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Beautiful mountains, fjords and tiny islands out in the open sea. Those are the pictures we are used to see of my dear Norway. A few days ago, before the bombing in Oslo and the shooting at Utøya last Friday, I never expected my homeland to be the center of attention as a result of terror. As the Norwegian author Jo Nesbø put it in his article The Past is a Foreign Country, “For many years, it seemed as if nothing changed in Norway. You could leave the country for three months, travel the world, through coups d’état, assassinations, famines, massacres and tsunamis, and come home to find that the only new thing in the newspapers was the crossword puzzle. It was a country where everyone’s material needs were provided for. Political consensus was overwhelming, the debates focused primarily on how to achieve the goals that everyone had already agreed on.” Of course things changed over the course of the years, from having a population where just about everyone had the same cultural and id

It’s been a long time coming and we’re happy to announce that they’re here: the AVANT/GARDE DIARIES. The idea behind this new digital interview magazine, is to feature creatives from around the world which share one commonality: an unconventional and extraordinary approach to their line of work. With their head quaters in New York City, the AVANT/GARDE DIARIES, a project by automobile mammuth MERCEDES-BENZ, are giving a platform to a selected number of people who share something they consider avant-garde. It is a very special honor to me, that I, too, was asked to introduce something or someone fitting that description. When it’s ready, of course I will happily share it with you. A special concept calls for a special launch, and so Mercedes-Benz has invited Raf Simons, the Belgian head designer at Jil Sander, to function as the curator to a 3-day avant-garde-festival called Transmission1, located at the Berlin Congress Center on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. More than 3000 people turne

Sawtelle Boulevard is what I consider one of the food paradises of Los Angeles. This stretch has gained a trendy reputation because of its many Japanese influenced lunch/dining options. Over the years, many ramen shops have started to pop in the area.  It has reached the point that if you want wonderful ramen in Los Angeles, you have to stop by Sawtelle Boulevard. This is one of my favorite areas in the big city and I am eager to share my Sawtelle ramen recommendations. Location The ‘neighborhood’ comprises the portion of Sawtelle Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard. This area is located very close to the most popular beaches in Los Angeles County.  Santa Monica and Venice Beach are within a 7 miles distance (15-20 minutes’ drive).  This is an ideal lunch stop for those touring Los Angeles and moving from the beach to Beverly Hills or Hollywood. Why Visit? This one of the best places in the United States to have ramen (some assure this is the best plac

One night at dinner with my friends Matt and Hannes in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, I found myself buried in my iPhone, unable to pull myself away from the latest tweets . Matt and I were two confirmed iPhone addicts, and with unlimited data plans costing only $30 per month in Thailand, there was no reason not to stay connected to the internet at all times. Hannes didn’t quite get it.  “At least you’ll run out of battery sometime,” he said with a sigh. I then pulled out my mini-charger and stuck it into the phone. “NOOOOOOOO!” Hannes yelled, laughing. I giggled.  “I’m just kidding,” I said, then put my phone away.  With the charger still in it.  Just in case. My little charger and I had a wonderful time together all over Asia, until I lost it in the shipwreck — and I never ended up replacing it.  I missed it; it was a remarkably handy gadget. Since that night in Thailand, I’ve acquired an iPad, a Kindle, and a Flip Mino HD video camera, and traded my iPhone 3GS for a 4S.  I run into c

Having just returned from a short stay in the stunning Swiss town of Lauterbrunnen, I’m a bit of a drooly, overwhelmed mess. After all, with a head full of dreams carefully planted from years of pining over Lauterbrunnen on Instagram and Pinterest, my expectations were so high I could practically vomit from excitement. The issue? Many of the photos circulating online are actually snapped from drones, which means they’re not real views you can access without spontaneously sprouting wings. So, if you’re like me and have failed at sprouting said wings, I’ve done some groundwork for you! Here are some of my favourite viewpoints and Lauterbrunnen photo spots that I discovered, along with instructions on how to reach them. Best of all? Most of them are very easy to reach, with minimal hiking required (unless you’re craving the workout, in which case I have some options for you). I apologize that these viewpoints don’t have official names, and that street names don’

Today we received an email by one of our readers (thanks Annegret!) pointing out to us a wonderful opportunity to win a trip to Kenya and help promote first hand the developmental help concepts that are currently being applied in the area of Kakamega. This sub-Saharan region of Africa suffers from the age-old problems of hunger, poverty, poor maternal health, a worrysome spreading of HIV and a shortness of clean drinking water. A more recent but powerful addition to this problem pool is climate change. Humanitarian entrepreneur company Vestergaard Frandsen have partnered up with Women Deliver to tackle these problems based on an innovative model. To help spread the word about this model and the circumstances in Kenya, 2 female bloggers are being given the opportunity to win an all-expenses paid trip to Kenya where they will visit the villages in question and learn all there is to know about the problems of the region as well as the help on offer. The condition to participate is as sim

