Inspiration

CRUSING KOH SAMUI

After a long period of wanting only to visit places I have never been to before, I have had an urge to visit destinations I have already visited again. It has been almost 10 years since paying a visit to Thailand and I had only been to Koh Samui once. So.. Tickets booked!

STAY HERE: SENSIMAR KOH SAMUI, MAE NAM

Located on the beach of Mae Nam only 3 km from the charming Fishermann’s Village and Bo Phut town. The rooms are minimalistic, clean, comfortable and all of them with sea view. Did I mention it is “Adults Only”.. yup! And that just means no kids, nothing else – lets make that clear. Stuff your holiday with daily happy hour by the pool bar, lots of activities in the gym with yoga and meditation sessions or enjoy the morning with a nordic walk. The place also offers weekly cooking classes, wine and excotic fruit tastings for the foodies, scooter rental and kayaking among a lot of other things as well. Of course you could also just grab your sun hat and chill in the bean bags on the beach or the terrace or have a long swim in the xx m. pool. That’s completely up to you.. you are on holiday.. aahh.

Try to get a room with your own private pool for early morning dips – it is so refreshing! Have a look here.
If you are not a hotel person there is plenty of beach bungalows and apartments to rent too. Completely up to you and your budget.

Sensimar Koh Samui, 44/134 Moo 1, Maenam Beach, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84330, Thailand (Book now).

WHAT TO SEE ON KOH SAMUI

There is plenty to see and do in Koh Samui, that is if you are not too busy having drinks in the pool bar or on the beach (that can be pretty exhausting actually).

Renting a scooter is a great way to see the island and try different beaches. But behold! The traffic is crazyyyyy so for gods sake wear a helmet! Also maybe wear something loose that has sleeves (like your boyfriend or your flings shirt) to protect yourself from the sun when driving around. It gives me nervous tractions around my eyes seeing people with skin as red as a baboons butt and still driving around with no coverage! It is not good for you human!

The cost of renting af small scooter to transport two normal european size humans is 250 baht a day. (Thais could probably fit 3-5 people on them but they have a different set of scooter skills). Gas can be purchased everywhere! Literaly. The cost is 40 Baht pr. liter-ish.

Rent a surfboard on Chaweng Beach

I must say Chaweng Beach is pretty heavily crowded and a bit too confusing for my taste, but the beach is wide and long and is a great place to rent a surf- or boogie board and jump in the waves for the morning or the afternoon.

Kayaing in Angthong Nationalpark

There are tons of operators doing this tour so make sure you go on a trip with a smaller rather than larger group. The national park is located just west of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan and the boat trip there is around 1,5-2 hours. At arrival you jump in the kayaks and explore. If you want to there is plenty of time to do some snorkelling as well.

Diving on Koh Tao

Koh Tao is very popular for its dive sites and is great for beginners to try diving or to take Open Water Certificates. The island can be reached by boat from the northern beaches of Koh Samui.

Party all night on Koh Phangan

Everybody has heard of the Full Moon Parties going on once a month in Koh Phangan Island. If you feel like freaking out dancing on the beach all nights with cold drinks it is just a short boat trip from Koh Samui and you can get tickets everywhere.

Visit Fishermanns Village

This little village in Bophut is very charming. It is also a little touristy so therefor also more pricey (compared to the local restaurants). Spend the afternoon on the beach and have some grilled corn with butter and salt or maybe half a pineapple. Head to Coco Tams for a sunset drink in the bean bags on the beach or sit on the swings in the bar (pssst… they also have a beer pong table. You can always come back after dinner).

Food- & Night Markets

These places are great for very cheap and very delicious food and drinks. You can get almost all sorts of food in these markets. Local thai food, dumplings, fruits and fruit shakes, cakes, donuts, spring rolls, noodle dishes you name it, they got it! A must try is banana pancakes with nutella for dessert and dried mango for second dessert (Yes, that is a thing). Mae Nam Night Marked is on thursdays, I think. Fishermann’s Village has night markets as well.

Big Budda

If you are feeling cultural swing by the Big Budda Temple to experience this beautiful statue and a stunning view of the island.

Lipa Noi Beach

Is located on the western side of Koh Samui and is easy accessible. The ocean here is crystal clear and the water is very calm making it a great place to get a break from touring the entire island on your scooter.

Waterfalls

There is quite a few waterfalls to visit on the island. On our way to Lipa Noi we went to Hin Lat Waterfall to hike and get some lunch. The hike up there is fairly long around 40 minutes and the path is quite narrow so make sure you are wearing suitable shoes and insect repellant. Try to get there before lunch to avoid the crowds.

