100cobbledroads wins the Versatile Blogger Award

Published on by 100cobbledroads

When you venture into travel blogging, they tell you its a saturated field. They caution you that its been ‘done to death’. They warn you about the challenges of ‘creating a niche’, of ‘finding your voice’, of ‘making your presence felt’. Not because they want to discourage you, but because they want to see you succeed. They have your best interests at heart. Listen to them, they have a point. But don’t listen to them, follow your heart, be yourself, and everything else will fall into place.

Two nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award have come to me within two months of having launched my travel blog. Thank you so much for picking me, Gareth (Broken Jaw Travels) and Jennifer (www.jentheredonethat.com)! Since we interact on various online communities on a regular basis, I know that both of them have a very distinctive ‘voice’, which sets them apart from the crowd. Gareth’s unusual perspective and tongue-in-cheek style comes as a breath of fresh air, while Jennifer surprises you with the variety of her blog topics. I really enjoy reading their work, so I consider it a privilege that they chose me.

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As part of the protocol to accept the award, one needs to display a badge on the blog, make an announcement with a post like this one, and share it widely through social media. Also, the practice is to share 7 random things about oneself, so that readers can know you a little more before they check out your blog. So here goes…

  1. I believe that you carve out your own destiny every second of every day, and so no dream is too big. You can make everything happen.
  2. Writing comes more naturally to me than speaking.
  3. I am an extremist. I love too much, I think too much, I immerse too much.
  4. All the wall art in our home is created out of our travel photographs. We have a travel inspiration wall in our dining room and a travel-themed study.
  5. I take more travel pictures than necessary because I want to keep each memory alive forever. Also, because I need them for my blog 🙂
  6. Autumn colours, raindrops on leaves, coffee-and-cake, misty mountains, long drives through the countryside, and laughter are my favourite things.
  7. I feel people pay too much attention to much of what others think of them and its okay to do your own thing, your way.

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Every winner has to nominate other deserving fellow bloggers, to pay it forward, pass on the baton, so to say. The broad criteria for selection of nominees is superior quality of writing, innovative content and stunning visuals to enhance the narration. This is my personal selection, based on my subjective choice:

1. adifferentkindoftravel.com Brooke takes you to cheese farms and to castles, but she doesn’t give you a list of to-dos. She wanders, she thinks, she ruminates, and she tells. Her posts are brief, but loaded. She is different.   

2. aworldofflophouses.com Tom is simply effortless with his somewhat brusque style of narration, which is very fascinating. You will be amazed at how he offers insider tips like a local would do. And the brilliance of his pictures will simply blow you away.

3. conversationsofus.com Bart and Eena write letters describing their experiences around the world. They don’t just describe places, they share their thoughts and feelings. There’s something utterly charming about their presentation. And the visuals are stunning.

4. expatoftheworld.com Sarah is unconventional and so is her blog. Her posts engage and make you reflect…go beyond the usual go-see-do. She makes you see the world unlike either a tourist or traveler would. That’s her forte. 

5. fliesonawall.com The perfection and splendour of the pictures on the home screen will convince you that Larry and Jaala’s travel blog is a class apart. They tell stories like no other. Deciding whether the writing is more powerful or the photos is a dilemma.

6. gracefullyglobalblog.com Peggy’s speaks through her pictures and they are great pictures…as much as about grand sights as about everyday scenes. Her writing is easy on the eye and the mind, and you lightly float along with here wherever she goes, whatever she writes about. 

Each of these bloggers inspire me in their own distinctive ways, but I think they have one thing in common. They bring a part of themselves into their writing. They blog about how they processed what they saw, how they were affected by what they experienced. The maturity in their work is closer to what travel writing is intrinsically about. I encourage you to take time out, study their blogs and enrich your world-view with their perspectives. Meanwhile, follow your dreams, and stay travellous!

111 thoughts on “100cobbledroads wins the Versatile Blogger Award”

  1. Thanks so much for this, Punita! I love being included in such a great piece, as your words are so true: it is a saturated field, but if you aren’t yourself and don’t follow your heart, what’s the point? Congratulations to you, and thanks for introducing me to all of these other talented bloggers! 🙂

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  3. Congratulations! It’s so cool that you were nominated twice within months of starting your new blog! I’d say that’s proof that what you are doing is meaningful, even if there are many others trying to do the same thing. Keep up the amazing work. Can’t wait to see what you do next!

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  8. Hearty congratulations Punita. Being nominated twice in the same month is amazing. It always feels good to be recognized by fellow bloggers and I enjoyed reading about all the wonderful bloggers you have nominated.

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  13. Congratulations! Good to know a little about how you travel and your thoughts about it. I have gone from being an obsessive photo taker, to not taking any photos and have somewhat reached a balance finally although I take more than the average traveller. As for travelling your own way, I think that is the most important aspect of travel anywhere in the world.

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  19. We all have our touches in everything we do in life, be it the way we smile, talk or express ourselves, which brought you two nominations in just a short period after lunching your travel blog, congrats! This only will keep bringing me back to your blog to read and get inspired. Thanks for this!

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  20. Did you say two nominations in two months! Wao, that’s quite an achievement. I am sure your blog is worth it. Congratulations and looking forward to following your journeys more closely now! Happy blogging!

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  21. Congrats on your award! It’s always a great feeling to know that someone appreciates what we do and you definitely deserve it. Keep up the good work!

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  23. First off, Congratulations! I love your random things about yourself. I agree that people tend to worry about what everyone else thinks of them, I love just being myself and be my authentic self. Travel photos are so much fun to look back on, I tend to take to many but want them to be perfect. Way to go Keep up the great work!

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  35. Congratulations on this achievement. I am a person of extremes also, I think it’s due to my Latin blood. 🙂 It’s interesting to know that writing comes more natural to you than speaking.

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  39. Totally agree with everything you said in the beginning! It’s been 6 months since I started my trvel blog, and three months in I got the Versatile Blogger award and was so happy! We should definitely take advice into consideration but also let our voices come through to really make a difference. Congrats on your win! 🙂

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  48. congrats on the same. I am with you on point 4 and 7. I do take a lot of pics that just are not necessary 🙂 But I just cant help it. And yes, I do think people are much more bothered about what others are doing and saying than about doing things themselves.

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  49. Congrats on your award once again!! Very well deserved! I loved reading the facts about you, I felt like I wrote them because that’s how much I could relate to them! So wonderful to hear more about you and learn how you live your life. We also believe in the power and importance of travel and the necessity of never allowing others’ opinions consume you. I also love everything you wrote about your nominees! So beautifully written and I agree that those qualities is what makes a standout blogger! Great choices!

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  50. Congratulations, that’s really impressive that you received 2 nominations in just 2 months of blogging. I really like your blog & writing style, it was nice to find out a little more about you personally 🙂

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