- Amanda in Sydney
Amanda Williams is this weeks WINNER of “Post Your URL Day”…Every Friday we give YOU the opportunity to post the URL of your own Travel Blog on our Facebook fanpage wall, and we randomly draw a winner from the URL posts submitted to be featured on our travel blog, our fanpage, and our twitter! Be in it to win FREE Exposure!
So, who is Amanda Williams?
I grew up on a Christmas tree farm in a small Ohio town with a good football team and even better marching band (go Raiders!). Nothing incredibly exciting happened there, except for the time in the early 90s when my neighbor (who was a mob boss) got shot and killed in his driveway.
I was the geeky, smart kid in school. I liked horses and books and “Harry Potter.” I did competitive gymnastics and tried out for school musicals. I wore a lot of tie-dye. I went to college in an even smaller Ohio town, got a degree in journalism, and am now working as a copy editor at a mid-sized newspaper.
When I’m not at work or working on my blog (which has ballooned into a second job by now), I enjoy mundane things like reading and watching movies, and not-so-mundane things like swing dancing and planning vacations.
Where are you currently and what are you doing?
I’m in Findlay, Ohio, working as a copy editor at a newspaper, trying to figure out what to do next with my life. Grad school may be in my near future.
in Alaska
Where have you traveled to so far?
I’ve been to New Zealand, Australia, China, Ireland, Italy, the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, and all over the U.S. (including Alaska!).
Do you have a favorite place to date?
Hands downs, New Zealand. I studied abroad in Wellington for a semester during college and loved every minute of it. It’s such a great little country with amazing people and even better scenery. And,
the fact that it’s where “Lord of the Rings” was filmed doesn’t hurt, either.
What place has surprised you the most?
Perhaps China. I was only in Shanghai and Beijing for a week, but I was really surprised by how modern both cities were. I know China is rolling along like a freight train in the world economy, but I wasn’t
quite expecting to find the sorts of cities I did there.
On the other side of the coin, I was a bit taken aback at the level of control the Chinese government really does exert over the people of China. I had no idea it was so intense before visiting there.
Milford Sound, New Zealand
What are you MOST proud about your home country?
The fact that it’s so easy for us U.S. citizens to travel. People cry and moan about everything in the U.S., but, when it comes down to it, we’re all pretty lucky to have so many of the freedoms that we do. Now, if only more American citizens had passports!
If you could live anywhere in the world besides your home country, where would it be and why?
Definitely New Zealand, because I love it there! Though, after visiting Victoria, British Columbia, this past summer, I could also see myself living there someday (you know, if I win the lottery or rob a bank).
If we were to visit you in your hometown for a day, what would you do with us?
Well, there’s definitely a reason I like to travel AWAY from my hometown so much! Haha. But, if you were to visit, I’d suggest you come around Labor Day, so that I could take you to the famous Canfield Fair, which is said to be one of the biggest county fairs in the United States. Then maybe we could get out of town for a day and visit Cedar Point, an awesome amusement park in Ohio!
Skagway
If you could have dinner with 4 famous people in the world (alive or dead), who would it be and why?
Can I just say The Beatles and call it a day? I’ll bet they could definitely tell some stories…
Favorite Food/Drink?
Favorite food: Any sort of pasta (what can I say, I’ve got Italian in me?). Favorite drink: I usually can’t go a day without a can of Coca Cola, but that’s mostly because I’m addicted to caffeine…
How do you chill in your spare time?
What spare time? Haha. Between my real job and blogging, I don’t have a whole lot of spare time. But, when I do, I like to just hang out with family and friends, watch nerdy TV shows with my boyfriend, and just relax.
Read any good books lately?
I’m currently trying to work my way through “Eat Pray Love,” to see if I like it any better than the movie version. The last book I read that I really loved was “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova. If you want history mixed with travel mixed with mystery mixed with vampire lore, this is the book for you!
Castlepoint
Finish this sentence. Travel is about__________
Making discoveries, facing challenges, letting go, and a having a blast while doing it.
And this one. The people in the United States are_____________
Too coddled.
What posters were on your wall as a kid growing up?
Everything from boy bands (O-Town was a favorite in middle school) to “Lord of the Rings” characters.
What did you want to be as a kid growing up?
In elementary school, I wanted to be an artist and a teacher. In middle school, I considered becoming an equine veterinarian. And then in high school I realized that what I really wanted to do was become a
writer.
What was said on your school report card?
I was a boring child in school. I got really good grades, and never got into trouble. (Exciting, I know…)
What’s the one item you can’t leave home without?
My cell phone. And my camera, because you can never tell when it might come in handy!
What are your Christmas and New Years plans?
Probably just heading home to hang out with family and friends.
Tell us about your travel blog and it’s purpose?
I started a blog when I was studying in New Zealand, to keep people back home updated on all my adventures. Last year, I decided to start a full-on travel blog A Dangerous Business to try and chronicle some of the adventures I’ve had around the world.
It started out as just a way for me to write about travel. Now, though, I look at it as a way to share my travel experiences and knowledge with others. I’m willing to try just about anything once (whether it’s bungy jumping, climbing into hobbit holes, or swimming with sharks), and I hope that this sense of adventurousness comes across on my blog.
I love blogging, and, as long as I’m staying true to my voice, I’m not afraid to try new things when it comes to content and delivery, either.
Taupo Bungy
Where do you see yourself in 2 years time?
Hopefully doing something that I love. I’m not sure what that will be yet, but that’s where going back to school could factor in. I don’t think I’m cut out for an office job, where I’m stuck at a desk for 8 hours a day. Now it’s just a matter of finding the sort of job I DO like. And, hopefully, I’ll be traveling more!
When all is said and done, how would you like your epitaph to read?
Hmm. I always kind of cringe at these sorts of questions. I mean, obviously I hope my epitaph will be nice and talk about all the great things I’ve done in my life. But really, I don’t like to think about death. I’d much rather think about living, right here, right now! So, maybe a simple “She lived” could suffice. Because it’s my goal to just live my life to the fullest, and let whatever happens happen.
Finally, how do we find out more about Amanda?
You can read my travel blog, join my facebook fanpage, and follow me on twitter.
Amanda rocks – she’s one of the friendliest and most supportive travel bloggers I’ve met so far and has provided us with some fantastic advice over the past few weeks.
If you’re not following her already, hurry up and get with it!
Awww, shucks, thanks Kieron! You’re too kind.
Thanks so much for picking me! (Well, I suppose it was random… but still!)
I am partial to interesting questions in interviews, and this one hits it out of the park. Great questions. Great answers. Great interviewers and interviewee. Loved it.
Just found Amanda’s site in the last couple of weeks through some RTs so as always, the interviews are timely for me O:-)
Great interview! I’m looking at Amanda’s blog now. PS- We went to Taupo on our RTW trip and my husband has the same photo from bungy jumping. Brings back memories
Very cool! I’ve bungy jumped in both Taupo and Queenstown, and Taupo was my favorite, I think. The location was beautiful.
Amanda is one of my favourite blogger, it’s fun to read more about her here
Just like her, NZ is the country I love the most. I hope one day I can win the post your url day too, haha!