The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers

Anyone who writes a blog knows that the best thing about creating your space on the internet is the opportunities it opens up for meeting new people and making new friends. Since Follow Your Sunshine came into being in 2014, I have got to know and been inspired by some of the most interesting, motivated and talented ladies I have ever met, all of whom are creatively writing, designing, and snapping away, and shaping their own blogging niche. What's more, nearly all of them have turned out to be lovely people and excellent friends too. I love this 'sisterhood' and wouldn't change it for the world now I've found it.

To celebrate this special and kind of unique group of ladies, two of my favourite bloggers, Anna from Penelope & Parker's Travels and Angie from Silverspoon London nominated me to answer some questions in a little ode to the sisterhood! {UPDATE: I later found out that I had been put forward a third time by the lovely Sara from Big World Small Me and had missed it. Thank you so much!} Here goes...

Where is your all-time favourite destination?

This is an easy one. Italy's Amalfi Coast wins hands down.

Jaw-dropping coastlines, great weather, stunning food, some of the world's best luxury hotels (and swimming pools!!), friendly and welcoming people and gorgeous hillside towns combine to create a region which is as close to perfection as I think you can get. Mr Sunshine and I spent a large part of our honeymoon exploring this coastline. I promised to tell you all about this time in a bit more detail and I'm a woman of my word so look out for these posts in the next few weeks before the baby arrives (sorry it has taken me so long...you know, pregnancy...).

Which post are you most proud of?

This one. I wrote it in less than half an hour, but it is the most honest, emotional and 'real' post I think I'll ever write.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party, alive or dead?

I was so devastated to hear the news about Alan Rickman earlier. I love him in every role he's ever played (particularly Colonel Brandon in Sense & Sensibility), and I think he'd be really interesting and witty, so I have to say him. Jane Austen for her stories. Gary Lineker for his dad jokes (and because he's a Leicester City legend). Taylor Swift to bring the party and give us some entertainment. Ryan Reynolds, because, well, Ryan Reynolds. {UPDATE: I missed out Ryan Gosling. He would have to be there because he's probably my biggest celebrity crush ever after Steven Gately from Boyzone}.

Do you have a favourite travel app? 

I don't tend to use apps to plan my travels, instead preferring to rely on the internet and blogs for information. Like Angie, I am obsessed with Instagram though, and love nothing more than sifting through hotel and blogger pages for ideas, and ogling at beautiful pictures of the world for inspiration.

What's your favourite and least favourite thing about blogging?

Other than the friends and community that I've already mentioned, it's definitely the opportunities it opens up for trying new things - traveling to new places, visiting new hotels and sampling new restaurants. I also love having an excuse for another creative outlet outside of my job, and it's given me something positive to focus my time and energy on when Mr Sunshine is working long hours, or when I'm really missing my friends and family back home in the UK.

It also makes me look out for good photo opportunities that I'd otherwise miss so my collection is now huge!

(Yup, this also involves quite a lot of posing!!)

My least favourite thing is the time and energy it consumes. If you want to be a successful blogger, it takes hours of work a week. It's not just about attending events, taking photos and writing & editing posts. You need to engage with readers and other bloggers, promote what you do across social media channels, build relationships with PRs...if blogging not your full time job, and if you are also pregnant at the same time, this can be really bloody exhausting. But if you love it like I do, then it is still completely worth it.

Is there anything you like to do any time you visit somewhere new?

I love to get out and about and do something that feels a bit adventurous if I can. I have never been one of those people that could spend a whole week in the grounds of an all-inclusive hotel, or just lying on a beach.  Whether it's dolphin-watching in Oman, exploring wine country in California or spending a day boat-tripping, swimming and exploring the caves around Capri, I am never more happy than when I am exploring. Especially when Mr Sunshine's by my side.

Where is somewhere you've been or something you did that you didn't expect much of but ended up loving?

It's got to be moving to Doha. It was terrifying, and I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision for a while. This post sums up why I quickly changed my mind.

What is your pet peeve?

Elitist or snobby people. I think a true mark of a man/woman is how they speak to waiters and receptionists. If someone's as polite and kind to them as they would be to a CEO, celebrity or respected politician then I think you're onto a winner.

What is your most treasured possession? 

My little girl.

Now I have to hand the chain over to four more of my blogging sisters! I choose:

Rosalyn from Dream Days, a truly lovely human being and one of the best friends I have made through blogging thus far.
Noemi from Pinay Flying High, a fellow Doha blogger as well as foodie and world traveller. 
Kirsty from Life In Excess, just down the road in the UAE, who makes me laugh on a regular basis with her sharp wit and ability to write it like it is.
Shikha from Why Waste Annual Leave, one of the most talented travel bloggers I know, and a thoroughly lovely lass to boot.

The questions are:

Where is your all-time favourite destination?
Which post are you most proud of?
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party, alive or dead?
Do you have a favourite travel app?
What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about blogging?
Is anything you like to do any time you visit somewhere new?
Where is somewhere you’ve been or something you did that you didn’t expect much of, but ended up loving?
What’s you pet peeve?
What’s your most treasured possession?

Over to you ladies!