Last Updated on 8th January 2019 by Sarah and Justin
Travel Breathe Repeat has been nominated for the Liebster Award! It’s an award given out to bloggers by bloggers to help newer, smaller blogs (like ours) reach a wider audience. “Liebster” means “kindest” in German and is actually one of our favorite words!
There are some things Liebster Nominees are supposed to do to “accept” the award, all to help blogs grow their following.
Thank the person/blog who nominated you
We were nominated by Jet Set Steph, which is a lovely travel blog. Her motto is “the world is as small as you make it” and we couldn’t agree more.
Share your favorite blog
There are so many amazing blogs out there – especially travel blogs. And when we were planning for last year, we read a lot (maybe all?) of them. It’s hard to choose a favorite, so we’re giving props to three that we keep coming back to. They’re each great in their own way, but have several commonalities: an authentic perspective; a wealth of helpful information; gorgeous photography. They are (in no particular order):
Answer some questions
Jet Set Steph asked us the following questions. We hope you learn something new about us through the answers!
How did you come up with your blog name?
Through an extensive, highly rigorous process involving brainstorming (ie, bourbon-fueled free association) and market research (ie, begging your friends to help pick a name). We wanted the name to evoke how our travels have helped us cope with Sarah’s lung disease. We think (hope!) “Travel Breathe Repeat” gets that across.
If you could only suggest one thing to do in your hometown, what would it be?
All visitors to New York City should walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a really cool way to see the city skyline and the water and the Statue of Liberty. Just stay in the pedestrian lane and watch out for the cyclists – they don’t mess around.
What is the one thing you always take traveling with you?
Sarah’s portable oxygen concentrator is our only true must-bring. Otherwise this year we’ve gotten pretty flexible and know that we can buy anything we need pretty much anywhere.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Somewhere in New Zealand. We honestly loved every place we visited there. It was the most beautiful, awe-inspiring country (with the nicest people!) and we’d love to be surrounded by that all the time. Too bad it’s a bit far from all of our friends and family.
What is the scariest thing you have experienced while traveling?
We are pretty risk-averse, so haven’t gotten into really any scary situations. But flying into the Faroe Islands is not for the faint of heart. We were enjoying the view when all of the sudden, the plane dropped and it seemed not completely unlikely we might fly directly into the mountain we had just been admiring. Spoiler alert… we didn’t.
What was your most spontaneous trip?
Our first trip to Tokyo seven years ago. Justin found a mistake fare: $455.20 round trip from NYC. He excitedly told Sarah about it who responded “well I guess we’re going to Tokyo!” We had never discussed traveling to Asia and (much to the dismay of our employers) the flight was the following week, but we just went for it and it was one of our best trips. We loved it so much, we spent a whole month in Japan last year.
If you could only travel to one more place, where would it be?
After our time in Hanoi, we would love to see more of Vietnam. We want to eat more delicious food and see more of the country, especially outside a big city.
What is the one travel tip you would give to a new traveler?
Learn a little bit of the local language. Even just a few words will garner you some respect and help you have a more enjoyable experience. We’d recommend learning the following: “hello”, “goodbye”, “please”, “thank you”, “delicious”, and most importantly, “two beers please”!
Why did you decide to start a blog?
We started Travel Breathe Repeat to help make travel more accessible to all types of people. We hope it serves both as a resource to anyone looking to travel, and as inspiration to those who may have a chronic illness like me.
Where was the last place you visited?
The final destination on this year’s journey was Mainz, Germany. We came up with the idea after taking a train from Cologne to Frankfurt and seeing how beautiful everything was along the Rhine River. It was the perfect place to end. Even though it was a new destination, we love Germany and feel really comfortable there. And we took a Rhine River ferry, so it felt like we came full circle.
Nominate other blogs
We are pleased to nominate the following blogs for this award. Since Travel Breathe Repeat is a blog about both travel and living with a chronic illness, we selected three blogs that focus on each category.
And ask them to answer some questions
- Why did you start your blog?
- What is your favorite blog post you’ve written?
- What is your top blogging tip?
- Tell us about a cool experience you had because of your blog?
- For what or whom are you most grateful?
- Tell us about your favorite travel destination?
- What is the most adventurous or courageous thing you’ve ever done?
- What’s at the top of your bucket list?
- What do you do to relieve stress?
- If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
We look forward to reading the answers and learning about new blogs too.