After two visits and spending several weeks in Finland in winter, Laurence and I decided to write a guide to things to do in Finland during winter. Most people tend to avoid Northern Europe during the winter and head to sunnier and warmer destinations, but there are so many reasons to travel to Finland in winter. Yes, it is cold and there’s snow and the daylight hours get shorter, but there are also fewer tourists, surreal winter landscapes, and unique winter activities to be discovered throughout the country. You can go ice fishing, try dog sledding, take a traditional Finnish sauna, learn how to kicksled, drink cloudberry wine, sleep in an ice hotel, or go hunting for those mesmerizing Northern Lights. We’ll share our tips for visiting Finland in winter as well as share our top 23 winter activities in Finland to help you put together your own trip to this magical… Read the rest
Archives for March 2015
The African Tulip: Best Hotel in Arusha Tanzania?
The African Tulip hotel is a centrally located boutique hotel in Arusha Tanzania and is currently ranked on Tripadvisor as the number one hotel in the city. Arusha is a very common stop on most travelers’ itineraries in Tanzania as the city is a great jumping off spot to head to a variety of parks for those going on safari and is near both Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro for climbers. In fact, we ended up staying in Arusha three different times during our trip. The first time was unplanned and we ended up at The African Tulip after having to delay the start of our climb of Mount Kilimanjaro after I started feeling ill and running a fever. The hotel was highly recommended by our safari company Amani Afrika and we found out that over 50 safari companies trust their guests to this hotel. This hotel ended up being a perfect place… Read the rest
Best Travel Wraps & Shawls for Women
A travel wrap is one of the most versatile accessories you can pack. It can serve as a scarf, shawl, blanket, and shoulder cover-up, and most are lightweight enough to fold into a purse or backpack. We have been traveling with travel wraps for over a decade, and between us we own and have personally tested the majority of the wraps reviewed in this guide. Over the years, we have put together quite a collection of travel wraps in different materials, styles, and price points. We have worn them on long-haul flights, during chilly sunset photo sessions (Laurence can spend hours shooting at golden hour!), through air-conditioned museums, and into churches and mosques where covered shoulders are required. Some have held up beautifully; others have pilled, wrinkled, or proven too bulky to justify the luggage space. In this guide, we share what we have learned from all that real-world testing…. Read the rest