I have been nominated for a LIEBSTER AWARD!

Nominated for the first time in my 2-ish years of blogging!

I’m very excited to have been nominated for a Liebster Award by Jessica Griffin of Come Away With Me, although, I don’t even know what that means, but, who am I to snob the opportunity of connecting with my fellow bloggers.

So, I googled and have read somewhere that the Liebster Award was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere and this award only exists in the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers (kind of like a chain mail). The word “liebster” is of German origin which has many definitions like dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, and etc. For me, this Liebster Award means a “welcoming award” to fellow bloggers, especially newbies.

I can’t thank Jessica enough for this opportunity.

As a nominee, I was asked 11 questions by Jessica and here are my answers to them:

• What made you write a blog and for how long have you been blogging?

I have always loved writing in general, in fact, I am really an aspiring writer and hoping that someday will have the opportunity to publish my own books. What really got me into starting this blog was my love for books and their power to take you to places without even boarding a plane or driving a car. Back then, Cebu Travel Junkie wasn’t really about my travel stories, my then posts were a combination of my personal affairs to the books that I have read and my reviews for them, more like this was my online diary. It was when my favorite high school teacher read my first travelogue that the idea popped into my mind and I have been doing this for 2-ish years already.

• Have you gotten any negative feedback about blogging from friends, family or acquaintances?

Thankfully, all of my friends have been very supportive on this and I couldn’t thank them enough. There’s nothing more like reading positive comments from readers, followers and even some close friends who only connects with you through social media. Hopefully I could keep it that way. However, if in case in the future I happen to have receive any negative feedback, I’ll take it as a form of constructive criticism which will only help me improve.

• Was there any place that you travelled to that you weren’t initially excited to visit but then after your visit ended up loving it?

Sumilon Island

This is a trick question! I think it’s the other way around, but, the closest answer I can think of would be this year’s holy week trip. My head was kind of really wasn’t in the game, in fact, I only had a little time to prepare for it. Well, I think I have to blame it on budget too, but, it was such a nice trip, so nice that I ended up having my biggest sunburn in the history of sunburns.

• Have you gone to any travel blogging conventions to network and if so, did you find it helpful and did you learn from the experience?

Sadly, no. I’m kind of like a little bit of shy when it comes to this stuff. I find myself feeling ashamed or awkward when it comes to blogging or writing conventions and being around those people who are so much better than you. Blame it on the introvert in me.

• Have you ever travelled solo and if so, what did you like best about travelling this way? What did you like least?

I have always heard awesome stories about travelling solo, especially from lady travellers, and I really wished I can do it too, but, no, I haven’t travelled solo (at least not yet). The reason why I haven’t gone travelling solo is because I have asthma and I really can’t rely on inhalers or medicines, so, I prefer to have someone with me when I travel. Let’s just play pretend, say I already have gone solo, the best thing I will love about it would be the solo travelling itself and the possibility of reaching out to some random strangers asking for information (i.e. correct route and etc.) and I think what I’ll like least will be not being able to share with someone how you felt at the moment and your random reactions. I don’t even know if I’ll enjoy travelling that way.

• Do you travel blog full-time or do you have another career as well?

I am an IT (Information Technology) by profession which somehow made me question my choice of career since I have always loved writing (or blogging in this sense) and I do blogging only after I wrapped up my travel, read books, and watch movies. My kind of work-life balance and now that I’ve thought about it, IT, blogging and writing is actually a pretty good team up.

• How do you keep consistent with blogging?

That’s the problem I haven’t addressed yet. Any suggestions? I mean, I only travel some time in the summer and that’s between the end of March and May and when I don’t travel, I read books and watch movies, but recently, I ran out of books to read as I’ve already ransacked all of the books that is on my shelf and I kind of hate ebooks and the inconvenience it brings when finding things to download. So, you can just imagine how long my absence is in the blogging world.

• Have you gone on any press tips? If so, what were they like?

That depends if you count social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram) as one. Having said that, will you do me a favor and like Cebu Travel Junkie on Facebook? Please? Thanks!

• Was there any particular trip that made you realize you have the wanderlust and you knew that you needed to keep travelling?

Yes! That girl in black pedal and blue shirt is 2004 me.

I don’t know if there was any, but, I have been travelling since I was just a little kid, so I guessed that just sparked the fire of wanderlust in me and probably the reason why I wanted to keep doing it is because it is the only time that I get to bond with my cousins, which happens to be my constant travel buddies (during summer and school breaks) and I love seeing the world out of the four corners of my home. Sometimes, I even wished to live out of a suitcase if it only means I could see the world.