Laughing! in Utila, Honduras I met the dog you see in the photos above in Utila;  he was the sweetest thing, so happy and loyal and eager to please. I had seen him around town during the two weeks I spent on the island, always recognising him despite the hoards of stray dogs that live on the island. Belonging to nobody, they fend for themselves, inevitably relying on scraps of food found in rubbish piles or given to them by a generous hand. I never named this dog, but called him boy, as one does. If that can be considered a name, let’s consider it his. One day, Boy decided that I was his, or he was mine; either way, it meant he followed me around the island day and night, going so far as to jump on my dive boat as it was trying to leave the dock. He slept outside my door every night for three nights, and I heard him sniffing around or occasionally whimpering during rainstorms. I desperately wanted to let him in, but I knew I couldn’t – a wet dog covered in fleas would wreak havo

In This Post... A Peek Behind Burbanks Scenes Getting Behind Burbanks Scenes Was Easier than we Thought. Behind Burbanks Scenes at Warner Bros. Studio A Tiny Peek Behind Burbanks Scenes Making the Big Screen That Much Smaller A Peek Behind Burbanks Scenes D ubbed the “media capital of the world,” Burbank is home to some of the biggest companies in entertainment. Over the years Warner Bros, NBC, and Disney (among others) have produced hit TV shows and movies from this little city just north of Hollywood. Thankfully Burbank is also home to the Coast Anabelle hotel – the second stop of my #GreatCoastRoadTrip. Getting Behind Burbanks Scenes Was Easier than we Thought. The Coast Annabel hotel is conveniently located minutes away from world-famous studios making it the perfect jumping off point for heading behind Burbanks scenes. If the 5 minute drive is too much for you, head next door to the Coast Anabelle’s historic sister property, the Safari Inn, for a taste of Hollywood hi

California. Where my Travel Addiction Began.   I am an explorer. I crave adventure. I seek the unknown. This is what is in me. This is what keeps me moving. This is why I hate to backtrack. An example of my habit/condition/lifestyle – after a recent trip to Sochi for the Winter Olympics I continued heading east until east became west again. Around the world all because of the freedom and adventure that comes with exploring. So why am I this way? California. Enjoying one amazing sunset with friends where my travel addiction began. Growing up in a small town in Northern Canada I was very isolated from the rest of the world. I knew of rocks, trees, long winters and not much else. Little did I know at the time, this was actually a blessing. Our first family vacation was to California, a place I knew nothing about let alone existed. To be fair I was 4 years old yet I remember the trip with vivid clarity. The beaches, the waves, the sunshine, the warmth – It was all so foreign t

“Oh, I’m putting that on my bucket list!”  I hear this all the time — from readers, from family members, from other travel bloggers.  Each time, I’m thrilled to hear that someone has been inspired enough to dream of traveling there someday. But at the same time, I’m a bit apprehensive.  Why?  Because I know that to many people, a bucket list might as well be a Pinterest board — a collection of pretty things that you say you want to do but don’t intend on ever making happen. My problem? If your deadline is death  — you’re not making it a priority. I’ve written about prioritizing travel before — how the reason that most people don’t travel as much as they’d like is because they don’t prioritize it.  They dream about travel — but they spend money on nights out with friends, or having an apartment in the best part of town, or going to dozens of pricey concerts a year. Again — I don’t expect anyone to travel as much as I do, nor do I think that most people should.  If you’re happy wi

Next month, we will be leaving rainy London for colder Boston. Then from there, we’ll take full advantage of a week-long ‘layover’ via IcelandAir to fulfill a dream. Seeing Iceland’s natural beauty and wild terrain up close is an unforgettable opportunity in group travel experiences to be had over the wintry season. At this stage though, I’ve only seen incredible photos of the Northern lights and lots of snow. So what can we do for a full week in this country? And especially, how should I plan a trip to Iceland in the winter? I’m not always one to plan everything out perfectly, but for managing wild terrain and an unfamiliar environment for everyone in the group, coming up with a game plan first seems key to a successful adventure, By using our trusty Iceland travel guide and some forward-thinking ingenuity, I bet our trip to Iceland in the winter will be one for the record books. I also enjoy using some trip calculators and seeing options beyond the hotel on TripHobo, which works