One of the coolest things about being a travel blogger is meeting the most interesting people. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t consider herself a people person. Hello, fellow introverts! Years ago, when a friend visited overseas, I booked a super cute Airbnb on Waiheke Island. New Zealand’s hot wine destination had been beckoning me for years. Afterwards, I stayed friends with the Airbnb owner, Tim. When he turned one of the oldest homes in Reefton into a Gold Rush-era-inspired getaway, you bet I was going to be the first one there.   Cozy getaway? Little fire? Historical ..read more

Sooooooo, about last night. Holy crap, guys! We just experienced the most incredible aurora display I’ve ever seen in New Zealand. Did you manage to take it in wherever you were in the world? Frost was already starting to settle on the cars parked along my street in Lake Hāwea last night when I bundled up to head out and look for the Southern Lights. It only gets this level of bone cold when the skies are perfectly clear around Central Otago. White walker weather that sometimes heralds a rare hoarfrost. Remember, we’re going into winter down here in New Zealand. I really struggled with summing ..read more

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