Boulevards and Byways Receives Liebster Award

Boulevards and Byways is honored and proud to announce it’s nomination for the Liebster Award.

The Liebster Award – About

The Liebster Award is an award for bloggers, given by bloggers. It provides the recipient with recognition, promotional opportunities, and engagement and is a great way to connect and support the blogging community. A big thanks to Molly from the blog, Molly’s Pitcher for nominating Boulevards and Byways.

What does Liebster mean?

The word “liebster” is from a German origin and has several definitions, some of which are: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, and endearing.

How does the Liebster Award work?

Bloggers nominate other bloggers for the purpose of acknowledging and promoting their blog sites. If you are nominated you have the choice of accepting it, doing the work, and paying it forward. Or, you can refuse to accept it. Once accepted, you must complete the work, as you have the responsibility to the blogger that nominated you to recognize and promote their blog.

Rules of the Liebster Award

The basic rules of accepting the Liebster Award are as follows:

• Create a blog post about the Liebster Award. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog on your blog. Try to include a little promotion for the person who nominated you.
• List these rules in your post or include this link: Official 2018 Rules
• Display the image of the award on your blog — Images can be found in the above link.
• Answer the 11 questions given to you by the blogger who nominated you.
• For the 2018 Liebster Award, write a small post about what makes you passionate about blogging.
• Provide 10 random facts about yourself. (This is optional.)
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel would enjoy blogging about this award.
• Create a new set of your own 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide them a link to your post.

Boulevards and Byways thanks Molly, from Mollyspitcher.com for the nomination.

What I love about the blog is that her posts maintain a positive mental attitude. Finding balance in life is something most of strive to do, and mollyspitcher.com is a resource for women to share ideas about how to live a balanced life.

Her blog posts focus on childcare, delicious recipes, budgeting tips, and meal planning. Life doesn’t always go as planned, but Molly offers tips and advice to put a situation in perspective and make it go more smoothly. Her inspiring blog posts empower you to do everything you can within your control and then let your life unfold. Thank you again Molly, for the nomination!

As a part of the nomination from Molly from mollyspitcher.com I get the opportunity to share more about myself by answering her questions:

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR BLOG, Boulevards and Byways?

I love sharing my travel stories with others hoping to inspire people to “take the road less traveled” or “go off the beaten path.” After exhausting my family and friends with my travel tips, tricks, and advice, I decided to create a travel blog, and share my enthusiasm with a larger audience.

My blog promotes and shares inspiring things to do and see in the Caribbean, especially Puerto Rico, with the main goal of motivating others to do something or go someplace they’ve never been before. So many people are afraid to go out of their comfort zone when they travel.They only eat familiar foods, only visit the tourist sites, and never interact with the local people. To me that’s just crazy. Traveling is experiencing new food, the culture and the local people. You’ll never really get the full experience if you don’t step out of your comfort zone.

WHAT ARE TWO BLOGS YOU ENJOY READING?

The two blogs I enjoy reading are Rick Steve’s Blog  and Nomadic Matt. The content in both these blogs is always informative and engaging.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF Boulevards and Byways?

I’m proud that I’ve been able to maintain quality content and provide engaging photos. I’ve also been able to attract several tour operators and hotels asking me to write for them.

WHAT DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH  Boulevards and Byways?

It’s not so much as the blog that I struggle with, but everything else that comes along with blogging. All the social media promoting is extremely time consuming.

DO YOU TAKE YOUR OWN PICTURES OR DOWNLOAD FROM A WEBSITE?

I always take my own photos, however 1% of the time I may need an image of something I can’t convey with one of my own photos, so I will go to a site which offers free images.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE BLOGGING WITH YOUR LIFE ?

I own a direct response agency, Write Choice Marketing, that specializes in copywriting, strategic planning, and production management for non-profit organizations. Some of my clients are Guiding Eyes for the Blind and American Ballet Theatre and at times I’m extremely busy. After writing all day for my clients, it’s difficult to power up my energy to write a blog post. I do however, try to stick with a weekly writing schedule for my blog.

IF YOU COULD HAVE AN EXTRA HOUR EVERY DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH IT?

I’d write something, anything, for my blog.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK AND WHY?

My favorite book has to be something by Ernest Hemingway. His writing is simple and straightforward, yet he has an amazing way of conjuring up amazing images and feelings. If I had to pick one to be my favorites, I would say A Moveable Feast.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

The last book I read was A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.

WHERE WOULD YOU TRAVEL IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE?

There are so many places I haven’t yet been, but if I had to pick one I would choose India. I like places that engage me culturally.  From the food, to the architecture, to the markets, it would certainly bring me out of my Brewster, New York bubble.

HOW DO YOU RELAX AT THE END OF THE DAY?

At the end of the day I usually read or watch something on Netflix.

10 Facts About Sandy Ruyack, Boulevards and Byways Blogger

1. I love to travel
2. I have a 19 ½ year old cat named Titan.
3. I live in Brewster, NY suburb 30 miles north of Manhattan and I also live 12 weeks out of every year in Luquillo, Puerto Rico.
4. I was in Puerto Rico during and 16 days post hurricane Maria.
5. I try to live my life by saying to myself often, “Don’t be afraid.”
6. I’m a beach bum, but also an adventure traveler.
7. I dislike winter and cold weather.
8. My most embarrassing travel moment was visiting Paris and dressing as if I were on a beach holiday; capris and Sperrys.  What was I thinking?
9. My near future travel goals are to visit India, Italy, and Greece.
10. I have a big vegetable garden that I tend to in the spring and summer.

