Episode 8: 'Best and Worst'

- What's your best packing tips and tricks for a trip around the world?

My top 5 would be:

- Leave extra space in your bag for two reasons: you will buy stuff, it's easier to pack a bag again and again with extra space.

- Buy small containers at for instance Muji (Åhlens) or Granit for shampoo, hair products, alco-gel etc.

- Spread everything evenly and pack flat. You fit much more in a bag if you only fold your clothes once and spread socks and underwear all over to fill little gaps. It looks horrible, but it works.

- I've got two Samsonite hardcase suitcases from MrJet - it was PERFECT! I used the cabin size for camera gear and electronic equipment and the large one for clothes and shoes. Since I didn't do a normal back backer trip it was the ultimate packing on wheels.

- Have a warm sweater, soft knee-high socks and a large scarf handy for the flights. It's air-con and cold and easy to forget when it's 35 degrees outside.

Episode 7: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

- What country/city would you not travel to again? Why not?

It might take a while until I return to India. I'll probably forget about it after a while and go back eventually, but right now I feel sick just thinking of the word 'Dharamsala'...even if it was worth it. McLeod Ganj & Dharamsala: Click here

Episode 6: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

- What country/city would you travel to again? Why?

Definately Kauai. I went there for the third time in my life, and I still love it more than any other place in the world. Kauai is often called 'The Garden Island' since it's raining so much there, which makes it very lush and green. It's less touristy than the other Hawaiian islands (at least on the north shore), and the vibe in the nature is mindblowing! Of course it's different now compared to 10 or 15 years ago. It's more celebryties and wealthy people having properties there, but it's still an allover easygoing feeling on the island; you can even camp outdoor safely, there are no poisonous animals in the djungle, and of course in wintertime: some of the best surf in the world...

Another little flashback from Kauai/Hawaii;

Episode 5: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

- Was it lonely to travel alone? Why/why not?

Not at all! The world is full of people, and traveling alone means you have to talk to them. It's a really positive experience. It's a few things to think about (especially if you're a girl) traveling alone though:

- Think about dressing according to the culture. In Hawaii I could walk around in bikinis, but in India I was covering my bum, shoulders and legs for instance.

- I never got drunk during this trip. Sure, when I was out with my Icelandic friends I could have been plastered if I wanted to, but apart from that it's not a good idea being a girl traveling alone and getting drunk. Doesn't look good in most countries I went to, and most of all - you need to be able to watch your back.

- When I'm out at night I don't make eye contact with men. I simply avoid to look them in the eye. This makes you almost invisible in a strange way. It's just unneccesary to get into interactions with weird people when you're alone.

- Of course avoid areas with little or no people at night. Take a cab instead or try to don't put yourself in such situations.

- Make a backup at a remote harddrive at home now an then. So if you loose your computer or external HD, you always have a copy of your pics at home (more packing/luggage tips coming up later).

- Just use common sense.

Episode 4: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

- Do you regret anything you did during the trip?

I don't regret anything I did, I only regret what I didn't do. The only reason why I didn't do these things was because of to little time/jetlag/exhaustion etc:

- Kareoke in Tokyo (the only night I had a chance to go with someone who was up for it I was so exhausted by the travel and jetlag that I couldn't move...have to go back!).

- The blue lagoon in Iceland (my Icelandic friends said it was a total tourist trap, but afterwards I regret it. Have to go back!).

- Hiking the Napali Coast in Kauai (because of the storm it was muddy and flooded and I didn't get around to do it this time. Have to go back! ).

Episode 3: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

- What surprised you most?

I was positively surprised of how friendly people were. I was warmly welcomed everywhere, people helped me out, let me stay at their place and so on. Without ever bothering me in any negative sense.

A good tip to remember though, if you sometimes "couchsurf" at peoples houses is:

- Always leave the place nicer than when you arrived
- Pay the bill of your host if you eat out
- Bring a small present, flowers, fruits or something sweet before you leave

Episode 2: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

Rule no 1: Never look into the kitchen where they make your food. This is were I had my last dinner before getting food poisoning. It was all tasty and lovely until the next morning.



- What was your lowest point during this trip?

It was for sure getting food poisoning in India. Since if I knew it beforehand - I've been pretty ill in Kerala before - I planned the trip putting India as one of my last destinations since I didn't want to risk getting sick in the beginning of the trip. Anyway, when I woke up in the tent on top of that mountain in Himalaya, not feeling too well, I knew I had to get down as soon as possible. My body wanted to turn itself inside out while hiking down with very few places to get off the track to...go to the toilet...then it was no fun. And being alone when I was having 40 degrees fever the following couple of days was the only time I wished that I wasn't alone. But hey, one week later I was fit for fight again, so it was totally worth it!

Episode 1: 'The Return of a Newly Born Travel Fanatic'

Q - What was the best experience during your trip?

A - I think the trip litterally 'peaked' when I reached the top of the Mt Dhauladhar behind McLeod Ganj in northern India. I don't know if it was because I had to make such an effort to reach the top of the mountain, or if it's just the last positive experience of the trip before I returned to Sweden - no matter what, it was truly magic!

My top 5 highlights would be:

1) Hiking Mt Dhauladhar (Dharamsala, India)
2) Catching a wave in Kauai (Hawaii, USA)
3) Beach weekend in Malibou with the Beastie Boys crew and hanging out in LA
4) The best-ever massage at the Esalen Institute (Big Sur, California, USA)
5) The Chedi Spa experience (Chiang Mai, Thailand)



Catching my first wave!

THE CONCLUSION

Dear friends,

I know you probably believe that I would never be back here by now. That I just ran off to the Swedish forest and would never touch a computer or anything starting with www again. But, don't despair - I will keep my promise and end this properly with the crème de la crème of the trip! I just had to catch my breath after the big return...

During the following days I will answer some questions that I've got during the trip (+ some questions I didn't get). Please let me know if you want to know anything else than this:

Questions

- What was the best experience during the trip?
- What was your lowest point?
- What surprised you most?
- Do you regret anything you did during the trip?
- Was it lonely to travel alone? Why/why not?
- What country/city would you travel to again? Why?
- What country/city would you not travel to again? Why not?

Best & Worst

- The 5 best packing tips and tricks for a trip around the world
- Best hotel/place to stay
- Worst hotel/place to stay
- Best airline/airport
- Worst airline/airport experience (Frankfurt airport!!! Sorry...couldn't wait to tell you...;)
- Best food
- Worst food

Tomorrow we'll start the incredibly exciting 'The Conclusion' Episode 1, which might even involve pictures and film clips...

;) Å

Airport mayhem

Yesterday I went to the airport to say goodbye to my dad who's going to the Galapagos Islands and Peru with National Geographic . What we didn't count on was that the taxi drivers made a protest and stopped all the traffic from getting to the airport. So my dad and his friend Cenneth Sparby had to get out of the car in order to make it to the flight. People got totally crazy since they had to catch their flights.