HOW TO GET TO KOH SAMUI

There are loads and loads of planes going to Samui International Airport but I believe that europeans will most likely have to do a stopover in either Bangkok or Singapore. If you are lucky enough to be travelling around Asia there are almost endless ways for you to get there. Boat, plane, helicopter or on the back of a dragon (okay the last one is.. yeah forget it, you can’t do that.. yet!). Tickets vary in prices, but make sure to book them 3 month in advance especially if it is a typical holiday season. I like keeping an eye out on Momondo or use the an app called Hopper from where the app will alert you if prices on the planes on your watchlist is changing. That way you will know when is a good time to buy your tickets.

Read the post: “48 hours in Singapore”

Have a great trip! If you have any tips for Koh Samui or other places in Thailand – let me hear them!

April 9, 2017 0 comment

Inspiration Packing Travel

WHAT BEAUTY ITEMS TO PACK FOR YOUR HOLIDAY

While sun, beach, sand and sea are some of me favorite words put together in a sentence all of these things combined can tend to be a little rough on your skin and your hair. And as I am jumping on a plane to the Canary Island soon enough I needed to stock up on some of my favorite things to bring on my holiday and thought why not share it?

No. 1 – Face Scrub

A great way to rinse and cleanse your pores free of sweat, salt, sand and sunscreen from the day at the beach.

No. 2 – Wet Brush

You will probably get the hottest beach hair from avoiding to brush it to much but this brush is made for you to comb your wet hair without damaging it. I tried it once and haven’t had another brush since.

No. 3 – Towel

This beautiful hamam inspired towel will definitely be in my beach bag.

No. 4 – Facial Sunscreen

I always use a facial sunscreeen instead of regular sunscreen in my face as I tend to get really bad skin if I use the regular one. This one is really great and has a matte finish when applying it on your skin so it doesn’t make you look greasy.

No. 5 – Pumice

This volcanic rock is great to take with you to the shower to remove hard skin from your feet and make them silky again.

No. 6 – Shaving Oil

When on a holiday you might shave more than usual which make this clear oil without parabens very usuful (also when just at home). It makes your skin smooth and preventing redness and ingrown hair when shaving. It can be used on legs, bikini area and armpits.

No. 7 – Lip Protector

Really this one should be at the top of my list because this is a life saver. If I do not protect my lips with sunblock they will get swollen and sore. Aouch!

No. 8 – After Sun

Is it just me or is there nothing better than putting on a layer of after sun after a whole day at the beach? I am trying out this greek yoghurt after sun for face and body on my next trip.

No. 9 – Hairclips

Instead of using elastic bands in wet hair after swimming, I like using hair clips to prevent damaging my and and those nasty marks you get from having an elastic band in wet hair.

No. 10 – Body Scrub

Sunscreen is of course invenietible to protect your skin I sometimes find that my skin gets greasy and blemished. Because of the fact that sunscreen clocks your pores I use skin wash for both face and body and follow up with a gentle scrub. In my experience this helps bad skin and makes your tan stay on longer.

Shop the items

here // 2. here // 3. here // 4. here // 5.here // 6.here // 7. here // 8.here // 9. here // 10. here

Beach style on Pinterest? Take me there!

October 30, 2016 2 comments

Inspiration Oceania Solo Travel Travel

16 REASONS TO DO A SOLO TRAVEL

Have you ever wanted to take a trip but none of your friends or family could come along and then you did not go?

I think many people have tried this, myself included but I think it is a shame. I know that the decision or just the thought of going on a trip alone, can make your stomach flip. I know I had a lot of thoughts before going on my very first adventure which is why I am going to give you a bunch of very good reasons to jump right into it – because I can assure you it will be one of the best things you have ever done for yourself.

16 reasons to go:

1. You can always go home

If you decide to go and you don’t like this way of traveling, you book a flight home. That way you’ve tried it and can say it wasn’t for you. Just like trying new things to eat. You can’t say you don’t like it until you have tried it.

2. There is a chance that you might regret not doing to it

10, 20, 30 years from now there is a chance you might regret not going because you were too scared and honestly there is almost nothing worse than looking back and thinking that you should have done a certain thing. Just to realize it would have been so much easier to do it then, at the giving time rather than in your current situation.

3. You can do whatever you like

When traveling on your own it means you can be flexible in your travels and what you would like to do, without having to be considerate of someone else.

Read: The best places to visit in New Zealand

4. You will become more independent

You might consider yourself as an independent human being, but getting outside your comfort zone will really do you good.

5. You will get a nuanced perception of the world

And the people living here on this planet with you. Because, depending on the contries you are traveling in you will get to see the world from another perspective than just pretty pictures or the horror stories on TV.

6. You will learn not to take things for granted

And appreciate what you have. It is such a cliché but yet it couldn’t be more true.

7. You will reflect about you life at home

Sometimes you have to step outside of the bubble and see your life from the outside. Maybe there is somethings you would like to do differently? And maybe you will come closer to who you are as a person making you fit to make the right decisions for yourself.