Why I’m Passionate About Blogging:

I haven’t always been passionate about blogging but I have always been passionate about traveling. Every summer my parents would take me on a road trip to visit my great aunt and cousins in Marcellus, a farming town in update New York. My father would take back roads and when my face wasn’t pressed against the car window, I was following our route on one of those giant fold out maps (the ones that could never again be folded in its original configuration).  I’m still like that today; although now it’s with my face pressed to an airplane window and the map is on my phone.

It was a great contrast from the apartment living and cement sidewalks that I was used to. My aunt had a working farm and I thoroughly enjoyed milking cows, chasing chickens, and picking vegetables from her enormous garden. I loved going everywhere and anywhere. Since then I’ve traveled to France, Ireland, Spain, many Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Belize, all over Mexico. There are still many places I need to go. The writing aspect unfolded when I decided, not too long ago, to take an adult education creative writing class. Every story I wrote in class was about one of my travel adventures, and a few years later I made the decision to create a website and the blog, boulevardsandbyways.com, to share my adventures and love of travel with others.

As I finish up this blog post, the last thing a nominee for the Liebster Award must do is nominate other bloggers.  I would like to nominate the following:

• Mona at monacorona.com
• Heidi at flyawayu.com
• Karen at sometimeswithKaren.com
• keepcalmandtravel.com
• thetravelbite.com

I also need to present the nominees with 11 questions.

Dear nominees, please answer the following questions:

• You’re a crayon. What color are you and why?
• Which two blogs, outside of your own, do you read consistently, and why?
• Describe the color blue to somebody who is blind.
• What two news sources do you consistently read and why? How do they inspire your blog writing?
• A giraffe walks through the door wearing a bow tie. What does he say to you and why is he here?
• What has been your best vacation destination and why?
• If you woke up and had 1000 unread emails and could only answer 200 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?
• How did you learn to write professionally? For instance, did you major in journalism or creative writing in college, take writing courses outside of university, etc.?
• Name one item you must have when travelling.
• If you won the million-dollar lottery today, would you stop blogging?
• What are your favorite plugins and social media tools that you use and why?

It’s been a lot of fun answering the questions. Thank you again, Molly, for nominating Boulevards and Byways!

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You’ll find the beach front sign in front of Seven Seas Beach

Where to Snorkel, Kayak, and Stand-Up Paddle Board in Puerto Rico. When spending time in Puerto Rico, many people who decide to visit this amazing island will spend their time lounging on the picturesque white sand beaches, playing in the clear blue water, and soaking up the sunshine.  However, renting a paddle board or a kayak and snorkeling the crystal clear water should be on your list! Where to Snorkel, Kayak, and Stand-Up Paddle Board in Puerto Rico.

Where Should You Go for the Best Snorkeling and Rentals?

Pirate Snorkeling Shack in Fajardo, on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico at Seven Seas Bay is the best for many reasons.

Visit Pirate Snorkeling Shack For Snorkeling Tours, Kayak and Stand-Up Paddle Board Rentals, and More!

The area is filled with many varieties of fish and sea life.

Along with an awesome equipment, Pirate Snorkeling Shack offers great value, and the owners Hector and Coralis are passionate about their job.  They will set you up with a stand-up paddle board or a kayak, life jacket, water, a bag to hold your stuff, snorkel equipment, and an anchor.

They Provide Excellent Service

They’ll make sure you’re steady on your feet and holding the paddle correctly before you go off on your own.  In addition, they will give you a handy water proof card with a map to the snorkeling areas and a chart of the different types of fish you will most likely see.  When you get tired of paddle boarding or kayaking you just jump in the water, cool off, and snorkel over the reefs, and get back on your board or kayak and snorkel in another spot.   It was one of the best days I had snorkeling in Puerto Rico.

A fish identification card is displayed so you can name the fish you’ve seen.

They give you everything you need

Pirate Snorkeling Shack also provides guided kayaking & snorkeling tours.  They’ll take you out to the best snorkeling destinations in Seven Seas Bay and provide you with an informative tour both above and below the water. The tours have an ecological focus and their enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge about the environment and undersea life is key of every Pirate Snorkeling shack experience.   You will be guided through the coral reef and will learn about all the different types of marine life you see below the surface. All the equipment is included as you explore the magnificent Seven Seas Bay.

There’s abundant sea life in Seven Seas Bay

The Best Snorkel, Kayak, and Stand-Up Paddle Board in Puerto Rico

This was definitely the highlight of my trip to Puerto Rico and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Pirate snorkeling provides you with great value and gives you everything you need when booking a kayak or paddle board tour; mask lesson, water, lunch, and informative eco tour.

Pirate Snorkeling Shack is my top choice for personalized attention, for receiving the best service, and for getting an  awesome  experience  in ways they never thought possible.

Pirate Snorkeling Shack offers:

• Kayak and Stand Up Paddle Board Rental
• Snorkeling Gear rentals, including Full Face Snorkeling gear.
• Snorkeling Lessons
• Day and Night Snorkeling & Kayak tours
• Go Pro Rentals – with FREE SD Card

Contact:

• Address: Cabezas de San Juan Fajardo Puerto Rico
• Phone: 787-556-0104
• Website: Piratesnorkelingshack.com
• Email: Piratesnorkelingshack@gmail.com

I am in no way affiliated with Pirate Snorkeling Shack. This rental was paid for by my family and I had such a great time I wanted to share it with you all!

Travel Tip: I recommend purchasing this snorkel mask.  It’s the only mask I use and it’s the best purchase I’ve ever made.  There are no leaks, no fogging, and it’s easy to use.  You can buy it here:

We are a participant in the Amazon Associates, LLC program, an advertising program allowing us to receive fees when you purchase the product above. It does not in anyway add to your cost but it helps support our blog costs.

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