucket list and why?

• Iceland – It’s beautiful and I haven’t heard anything bad about it from people that visited
• Banff National Park – I mean, have you seen pictures of this place?!
• Grand Canyon National Park – I really want to hike the rim-to-rim trail. My plan was to do this hike in 2018, but I wasn’t able to get a permit…  It will have to wait until another year…
• Africa – I LOVED animals when I was little and I had watched a lot of documentaries about the various species of animals in this region. I still love animals and for years, I have wanted to go on a safari to see these amazing creatures in their natural, wild habitat.  It would also be incredible to volunteer at a rescue/rehabilitation organization that is geared towards stopping the harmful impacts of poaching on the area.
• Bali – Surfing, scuba, paradise. Enough said.

What would you prefer best – reading books or watching movies? Write about your favourite book/movie and mention why it’s your favourite.

Definitely watching movies.  My favorite is August Rush.  It’s about how you can find beauty and music in every situation.  It’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet!  I also had a huge crush on Jonathan Rhys Meyers when the movie first came out 😉

What is your long-term goal for your blog?

My ultimate goal for Faraway Horizons is to monetize it enough to provide me freedom from working the corporate 9-5 stereotype job in an industry that I am not personally invested in.  I want to convert a van, live and travel in it full time, and continue writing for Faraway Horizons, sharing stories, and inspiring others to have more experiences in the outdoors.

If you want to follow my journey of escaping the prescribed life of society, subscribe to Faraway Horizons by clicking here.

2) Questions for my nominees:

1. If the police caught you doing something that landed you in jail, what would you have been doing?

2. If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to the child version of yourself?

3. You’re traveling to a remote area (without phone or internet) of your choosing. What is the first thing you plan on bringing (living or inanimate)?

4. Beach or mountains. Explain?

5. What is one inspirational song that everyone should have on their playlist?

6. What is your favorite lucky number? Why?

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

8. Are you doing what you had dreamed of being? If not, why not?

9. What’s your philosophy towards life/living?

10. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who had started a blog, but is now thinking of giving up on it?

11. It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon at home. What are you doing?

3) Blogs that I am nominating:

Unbury That Badass – An uplifting, motivational, and inspirational vlogger that proves there is a badass hidden inside everyone.

Brad Harkema – A travel blogger that treats the world as one giant classroom.  He aims to share his experiences and personal development to help others realize a life of travel.

Conservation Wise – These two bloggers focus on conservation practices not only in daily lives, but also while traveling the world by making responsible, conscious choices.

Lower Mainland Hikers – This blogger not only writes about her beloved British Columbia, Canada trails, but she also sets up group hikes to create a community of BC hikers.

2 Little Runaways – This blog is all about escaping and immersing yourself completely into the culture that surrounds you.  These stories come from the perspective of a travel agent that is always planning her next destination.

Congratulations to my five nominees!  To accept your nomination for the Liebster Award 2018, be sure that you complete the requirements that are listed/linked above.  Happy blogging!

Again, I am extremely excited and honored about this nomination for Faraway Horizons.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Until next time, happy trails!!

Andrea