8. You will meet many fascinating people

And so many different people from different parts of the world with different views on life. You will meet people that can push your limits and make you reflect about yourself and what kind of person you want to be.

9. You will get some new beautiful friendships

Great friendships arise from sharing spectacular or adventurous memories and you are more likely to developed really good relationships with new people when you are alone rather than in a small group or when traveling two people. You learn to put yourself out there and it is easier for others to take contact when you are not hanging out with your bestie.

Read: My trip down the east coast of Australia

10. You will learn to become more comfortable in your own company

I am a huge social person and would much rather hangout with others rather then just hanging out by myself. Usually I am good with just 3-4 hours to myself and then I need some company. But when you are traveling solo you will have to be able to relax in your own company.

11. You will get better at “everything will work out” without stressing.

Because I have realized that things actually do always work out and I mean ALWAYS. One way or another. Keep that in mind when traveling, when having a hard time at work or in your personal life. Things will work out, maybe not the way you thought but that is not nescessarily a bad thing.

12. A chance to improve your language skills.

What ever your mother tongue is, traveling is a chance to get to learn other languages spoken in the countries you are travelling in. This is never bad! Knowing languages is always an attractive skill especially on your resumé.

13. You will become very good at figuring out transportation, navigating airports, train stations, reading maps etc.

Making you your family and friends greatest asset when travelling with you. You have got things under control and know what to do.

14. Improve your barganing skill

In Denmark we don’t really bargain much, we just pay the set price especially for groceries and clothes. In many other contries bargaining is a huge part of everyday life, so when traveling you will get this under your skin and will learn the art of it, making you able to get taxi rides and food from the markets at better prices than other tourists.

15. You will do things you have never thought you would dare to do.

This is meant as a really positive thing. When traveling with people you know, there is a chance you will stay confined to the person you already are and are less likely to step aside of that. When traveling by yourself you say yes to more things because of other travellers asking you to come. This will create great memories and you will always have a story to tell.

16. You are going to have the best time of your life!

The very, very best time! Not all of the time of course, there will be days when you get bored in your own company or you miss your family and friends at home. But most of the time you will experience so many great things and you will look backat this time of your life forever thanking yourself for having the guts to do it.

Last a big thank you to the members of “Girl Vs Globe” facebook group for helping me get different views on good reasons to go than just my own. Check out the group here

Hungry for more? Check out the ultimate travel goals here!

September 27, 2016 0 comment

Inspiration Packing Travel

9 LONG HAUL PLANE ESSENTIALS

What should you bring when traveling on a long haul flight?

Actaully it isn’t that hard getting entertained or having a very comfy flight when travelling long haul any more. Most airlines have great in-flight entertainment making it very easy for you to pass time on your flight. Other than that some give you blankets, pillows, sleep mask, socks and other kinds of goods. My favorite among these is Emirates, their in flight is amazing, the screens are big and the seats are very nice. So! Here is a couple of things that I usually bring.

Sleepmask

I use these all the time, also when I am not on a plane, actually. So when the person sitting next to you on the plane is having the reading lamp on at 2 am, it doesn’t disturb your beauty sleep when these babies are kissing your eyelids. I think this one from Holistic Silk is super cute and are now officially on my christmas wishlist!

Flight socks

This is going to sound a little crazy and make you feel like a granny, but they are actually really good to wear on 6+ hour flights. They reduce risk of swelling and embolisms (DVT) in your legs by supporting the veins from the ankle to the tops of the calf. Still you should remember to stand up as much as you can during long flights and make calf exercises. I will leave out a photo, because lets face it, we all know what they look like and it ain’t pretty.

Wireless headphones

Do you know the feeling you get in or around your ears if you have had your headphones in your ears for too long? Well I do and I like bringing both in- and on ear headphones with me, to variate the pressure on my ears. These headphones are very very dreamy and danish designed by B&O. The wireless function is just awesome and they are very comfortable. I guess I can add one more thing to my christmas wishlist.

Neat-kit

There is just something about things in tiny bottles, don’t you think? Sometimes I want them more than the actual size ones, strange I know. Plenty of shops have a wide selection of everything you need for a little toiletry you can bring in your hand luggage. I usually bring a foldable toothbrush, tiny toothpaste, wetwipes, lip balm, face cream, perfume in miniatures, dry shampoo, hand lotion and elastic bands.

1. Deodorant (here) 2. Dryshampoo (here) 3. Facecreme (here) 4. Mini toothpaste (here) 5. Perfume (here) 6. Lipbalm (here)

Necksupport

I actually have a heard time figuring out how to use these things properly so they are comfy and so you can actually sleep, but this one from Tempur is made out of memory foam and that just makes everything so much better. Still I like using them like a pillow instead of around my neck.

