WE love to travel. It may be somewhere that is just a drive away, like Shropshire or Dumfries and Galloway.

It may be Italy or France or Germany, where my son lives, or it may be somewhere in the US, where our holidays have taken us to places as diverse as Alaska, New Mexico, New York, the Outer Banks of North Carolina or California, where my daughter lives.

And we love to read about other people’s travels – good travel books or blogs are the next best thing to being there yourself. (And sometimes it can be more fun to read about somebody else’s experiences than actually to cope with the multi-legged wildlife, unpredictable weather or terrifying driving yourself!)
We enjoy the travel descriptions of North Dorset writer Amanda Williams on her website, www.amandaswanderlust.com. Visit her site to read about her travels to fascinating places ranging from Botswana to Finland, and also read her advice on sustainable tourism and how to get the most out of your visit while minimising your carbon footprint.

Amanda, has gone through to the second round of the UK Blog Awards, and is hoping that her readers will support her by voting for her.

The UK Blog Awards were created to recognise viral style and creative excellence across 16 UK industries, including travel, with additional awards in two sub-categories, Best Storyteller and Most Innovative award.

Amanda, who also works as a freelance environmental manager, has been shortlisted in both the Travel and the Eco/Green category.

She says: “I’m really thrilled to have gone through to the public vote in the UK Blog Awards. It would be so exciting to make it to the finals, but the competition is very tough. All I need now is some votes!”

You can read Amanda’s entry and vote at:
http://blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/amandas-wanderlust. The public vote continues throughout January until Monday 25th and closes that day at 9pm.

Amanda is pictured here at a campsite in Botswana.