So what is a Liebster Award?  The basic rules are simple.

1.  Thank the blogger who has nominated you.  Easy peasy!  Thank you so much to: Ashley and Alex at http://inpursuitofadventure.org/, Simone and Jay at http://jslivingthedream.com/ and Emily at http://thecosytraveller.co.uk/  It means a lot to me that you thought of me.

2.  Answer the questions.

3.  Nominate five other bloggers (I have seen this number range anywhere from five to eleven)

4.  Ask them ten questions.

I am going to keep this simple and nominate five people.  In no particular order…

Jen at The Trusted Traveler  Not only does she have a cool blog, she also has a cool name!

Megan over at meganstarr.com   Megan is currently living in Norway, which would make me love her blog enough just based on that.  But she has also traveled to Siberia and Central Asia, HUGE wish list items of mine.

Lucy from http://ontheluce.com/  Lucy describes her travel style as “grown up backpacking with a touch of luxury” which is something that I identify with strongly.

Will from Going Awesome Places  This is a blog with very useful information such as reviews, car rental codes and so much more.

Irene and Stefano from http://freelancersontheroad.com/  These two recreated their lives and grew a business that allows them to travel freely.  Very inspiring.

First I am going to do the part about me me me me meeeeeeeee where I answer questions.  Since I was nominated three times, I am going to narrow them down because I don’t think anyone wants to read thirty questions about me.

Afterwards, I will post questions for my nominees.

ME:

What is your best hidden secret? (For travel, accommodations, whatever….) Not exactly hidden, but if anyone is planning to go to Las Vegas ever in their life, they should start playing the MyVegas game on Facebook. You earn points (for free) and get rewards like free rooms and shows in Las Vegas. It sounds like spam or a scam, but it really isn’t.

What was your worst accommodations while traveling?  Oh hey…full review here: Most Disgusting Hotel Room I Have Slept In

What is your biggest “Oh F***k” moment while traveling?  I have had a lot. From waking up on travel day and discovering I didn’t book the flight I was taking that day, to showing up to a hotel and being told “your reservation is for tomorrow” to the time I forgot my credit card at home, when I needed it to leave security holds at the seven hotels I was staying at on a trip in Las Vegas…or the time I reached into my bag to pull out my passport to show at the 348936734th security check in Tibet, only to find out it was sitting in a puddle of what was once a full bottle of hand sanitizer.  I am so upset that I lost stamps because the sanitizer removed them from the pages.

What has travel taught you?  It sounds so cheesy, but there is not anything that I cannot do. I was talking to someone this past weekend about how I want to go back to Tibet.  But this time I want to go to Kham, and how it is harder to do because it’s not set up for tourism.  So information isn’t readily available, etc.  It hit me as I was talking that this does not even intimidate me.  Like I want to go there and this is how you go about that so you just do it.

Are you a planner?  Very much so. I am still employed full time so in order to see as much as possible on vacation time, planning is key.  There are people who are very lax with plans and say things like “I don’t want to be chained to an itinerary”  Well…you aren’t.  You don’t have to go THERE if you want to stay HERE just because you typed it out on a piece of paper titled “My Itinerary”  I would just rather not waste my time making plans while on the road because my time on the road will end sooner because I have to go back to work.

Where will you visit next?  Unfortunately, this question comes timed as I am leaving for Atlantic City. OOOH LOOK AT ME! I AM GOING TO NEW JERSEY!   Then from there I go to Philadelphia.  A trip less than two hours away from my apartment!  But I am going away again in two weeks.  Once again, to New Jersey…sigh.  I am so sorry.

Do you collect anything on your travels?  Nope. I used to be a maniac who would come home with tons of souvenirs. But after time, I would just find them when I was cleaning out my closet. I am at a point where I prefer putting that money towards activities or future trips.

What’s your favorite picture from your last destination?  Mount Everest!

Where’s the best place you’ve ever visited?  TIBET.  I started writing about the thoughts and feelings this place gave me when I was there.  But trying to edit it makes me so sad that I am no longer there.  I felt so at peace there, and I feel that nowhere.

What’s your best blogging tip?  Do not try too hard.  It shows.

Is there anything that you absolutely have  to take with you on your travels?  My cute little stuffed Westie.  One time, a Las Vegas hotel did this to him:

What do you miss when you’re away from home?   Absolutely nothing.  This makes coming home so depressing because there is not one thing here that I am happy to get back to.

What’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?  Oh god.  No.  Sixteen year old me was a train wreck.  Picture Long Island back in 1987, HUGE spiked metal hair and animal print spandex, spending after school hours sitting in my next door neighbor’s painted-black bedroom, lighting black candles, drinking stolen bottles of whiskey, listening to David Bowie (her choice) and Rainbow (my choice) while carving band names into our arms with thumb tacks.  I have absolutely no interest in telling that person anything.  Honestly, she scares me too much to even approach her.

Now for the questions for my nominees:

1.  From start to finish, how long does it take you to create a new post?

2.  Do you ever start crafting a story in your head about a place before you have even been there?

3.  Do you have any set idea in your head of where you would like to live permanently “someday” or are you still searching?

4.  Have you ever bought a plane ticket based on spinning a globe and pointing blindly?

5.  Do you actually enjoy long bus rides / train rides?  Or are they just a necessity to get from one place to another?

6.  When you return home, how long does it take you to unpack?

7.  Name one huge sacrifice you have made to travel?

8.  Bloggers know that blogging is a LOT of work.  Do you ever feel overwhelmed and want to quit?

9. (Stealing inspiration from my favorite question above) What is the most disgusting hotel you have slept in?

10.  Post a picture of the greatest place you have ever been.