Often, I find myself reflecting on my love for the sea. I don’t know where it came from. I didn’t grow up near the ocean, nor am I much of a beach bum. Laying around in a swimsuit, like, in front of people all day doing nothing? And how annoying is sand? Scoffs. No thanks. Actually, if I’m being honest, I am more of a beach person now than I used to be. Pretentious young traveler me always wanted to be doing things and taking in the sights. Relaxing and holiday never belonged in the same sentence. I need to SEE and DO it ALL. Having burnt myself out so many times since, your girl loves a lazy ..read more

You know those people whose lives seem effortless? On the surface (social media), they appear to have everything going for them: good health, a great career, a respectable bank account, and a happy family. However, I also think we’re starting to be woke enough to know that, of course, the internet version of ourselves is not a good measure of testing reality. But still. What is it like to feel really put together? You know, I’m talking about solid, unflappable folk. The Type A humans of the world. I think many of us have friends with personalities that just stay on top of their shit. Like anyt ..read more

What is it about us humans that makes us want to conquer things? We get the same endorphins from a stint at the gym or chowing down on chocolate cake. Why do we (cough, cough, men) so often feel the need to be the first at something? Why does glory outweigh death on a journey to claim a first victory?  I always think of that George Mallory quote when asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest: “Because it’s there.” It’s either the dumbest reason or the cleanest reason. And since old mate George died on Everest, leaving the question of whether or not he was the first person ever to summit it ..read more

Exactly ten years ago, I arrived in Wānaka in a little red car with my whole life packed inside it. Back then, Wānaka was still a sleepy little mountain town where Instagram wasn’t really a thing, and no one cared about a tree in the lake. I cannot believe I’ve passed a decade of living in Wanaka. When you start to remember in decades, you feel old. Way back whent, I was blogging full-time and could live anywhere. After my lease ended in Wellington, I headed south. Preferring the chiller Wānaka to Queenstown, I ended up settling here. It was an easy place to fall in love with. It still is. The ..read more

Ok, ok, ok. I know it’s a bit of a stretch to call Ilulissat a city, but since Greenland’s population caps at 56,000 people, it counts. Greenland’s third biggest city/town/community is home to just as many sled dogs as humans. Let me say that Ilulissat has definitely earned its reputation as the most visited place in Greenland. Before calling in with Adventure Canada on their High Arctic Explorer trip last summer, Ilulissat vaguely sat in my periphery as a place I’d hope to visit one day. I’ve written before about how I like to be surprised when visiting places. Ilulissat blew my expectations ..read more

Is it just me, or are mushrooms having a moment? Nowadays, I feel like everywhere I look, I see mushrooms. From decorating cushions to foraging with friends to microdosing, mushrooms have been in fashion for a while now. Trendy and cool fungi are having a real renaissance, and I’m here for it.  So, what has inspired the world to wake up to how cool mushrooms can be? I think the popularity of books like Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life, which gives us plebs a glimpse into their complex world combined with the “discovery” of their superpowers, has rocketed mushrooms into a bit of a cultura ..read more

“Death or the west coast of Greenland,” the indomitable polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen once said, and it could have been the motto of his 1888 expedition, the first crossing of interior Greenland. He later would call it the “scheme of a lunatic,” which I feel could be applied to most polar expeditions of the time. What does that say about me that it inspires me to want to visit Greenland? While it’s much easier now to access the world’s biggest island, Greenland, in many ways, still holds the myth and wonder that captivated so many explorers over the centuries. No roads connect the communities ..read more

It was exactly ten years since my first visit to Iceland when I returned last summer with Adventure Canada. And let me tell you, it couldn’t be more different. To visit Iceland by sea is an extraordinary and unique way to travel here. Iceland was only beginning to boom on the tourism map a decade ago. It was still pretty chill. Instagram was still new, and Iceland had yet to dominate it. I went with girlfriends, including a friend from Iceland, and we did a loop road trip. It was so much fun. It was also one of my first jobs as a full-time travel blogger, so it meant so much to me.  This ..read more

I never thought I’d say this, but I found a bird I hate.  It was a moody, beautiful day when we landed on Grímsey on our Iceland Circumnavigation expedition trip. A little island 40 kilometers north of Iceland, the only part of Iceland that sits within the Arctic Circle at 66° North. The rest of Iceland sits just below the Arctic Circle.  This is probably the main draw card for those visiting Grímsey, but I’m just here for nature and the birds. I also love visiting off-the-beaten-path locations, and in a country as popular as Iceland, those can be hard to find. Rest assured, Gríms ..read more

I have this quirky thing about me that sometimes I intentionally don’t research too much into places I’m visiting for the first time. Sometimes, I’ll do light research or planning, but I love surprises. This started with my work in photography. I tried really hard to develop my eye and style of shooting. This led to me intentionally avoiding images of places I was visiting beforehand so as not to copy or become too honed in on getting that one shot. Weird, I know. But I’m a weird person. Go with it.  The pleasure of stumbling upon a magical place with little to no expectations is one of m ..read more