Sunshine Blogger Award!

Tällä kertaa vähän erilainen postaus, sillä ihana Emilia on the Road lähetti minulle Sunshine Blogger Awardin. Kiitos tästä! Eli tämä postaus on nyt vain englanniksi, palaamme tuttuun kaksikieliseen formaattiin taas ensi kerralla :)

This time we have a bit of a special blog entry, since to my delight Emilia on the Road nominated my blog for the Sunshine Blogger award. Thank you so much my dear, it is much appreciated!

Here are my answers to the questions I got:

1) What is the first thing you usually start missing from home after having been gone for a long time?
That's a bit tricky to answer, since I lead somewhat nomadic an existence anyway and "home" is kind of nowhere and kind of everywhere. However when travelling I do miss cooking as often you either have to eat out all the time or have very limited opportunities to cook for yourself in hostel kitchens or at couchsurfers' places. Also I might miss having my own space to just relax and do nothing after being on the road for a long time.

2) What languages can you speak and are you brave enough to use them all?
Apart from my native Finnish, English is the only language I can say I'm fluent in. My Spanish is ok, if less fluent and I do use it when travelling in South America or other Spanish-speaking countries. I have been known to try to make some sounds that resemble Italian or French when need be but that can hardly be described as speaking the language :D

3) What has been the most potentially dangerous situation you've ended up in on a trip?
Well, I haven't shared the experience publicly and don't really want to get into it in detail. However I will say we had a very scary experience in Peru back in 2009. Thankfully the situation was solved by local police intervention before anything really bad happened.

4) What is your preferred way of travelling - planes, trains or automobiles :)?
I love train travel! One of the most amazing travel experiences I have had was the Trans-Mongolian train journey in 2010 and our next trip will also involve loads and loads of kilometres on the train...

5) What are your travel plans for the ongoing year?
We are heading off for extended backpacking trip starting in Iceland, going onto Canada (did I mention I love travelling by train? We will be taking the train through the enormous country of Canada!) and taking a cruise up to Alaska. After that possibly heading to California but we don't have such exact plans yet after Alaska. Altogether the trip will take around 6 months or so.

6) Do you prefer staying at hotels or hostels, private rooms or dorms, or is it couch surfing or house sitting all the way for you?
I prefer a mix of things on a long trip. I love the social aspect of couchsurfing and we have had a lot of great experiences getting to know people. However sometimes you need a bit of space and privacy and you might not always feel so sociable, so hotels or hostels are a good option then. We always go for a private room instead of a dorm if at all possible though - I am a light sleeper!

7) What places or countries would you recommend to a nature lover?
Of course my native Finland and more specifically Lapland! The nature is beautiful any time of the year. Another fantastic country for a nature lover is Australia that has such unique fauna - you can see such amazing variety of animals in different parts of the country.

8) Top 3 - Countries with the Best Food
As a vegetarian I really love travelling in the countries where a lot of the traditional food is suitable for me. In most Asian countries this is no problem but if I had to name three, I particularly loved Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand for their great variety of vegetarian foods.

9) What part of being a travel blogger do you love the most?
I started writing this blog mainly as a travel diary for myself and for letting friends and family know where we were and what we were doing. However it has evolved into a dear hobby in itself. I love following other people's blogs for getting inspiration or advice and it is a great feeling knowing that somebody else is following you and getting something out of your ramblings!

10) Are you interested in getting to know new people when you travel or do you prefer to keep to yourself?
Of course getting to know new people is an integral part of travelling which can lead to really great experiences and even lasting friendships. Couchsurfing is a great way of doing this as it allows more time to get to know people than just hastily passing them by in a hostel. However, as I mentioned before sometimes I do feel the need for my own space and only the company of my dearest wife!

Now it is my turn to nominate blogs!

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award from bloggers to bloggers - in other words, it's a way for us to spread our love for the inspiring blogs that we have discovered and to show our support to the blogging community.


I am nominating the following blogs:


I Basically Travel
The Present is Perfect

These are my questions to you:

1) Who is your favourite travel company or do you prefer travelling alone?
2) What is on top of your bucket list at the moment?
3) When choosing your destination, are you more interested in natural or cultural sights?
4) Are you always travelling to new destinations or do you return to your favourite places several times?
5) How much advance planning do you typically do before the trip? Are you a spontaneous traveller or a meticulous planner?
6) Is your travel blog intended more as a travel diary, information source for other travellers or something else entirely?
7) Name one place (country, city, destination, establishment...) that has left a big impression on you and explain why.
8) Are you into seeing the "must-see sights" of any place you visit or are you more into relaxed hanging-out?
9) What is in your experience the most overrated sight in the world?
10) Do you have a favourite region you keep travelling to? What makes it so special you keep returning?




Here's how it goes! If you've been nominated, you'll need to...

1) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog
2) Answer the questions you got from the person who nominated you
3) Nominate other blogs and give them questions to answer
4) Notify your nominees through social media or by commenting on their blog
5) List the rules and display a Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post