• What was the longest trip you have taken?

Matutinao Beach Resort

One that I can actually remember? I think it would probably be last year’s four days holy week vacation because usually when I go on out of town trips or team buildings, it will only last for like a day or two, sometimes three but never a whole week or month.

• When you travel, do you stay in hostels, hotels, airbnb rentals, couch surfing, stay with friends or other most of the time?

I haven’t really gone outside of the country and I find hotels way too extravagant, but, when we do travel, we usually stay on resorts and in a package deal. However, I also experienced staying with a friend when I visited Cebu’s egg basket — Bantayan Island.

In accordance with the rules, I would like to nominate the following to do the same:

1.  Hannah Gutang of www.journeyofhanz.wordpress.com
2.  Thaddeu Engaling of www.cebuanotourist.blogspot.com
3.  Rhez Albarracin of www.rhezjovovich.wordpress.com
4.  Jed Galang of www.thejdgalz.wordpress.com
5. Haiz Anub of www.haizanub.wordpress.com
6. Eunice Mithy of www.studentsntravelers.blogspot.fr
7. Gabi Ancarola of www.thetinybook.com
8. Mateja List of www.theroaminggoblin.com
9. Emma McArthur of www.fluxedupchick.blogspot.com
10. Soumya Nambiar of www.soumyanambiar.blogspot.com
11. Kayren Mccluskey of www.itravelista.wordpress.com

Here are the instructions for my nominees:

• Create a blog post on your site answering the questions that I have provided below.
• In your post, be sure to link back to the blog who nominated you (which is me, Junee Aguelo of Cebu Travel Junkie) with a thank you and a shout out.
• After answering the questions I gave, provide a question for your nominees.
• Select, list and link 11 other bloggers with under 200 followers and provide these instructions.
• DON’T FORGET to create 11 questions for them to answer.
• Notify your nominees and provide a link to your post so that they’ll know what to do.
• Once you’re done, come back here and comment with the link to your post so I can check out your answers.

Questions for my nominees:

1. If you are to choose a country or a place to settle down that matches your personality, which will it be and why?
2. What is the name of your blog and why did you name it as such?
3. If you are stuck in a deserted island, what five things would you like to bring with you and why?
4. How will you convince a very sceptical person (like me perhaps) to embark on his or her first solo travel?
5. Do you have any scary stories to share with us (one that you’ve actually experience in one of your trips)? What is it and how did you deal with it?
6. What gadgets do you carry with you when you travel and why those?
7. Have you experienced “Serendipity” on one of your trips? How was it?
8. If you are to be one of those travel essentials that we carry on trips, what will it be and why?
9. How will you convince someone who travels a lot but never blogs start blogging?
10. What is in travelling (or adventure or excursion) that makes you crave for more and why?
11. What is in your bucket list that you are (kind of) scared of doing and at the same time, itching on doing it and why?

Once again, thank you Jessica Griffin of Come Away With Me for nominating me and I would also like to extend my thank you to Penelope Kopala of PHILEAS FOGG ADVENTURES for nominating Jessica. If it wasn’t for her, you guys won’t be reading this. Check out their sites to read their thoughts and travel with them.

Cheers to wanderlust!

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I had fun reading the answers of my nominees to the questions I had provided.

Check out their answers here:

1. Gabi Ancarola of The Tiny Book – thanks for calling me “another book worm” and I found myself a publisher in you (kidding aside but 200% hoping, oops!). Sorry for misspelling your name though, it’s been corrected now.
2. Emma McArthur of Fluxed Up – a very sweet and direct to the point post. I like it! It’s kinda funny calling me a “Cebuanese” though, makes me like a half Cebuana and Chinese/Taiwanese/Japanese. It’s cute! I better put up a “11 facts about me” here, what do you think?
3. Thaddeau Engaling of Cebuano Tourist – I say it’s better late than never, mister 😉 It’s great to have a fellow Cebuano blogger. I mean, your Cebuano Tourist must’ve been a great help in promoting Cebu’s tourism. Hoping to read from you soon and I’m gonna stalk your blog, see if you really will go scuba diving (no pressure). 😀
4. Kayren Mccluskey of iTravelista – sorry for reading your response a little too late 🙂 anyway, you should definitely go snorkeling. If you’re afraid of the water because you don’t know how to swim, you can always ask your guide to provide you a life jacket (I think they always do). I guarantee you that you won’t regret it.