MIDSUMMER VIDEO

10 benefits of traveling

Traveling is my favorite thing to do and I've been doing it ever since I can remember. My earliest memories are not from my home in Finland, they're spread out from all around the world. There are so many perks of traveling, and while some of you might already be able to relate to some of these things, i hope that by making this list I will be able to inspire others to travel more as well. Once the travel bug bites you, you will be consumed by wanderlust and you will always be longing for more adventures.

1. You are forced to step out of your comfort zone.
Getting out of your daily routine for a little while opens so many doors and you more often than not receive many different opportunities you wouldn't get in your home country. You will learn how spontaneity can lead to many wonderful things and learn to be more spontaneous back home as well. You get a chance to try and do things you never even thought about before, and the only thing you will regret is not trying them sooner. And if you've always been the type of person to stick to the things and places that are familiar to you, you will also learn to embrace change better in the future.

2. You learn new things.
Traveling expands your knowledge more than just sitting in school and listening to lectures. Getting immersed in different cultures around the world gives you an amazing opportunity to learn about other people's lifestyles, traditions, and mannerisms. Going to a different country where a language you want to learn is spoken natively and talking to locals is a more efficient way to actually learn to speak the language than learning to conjugate verbs in Spanish class. Not only will you be learning new things, you will be able to share your knowledge with other people as well. You will also realize how little you've known before. You will discover the beauty in learning, the kind of beauty you never experienced in math class.

3. You start to see the world differently.
After traveling around for a bit and experiencing different cultures and lifestyles, you start to realize how small your "huge" problems actually are in the world. You start thinking more broadly and seeing the world and your life in a whole new way, and you realize that a bad grade in school, a fight with a friend, or a breakup really aren't the end of the world. You become more open-minded and start to think more about other people, and you also learn how to see various situations from different people's perspectives.

4. You get to know yourself better.
Focusing on yourself and really discovering who you are is hard to do with your busy routine and lifestyle back home. When you get out of your regular environment, you get to express yourself in a whole new way without any pressure or expectations. You might realize what it is you actually love doing and what you want to do with your life in the future. When you travel you automatically learn new things about yourself without even trying, and you become stronger and more confident after the possible challenges you might face abroad. You also become more independent and the best version of yourself that you can be.

5. You make connections and meet people.
Even though everyone has been taught not to talk to strangers when they're young, that is exactly what you'll be forced to do when you travel. It is so much easier to start a conversation with the person sitting next to you on an airplane or bus in a different country than back home. Every person has their own story, and everyone is a stranger to you before you start getting to know them, even your best friends at home used to be strangers to you. You never know who you will meet and you might create lifelong friendships all around the world, which also has many benefits for someone who has been bitten by the travel bug.

6. You get to relax.
The stress and pressure you're faced with in your everyday life in your home country doesn't exist when you travel. You get to escape reality for a while, and even if you're just going on a business trip, getting out of your familiar surroundings makes you feel like you're on vacation and is an easy way to relieve stress.

7. You feel free.
If you've been feeling stuck with your life and feeling like your life has no direction, traveling is a great fix for that. Once you take that leap out of your comfort zone, you realize there is so much to see and do in the world and it really expands your perspective. Packing your bags and heading to a place you've never been to before gives you a sense of freedom that only comes from traveling. There is so much exploring and adventuring to do and you feel like you have no limits. You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want. You don't need to have a schedule or a plan, you get a chance to do pretty much whatever YOU feel like doing.

8. You learn to appreciate your home more.
Visiting countries that are less wealthy makes you appreciate the luxuries you take for granted back home like electricity and clean water. You start realizing the differences in your homeland compared to other countries, and usually they are the things that you never even thought about before. You realize how lucky you are to have the chance to see the world and still have a home to go back to. Even though the world is full of incredible places, you will find that the saying "there's no place like home" is true to some extent, especially that first night back in your own bed.

9. You make memories.
Whether you're traveling alone or with friends/family, when you travel you pay more attention to your surroundings than in the places you see everyday and you are more likely to take photos and do something besides watch tv at home. I'm pretty sure that if you asked people about their favorite memories, most of them are from different vacations and trips. You get to experience things that the people back home only dream about, and then you get the chance to inspire others to travel more with your stories.

10. You learn that money can buy happiness.
In most cases that isn't true, but traveling is the one thing you pay for that actually makes you richer. You get to experience and see so many amazing things you had only dreamed about after reading about them in school books. You will have so many stories to share with people and memories to look back on, and by the time you return home you will realize how much you have gained by taking the risk and getting that plane ticket. You will never regret traveling or spending money on it, and once you're home again you will quickly realize that you've already started saving up money for your next adventure.

my favorite places i've traveled to

I've been extremely lucky to have visited so many incredible places in my life, and even though I still have a long list of places I'd love to explore, I thought I'd share some of my favorite places I've been to so far. This is a very short list compared to all the beautiful places I've seen, but I have a few other blog posts planned where some of the places I didn't mention now will make an appearance. But here are 7 places I fell in love with:

1. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Obviously I had to mention my most recent home. I love how different parts of the city have a completely different vibe from one another and how social and friendly everyone is. I also love the busy big city life it has as well as all the beautiful beaches. A more in depth blog post of Sydney will definitely be coming up soon.

2. DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Dubai is such a beautiful place. There aren't that many cities where you can be completely consumed by the big city life and then being able to take a short drive to the middle of a desert. The breathtaking sunsets, tall buildings, and huge malls with aquariums and skiing slopes will leave you speechless. It's also a good place to try camel riding ;) haha.

3. HAWAII, USA

I'm pretty sure that out of all the places I've visited so far, Hawaii resembles paradise the most. In real life it looks exactly like all the photos you've seen of it, if not more beautiful. The turquoise water, the palm trees, the sunsets, and everything else there is very picturesque. Also the atmosphere there is so amazing, you won't be able to stop smiling for the entire time you're there.

4. LAKE COMO, ITALY

It had always been my dream to visit Italy and it was just as you'd imagine it; beautiful scenery, great food, great wine, and nice people. There are so many places in Italy I have yet to visit that I will definitely try to explore at some point in my life, but even after only seeing Lake Como and the small towns/villages in that area, I've already managed to fall in love with Italy.

5. CALIFORNIA, USA

A few years ago we went on a roadtrip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and the scenery was incredible and the sunsets would never disappoint you. The hastiness in the cities in California is pretty overwhelming but it's a place I think everyone should try to visit at least once to get a more realistic picture of it after seeing so many movies and tv shows that have been filmed there. Renting a car there is a must though, getting around otherwise is a challenge.

6. PARIS, FRANCE

There are so many famous tourist-y things to see and do in the city of love, and it's really fascinating to see the hundreds of beautiful photos you've seen of Paris come to life. I really liked the cafe scene there, ranging from small cute coffee shops to extremely fancy cafes where Audrey Hepburn used to hang out. People watching is also really fun in Paris, it's pretty astounding how many well-dressed people can fit into one city.

7. PHI PHI ISLAND, THAILAND

Such a beautiful place to relax for a few days, snorkel, or enjoy crazy beach parties with jump ropes set on fire. Phi Phi is also packed with travelers all year round so it's a good place to meet other like-minded people with the shared interest of seeing the world and trying new things. 

All of the photos above are my own.

GET READY...

As you all know, I've been living in Australia for the past few months. I was happier than I had been in a long time, and even though I promised and attempted blogging while I was there, I got sucked into all the new and exciting things happening in my life and got so caught up in living in the moment that I forgot this blog and social media existed (if you don't count the occasional photos on instagram to let my friends and family know I'm still alive on the other side of the world haha).
I'm currently back in Finland for a little bit taking care of stuff that's harder to take care of from Australia and of course visiting my friends and family who are here. I stopped in Thailand for a few days on my way back home to visit my dad and I also spent a few days there with 2 of my friends which was amazing. But on the flight from Bangkok to Helsinki some weird burst of inspiration hit me and I started writing down blog post ideas and I even finished writing a few posts into the notes on my phone. So this time there will be multiple blog posts coming in the very near future. I know I always say that whenever I get inspired and it never takes long for that inspiration to fade away, but this time I'm really passionate about the posts that WILL be published really, really soon. This platform has been extremely helpful for me in many ways and it makes me so happy that there are still so many of you visiting this page regularly even though I have been the worst blogger, vlogger, and photographer in the world. I've had so many personal things I've had to focus on recently but I feel like I have finally found a balance in my life which I am extremely happy about. The fact that I haven't had a proper plan for this website in a long time has started to make this small community we have here slowly fade away and I'm not okay with that. Everyone has always been extremely supportive here and I feel like we've been able to help out one another here every now and then even if it is on a comment section on a random blog post of me rambling. I have never had to filter myself here and I've been able to express myself in a way that feels comfortable for me, and I am so grateful that there are so many of you who are willing to listen and are genuinely interested in what I have to say.
For the past year or 2 I've been trying to step out of my comfort zone and try another way of expressing myself; videos. I have learned a lot and I still have a lot to learn, but during this summer I will try to find a balance with videography, blogging, and photography. The blog posts I have been planning are very travel related as most of my blog posts here, but the ones I have coming up will give me a chance to share my opinion and perspective on things and that is something I haven't done in a long time. Most of my recent blog posts have just been updates of what I've been doing so they've been more like journal entries for myself to look back on later, but now I want to make sure that what I write has an actual point behind it and can be more relatable for you all.

So as of tomorrow I'm starting a blog post series related to traveling, and the posts will be very regular (I already have one scheduled to be published tomorrow). I'm really excited for this and I hope you all will keep following along. Thank you for being so patient with me.

My Bondi Neighbourhood

There's no real point to this video, but my camera was gathering a nice layer of dust so I was carrying it around with me while wandering around Bondi so here's a little peek into what my neighbourhood here in Australia is like.