Liebster Award: Camping in Yurts & the Chopstick Brothers

We’ve only started Trip Bitten a few weeks ago and we’ve already received our first award! Katie (wandererspurpose) and Nora (Pink Sneakers on the Go) both gave us a Liebster Award. An award for bloggers with a small audience that could use some exposure. After receiving the Award, the blogger has to answer questions about his/her life so readers get to know you a little better.

First off, thank you Katie & Nora for nominating us for the Liebster Award. We’re honored and happy to answer the questions you came up with.

1. Where is your home away from home?
Our home away from home is currently China. We have been living in China for the last 4 years, but we are planning a world trip and soon the world will be our home!

2. What is your favorite part about traveling?
We love food and experiences. Traveling is an experience and we love just about every part of it. We are also foodies, so, we like to try new food. It might be bugs, reptiles, or exotic seafood, but no matter what it is, we are willing to try it.

3. What region of the world do you like to travel to most?
We are currently based in China, which means we have been traveling throughout Asia and Southeast Asia. We enjoy most places but since we are, mostly, budget travelers, we especially like traveling in Asia. Eastern Europe also is a cheap European experience and we are hoping to spend more time there.

4. Do you prefer relaxing vacations or adventurous ones? Why?
We like both! Plopping down on a beach in Thailand or the Philippines and doing nothing can be a great vacation. But, we also like adventurous vacations. It can be horseback riding and hiking in the Bashang Grasslands or camping in a Mongolian yurt at the edge of the Gobi Desert. We live for the experience and if it sounds fun or interesting we will do it!

5. Do you prefer to travel alone or with another person/other people? Why?
We are a couple (a couple of crazy people), so, we travel together. We will sometimes find travel buddies along the way, but most of the time, it is just the two of us (and we can make it if we try lalala)! Most travel buddies either can’t keep up with our crazy behavior or end up going in different directions. We sometimes like traveling with others because it can help reduce costs, but we usually plan well and can go it alone.

6. What kind of music do you listen to when you travel?
We often listen to local music. We have found that when traveling in a country there is usually a local hit playing everywhere. When we were in South Korea, Lovely-Dovey by T-ara was super popular and we tried to sing it all the time. But, we often misunderstand the lyrics of songs. We were, incorrectly, singing ‘Everybody, happy, happy, happy!’ and not ‘Lovely, dovey, dovey, dovey!’

When we were traveling in China, Right Now (Na Na Na) by Akon was popular and we were singing ‘I wanna to make love right now, now, now!’ and not ‘I wanna to make up right now, now, now!’ We still sing ‘I wanna make love.’

The Chopstick Brothers’ ‘小苹果’ (xiǎo píngguǒ) song has also been popular in China and we often sing it; even if we don’t know all the words.

7. How do you entertain yourself on the road (in the airport, in a car or plane, etc.)?
Books, books, and more books! Yvonne owns a Kindle and she will read most of the time. Miguel often reads paperback books and loves book exchanges at hostels. On planes, we will watch in-flight movies or TV shows, but most of the time we read.

8. When did you first get the travel bug?
Miguel got the travel bug from his parents and his first trips to Canada when he was 11 and later to Puerto Rico when he was 17.

Yvonne got that same bug from seeing traditional dances at a local folk festival in her hometown, year after year. The colorful costumes, the music and the languages she couldn’t speak made her want to explore the world. In 2005, she left Europe for the first time to go discover Malaysia.

9. Do you prefer to stay in hotels or rough it?
We do both. As a couple, we sometimes like the privacy of a hotel room, but we also like to travel on a budget. We usually check prices to find out what the best option is for each area or country. For example, when traveling in South Korea, it was easier and the same price for the two of us to get a hotel room compared to two beds in a dorm at a hostel. The same was true for Laos.

10. Where do you like to go to relax?
We love beaches, Miguel is from Florida, and we will relax on a beach without a care in the world. We also will duck into a museum on a hot day because we love culture and history. A quiet museum, bookstore, or beach is a great way to relax and enjoy a new country.

11. What is your favorite type of souvenir?
This will sound cheesy but we don’t buy too many souvenirs, we take pictures and make memories. When we do buy souvenirs, they are small and easy to carry or ship. We will buy art, but we never buy too many souvenirs.

12. How do you occupy your time when not blogging?
Yvonne likes to read thrillers when she’s not blogging. Miguel spends his spare time watching science fiction movies. And obviously we like to go traveling!

13. Which country is next on your vacation travel list?
To be honest, we haven’t decided yet. Lately we have been very busy with school, work, and moving so we haven’t had time to make a decision. We are considering Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam. If you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments.

14. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
We tend not plan too far ahead. You never know how life is going to unroll in front of you, so we usually only think two years ahead. This means in 5 years we could be living anywhere in the world.

15. City, mountains or beach?
If possible a combination of the 3 of these! We like to explore cities, but after a few days we are hungry for some nature!

The rules for the Liebster award are as follows:

THANK the person who nominated you and link back to their blog website. Answer their 10 questions and link your answers back to their blog website. My answers to Vicky’s questions are posted below and I will be linking them back to her blog website later today. The 10 questions that I’ve asked my nominees to answer should be linked back to my blog website by posting the link to the comments section of my blog so that everyone can see your answers to my questions. Make up 10 of your own questions to ask your 10 nominees and have them link back their answers to your blog website. List 10 random things about yourself. Nominate 10 blogs with 0 to 1000 followers. Tweet the nominees informing them about their award.

Our nominations are:
Jessica – Cornersoftheworld
Liese – budgetista
Patrick, Marshal, Josiah & Jonathan – YaksonYaksonYaks
Todd – Visit50
Alexandra & Jean – Postcards from the Ukraine
Anne – TraveltheGlobe4less

Our questions are:

1. What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
2. Do you have any pets? Tell us about them.
3. What do you think of when you think of China?
4. For 2015 what is your biggest goal?
5. Who is your dream dinner party guest?
6. What is your favorite outdoor activity
7. What does a normal day look like for you?
8. What are you really, really good at?
9. What surprised you most about blogging?
10. What’s your favorite travel product?
11. What are the top 5 countries on your bucket list?