Earplugs

I simply cannot live without earplugs! I love them so much that my family jokes about it, because I use them.. A LOT. So why should you bring them? Firstly because headphones can be hard to sleep with and second, sometimes you have a snorrer as your next door passenger and that can be one of the most annoying sounds.. yup! in the WORLD, making you regret not bringing some. I like these because they are soft but can still exclude a lot of noise. Usually you can ask the staff for a pair of earplugs on board too.

Saltwater eye drops

All the airconditioning on a plane can really dry your eyes out and make them sore. Carry on a couple of small disposable pipettes with saltwater and drip a few drops in your eyes et voila! Your eyes are back to normal.

Ipad or tablet

I really, really like books but having them on an iPad or tablet while traveling to just easier than carrying around the actual ones. Besides reading books on my iPad I have a little travel folder with different apps for reading magazines, doing puzzles or listening to audio books. Here is some of the apps I use:

Books & Audiobook: Mofibo

Magazines: Flipp

Games: Free puzzles, Yatzy & Uno

If you have any good advice or other good things to bring when flying – let me hear it!

September 22, 2016 2 comments

Inspiration Travel

9 FEMALE INSTAGRAMMERS YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T MISS

Inspiration comes from everywhere and sometimes especially from places you don’t expect. I guess a lot of you have more than one hobby or things that interest and inspire you. I like all sorts of things, travel (obviously), coffee, fashion, music, reading books, sports etc etc. So I find my inspiration in different places, niches and also social media. Instagram is one of my greatest sources of inspiration and below you will find some of the accounts that inspire me the most. Maybe some of them are one of your favorits too?

Bringing in the big guns

World of Wanderlust – @worldwanderlust
The first account I liked on Instagram and the reason I dared jumping in to the world of blogging. Brooke Saward is the woman behind and what I love so much about her account (and blog for that matter) is the combination of travel, food, style, business and cute pastel colours. Also I am very fascinated by her writing and all of her accomplishments.

Gypsea Lust – @gypsea_lust
This woman life seems to me like a complete fairytale and makes me wish I am right there in the pictures. Her name is Lauren and she is Australian and a photographer. And with almost 500K followers, you can se why. It is travel, its lifestyle and it has a hippie-hipster-relaxed, yet exclusive and luxurious feel to it (all in a good way) and I am absolutly loving every bit of it. It is casual, it is fun, it pretty!

Mikutas – @mikutas
A swedish fashion & travel blog, what can really go wrong? In Scandinavia the Swedes are know for their great designers and good sense of style. So besides having major hair envy and the fact that I am going to bring her photos to my hairdresser next time I am seeing her, I love her feed. It symmetrical and connected, like all of the photos was taken the exact same day in the exact same lighting. I find this very awesome and an ability I feel I am really struggling with.

Some other boss ladies

Girl Vs Globe – @girlvsglobe
Like many of these other ladies this woman is a boss lady when it comes to business. I have just read her e-book on blogging and I really like her way of writing, always with a fun twist to get a smile on your lips. Her instagram feed is very fun and refreshing with a lot of bright colors. You can find inspiration among topics like travel, food, fashion and nature.

Hillvees – @hilvees
There a lot of love and happiness that goes right into the romantic corner of my heart. Hildegunn is Norwegian – Hey hey! and in her feed you find great pictures of the Norwegian fiords, cozy camping pics but also beautiful pictures of Venice (amongst others), beaches and much more adventures. Recently she posted a picture with a text reminding us that even though everything might look perfect, we all have problems every now and then. And even if this might be something we all know, I find that it is good to sometimes be reminded. I am very much a fan!

Gilian Stevens –@gilianstevens
Lifestyle photographer and visual storyteller from Vancouver, Canada. Check out her account and you will find it is like opening a very good magazine with beautiful pictures of nature, interior, fashion with both a professional and personal touch. It is bright and simple and just very, very beautiful. And someday when I will be lucky enough to visit Vancouver, this will be my go to place for tips.

Keep an eye out for

Baby the Explorer – @babytheexplorer
This one just gives me a little smile on my face because it is clean and cute. It has mountains, beaches, pastel and delicate colors and great adventures. All the pictures are iPhone only and that’s pretty cool.

The petite dreamer – @thepetitedreamer
I rest my eyes and my mind when looking at the pictures on Sue’s account. There is lots of pictures with beautiful blue colors, beaches mixed in with buildings, houses and city all in a very good combination. I very much like the brightness and clarity of the pictures.

Imaginary Silhouettes – @imaginarysilhouettes
When I am in need of inspiration, minimalism and new angles away from where I usually find my inspiration, I can always find it here on this account. Besides a kickass name I think she has a natural creativity and sense of style that I am really trying to learn from and evolve around. It’s calm, clean and stylish. Also I have to mention she is my sister, so I am naturally proud of every thing she does.

Who is your favorite instagram accounts ? Let me hear it!

September 11, 2016 0 comment