Feature Friday: Meet Miranda K.

Happy Feature Friday everyone! This week, we have the opportunity to meet Miranda, from Wisconsin. As you may or may not know, this state is known as the cheese capital of the United States, and Miranda does indeed enjoy this delicious dairy product 🙂 As she learned the German and French languages in high school and college, her curiosity for seeing the world developed, and her love for travel grew! Now Miranda documents her adventures on her blog, and shares her journey with her readers! Miranda is taking the time to give us a snippet of her travels and her thoughts, so let’s see what she has to say:

1. Thank you for deciding to be a part of Feature Friday. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?

I’m a 23 year old from the beautiful cheese state of Wisconsin! My blog is aimed not only at encouraging others to step outside of their comfort zone, but to also entertain and make others laugh! My adventure plans, whether large or local, don’t always go the way I planned, but they ALWAYS make for a funny story. In person, I tend to make people laugh typically when I’m not even trying….and that bit of my personality melted seamlessly into my writing on my website. Since my blog is titled after my name, you’re guaranteed to get 100% me: the funny, awkward, honest, and realistic bits!

2. Why did you decide to become a travel blogger?
Honestly, it was a spur of the moment decision. (As most of my decisions and ideas tend to be…) I’m in the digital marketing field, and while attending a conference back in March 2017, they keynote speaker talked about branding yourself, blogging, and creating a website. This also explains why my website is just my name. Since I was so PUMPED to make my own website, I picked travel to write about, since we have a life-long love affair going on. Within 24 hours, I created a [cheap, and a little ugly] website with ONE post, and launched it! No preparation happened.

3. What do you love so much about travelling?
Oh so many reasons. I think the new and exciting experiences give me a pretty big thrill honestly. To be able to see things in person that we see in pictures all too awesome really leave me awestruck. It’s absolutely amazing to see how other people live their lives, even if they’re only in a different part of the country.

4. Have you ever regretted doing something while travelling?
I personally don’t have too many regrets. Most of my regrets include NOT doing something… which, does a regret of not traveling enough during my college years count? I regret my lack of preparation when packing for my winter Iceland trip— yes, you WILL need waterproof pants if you’ll be doing outside activities. I ended up soaked while hiking a glacier.

5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve done while travelling?
Bear with me a little; since I’m merely 23, I unfortunately don’t have decades of experiences to rifle through in my brain. Nevertheless, I did almost fall into a crevice while hiking a glacier. It *almost* happened based on lack of sleep and not paying attention to what was 4 feet (a little over 1 meter) in front of me. I was MUCH more nervous about slipping on the ice so I focused on how I walked instead of where. It was really only freaky after the fact, when I was off the glacier, warm, and everything got to sink in a little.

6. What is your most embarrassing travel story?
I’ll admit, I probably have more embarrassing & awkward first date stories than travel stories. I don’t get embarrassed too easily, and I guess I’m a bit more careful while traveling than on a date… I guess you can tell which I care about more from that statement.

7. Have you ever travelled solo? Would you do it again? If you haven’t, would you ever do it?

I actually have not, and I’ve been playing around with the idea of traveling solo. For one, the thought does scare me a little, so I have to get over that. Second, I do LOVE the idea of just booking a plane ticket and leaving and not having to wait if any friends or relatives are able to go with me. Plus, getting to do whatever I want and eat where ever I want is SUPER appealing. I think if anything I’d start out with a solo trip somewhere 3-5 hours away just for a quick weekend trip. Lame… I know. But for now, I’ll settle with a vacation with my bff or my mother!  

8. Out of all the cities & countries you’ve visited, which did you like the least? Why?
Probably my visit to “Amish country” out in Pennsylvania back in 2008. History is NOT my forte, so learning about the Amish and how they lived wasn’t my favorite in particular. To be fair, I was also 14 years old, and it’s a bit hard to capture a 14 year old’s attention.

9. Out of all the cities & countries you’ve visited, which did you like the most? Why?

Nashville, Tennessee will always hold a special place in my heart, especially the downtown area. As a whole, Tennessee has beautiful weather. Nashville is lively, has amazing live music and fantastic food. From fancy rooftop bars to local, home-style southern comfort food, it offers something different each time!

10. If you had to choose one place to live for the rest of you life, where would it be, and why?
Simple: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’m not a travel blogger that would realistically do well living on the other side of the world. Milwaukee is close to my home town, and it’s has so much to do that I truly haven’t discovered yet! From sporting arenas, to multi-cultural restaurants, to festivals every weekend in the summer, I don’t think I would get bored there!

11. Are there any social norms or practice you’ve encountered on travels that you wish were normal in your native culture?

I’ve actually loved how open the Icelandic people are! Our guide in the country was so open about his home life, his interests, and stories from his past. He answered all of our cultural-based questions, but really offered so much more information. It’s a bit of a breath of fresh air considering Americans I’ve known for months or even years are not always that open.

12. Is there anywhere you would not visit? Where, and why?
The Middle East, specifically war zones with political unrest. I think that might be a bit self-explanatory, but politics isn’t my strong suit so I don’t feel too “qualified” to discuss something like this in depth.

13. What is one thing that is too large or impractical that you wish you could bring with you when you travel?
Can I answer my entire suitcase? I wish I could pack everything, and shrink it so it fits in the palm of my hand! Then I could put it in my pocket or go on my merry way. Better, yet, have a Mary Poppins style purse, with an “unlimited bottom.”

14. Do you think there’s a difference between people who deem themselves tourists vs. travellers? What do you consider yourself, and why?
I think this has been made up by some pompous people in order to differentiate themselves from those that travel that are rude, disrespectful, and ignorant. According to those cliché lists, I’m an even split 50/50. With there being so many people on this planet, there’s no way we’re going to have the same interests and do things the SAME WAY. I say do whatever makes you happy! Whether it’s seeing the big sites, visiting a small village, planning your trip down to the exact detail, or winging it once you get there. We all have amazing experiences, and I personally love hearing about all of them!

15. What does home mean to you?

Home means comfortable, familiar, and happiness. If I moved somewhere new, even on the other side of the planet, there’s no way I could feel “at home” in a new country unless I was familiar with my location, comfortable with the culture and locals, and I was truly happy.

16. What advice would you give an aspiring travel blogger?
My advice is to write about what you love, whether it’s being controversial, eco-friendly, budget, or detailed guides. Do what makes your heart happy, otherwise you’ll go absolutely crazy, and get burned out pretty easily. There will be an audience for where ever you happen to land.

Thank you Miranda for taking the time to share with us some of your thoughts on travel topics. I completely understand wanting to have a “Mary Poppins” bag with an unlimited bottom, although I usually think of Hermoine Granger with her bottomless pouch 🙂 That would be beyond convenient and it would make packing so much easier! Thanks again Miranda, for being a part of Feature Friday, and safe travels on your next adventure!

Did you enjoy what you read? Get to know more about Miranda!

Miranda is a 20-something in love with thrills, trying new things, and laughing! She thrives on spontaneity, although her adventures don’t always go as planned. Miranda believes misadventures make memories, and funny ones at that. her blog and social channels are filled with real-life awkward moments, that are relatable and laughable. Connect with Miranda at the following:

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