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Out of the 198 countries in the world, I have visited almost half alone. No surprise, really, even when contemplating about future trips with very enthusiastic potential travel companions. There will however inevitably be a moment when our exact destination becomes an issue. Countries such as Somalia, Yemen and Syria typically lead to a very specific reaction. It boosts creativity better than anything else I have seen and results in an immediate abundance of excuses. A very rare house plant will suddenly need being tended to, an until now unknown girlfriend will of course need company when having her boob job done or it is utterly impossible to watch Donald J. Trump’s next disgraceful move from anywhere but the good old armchair at home. I can take a hint. There are also many “normal” countries I have travelled to on my own. But that doesn’t mean that I feel lonely, don’t find company or miss out on the best parties or experiences. Rather the contrary. To travel alone is valuable in its own right, in my opinion. To venture exactly wherever I want at any given time, without having to spend time on convincing someone else that it is a great idea, being forced to compromise or risk having to go to the opera the next day as compensation in order to get him or her join you on your little quest of the day. But sometimes, or rather quite often, it is lovely to share experiences on the road with someone. The question is only how to do that without risking the above dilemma. Below you will find a few tested and proven ideas to get in touch with people while travelling. They even work for shy people. I used to belong to that category, but travelling opened my mind in more ways than one. To travel is to look in the mirror and through binoculars and a magnifying glass – all at once and all contributing to your ever increasing smile. To travel is the only thing that really augments your reality. There is only one general rule that applies to all situations that may occur by following any of the 13 tips below; Smile a lot and leave any arrogance at home. 1. Just ask To ask for a recommendation, whether someone simply wants to hang out or how to best get to A, B or G is the most obvious recommendation I can give. But it still used by far too few. Due to shyness, lack of initiative or a fear of rejection due to language barriers or cultural differences. So, how can this be overcome? One of the most legitimate things to ask about is the time. Just hide your watch before you do it, and you have an instant icebreaker. The moment you have established a conversation, it is a million times easier to continue it. This trick will even work across the road from Big Ben in London. You just have to tailor the question a little: “Are you sure that clock is right?” To question the accuracy of the pride of Britain might offend the average Brit, but you get the point. 2. Don’t read a guidebook in public Seriously, it is hard to offend people abroad more than by having your nose deep down in a guidebook about the country you are actually in. “Why the hell do you not rather ask me? I am from around here, and I know a hell of a lot better what you should do than Lonely Planet!” a guy in China once told me. This was back in my guidebook reading days. They have long gone. He certainly had a very good point. Then again, he might not have gotten in touch had I not read that guidebook in the first place. 3. Use a professional camera or a microphone I have made some travel reports for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation from around the world. The moment I start asking people questions using a professional(ly looking) micropohone, heads start to turn. And you will almost always be approached by curious bystanders when the interview is finished. “What are you making? Where are you from? When will it be on radio/TV?” 4. Leave your passport visible Everyone might see that you are foreign based on your skin colour, hair style or attire, but there is always something special about seeing someone’s passport. Which exciting stamps or visas await? And you will even find out what the person is called and when he or she was born. “May I have a look in your passport?” will potentially start an interesting and inspiring conversation. 5. Go jogging It is easy to forget to keep in shape while on holiday. It is, after all, a little bit of hassle – and it may be much more tempting to read a book in the hammock or to ponder over the ingredients in all the different cocktails in the pool bar. But a little run of 15, 30 or 60 minutes is unlikely to kill you. And better yet, it is a great way to meet people. Just smile and greet the people you run past. Chances are that you will end up talking to them. And voila, you have company. The benefit may not be immediate, though. I once went for a run in the Marshall Islands. I was clearly not a local, everyone knows of everyone in Majuro anyway, and I got a few smiles and greetings during my 10K on the roads. My run still didn’t make me any friends until two days later. “So, you are the running man. What the hell are you doing here?” a guy asked me. We still keep in touch. 6. Eat at the bar Not much is more sad than sitting alone eating at a table in a restaurant. Additionally, by doing so, you signal that you would like the status quo to remain; Leave me alone. I mean, who walks over to a lone person sat at a table enjoying a seven course meal for a chat? The trick is simple, rather eat in the bar. At least you can comverse with the bartender, but chances are much higher that you get talking to someone else doing the same as you, or for someone to take the stool next to yours. 7. Meet people online There are some amazing websites such as Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club where you can actually find someone who will put you up for the night for free. People may have a spare couch or even an extra bedroom. Many people prefer to stay in hotels or hostels in order not to “intrude” or for an increased feeling of independence, but who said that you cannot meet people on such websites just for a coffee or for advice on what to do and what not to do? 8. Join a guided tour I cannot believe that I say this. I thoroughly hate guided tours. But to be fair, it makes it much easier to get in touch with other people. The people you meet will rarely be locals, but fellow travellers can be great fun too. And chances are then that you can share travel experiences, contribute with mutual inspiration and exchange travel tips. The exception may be if everyone else on the tour are couples. Many couples tend to prefer their own company, and no one elses. I usually don’t understand why they travel in the first place. 9. Use Tinder 10. Take a course Wine tasting, surfing, cooking or Japanese. Just learn something. You are virtually guaranteed to meet someone who shares at least one interest with you. One-on-one classes are rare, and even then there is a teacher. 11. Use local transport How can you not get in touch with people that surround you like sardines? There will often be a language barrier, but there is nothing bad about sign language, reviving your drawing skills in yout notebook or finding a translator on the bus or in the shared taxi. He or she will often turn out to be the youngest person there, perhaps the only one ever having attended school, let alone being taught English, Spanish or French there. 12. Get tipsy Or at least go to a place where other people are working on getting drunk. Two glasses of bubbles or a bottle of rum cures even the most serious instances of shyness. 13. Buy food in the market Everyone loves food. And food, recipes and information about how or where the food or drink was made makes for great conversation material. There are rarely better places to meet people that share your interest in a food and spice market. Show interest in the produce being offered, and chances are that you will be invited to see a vineyard, pick your own cabbages or dine with a family outside of town. Happy travels. Just remember that life is too short not to travel in HD.

Norwegians are known for invading the UK. Or dying while trying. Four Norwegians took aim at visiting all 48 counties in 24 hours. The mission was completed Saturday August 20 at 17:24 London time after 23 hours and 34 minutes of non-stop action. The world record was coincidentally set 950 years after Norwegian King Harald Hardråde narrowly failed to defeat England in Battle of Stamford Bridge in East Riding of Yorkshire in 1066. – England recently said no to be part of the EU through Brexit, perhaps they have come to terms with joining Norway after all these years. We have now visited every county to invite you all, the four guys joked. Øystein Djupvik (42), Gunnar Garfors (41), Øystein Garfors (39) and Andreas Munkelien (41) even left a Norwegian flag in each county as a friendly gesture. They are not unknown to comprehensive travelling and borderline crazy world records, but this particular idea was born over a pint in Oslo. To most guys a traditional Saturday involves sleeping late, watching football and having some beers. Not so for the slightly restless Vikings. – We popped by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, City of London, Greater London, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, West Midlands, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. What have you done today? Øystein Garfors smiled. They started their not so gruesome pillage and plunder routine in Cumbria and finished in Cornwall. Most of the journey was undertaken in a supercharged Jaguar XE. – Of course we had to pick an English car, but to go all-in and rent a James Bond style Aston Martin was way out of budget. But never mind, oh, what a brilliant car this Jag was to drive, Øystein Djupvik laughed. The two Øysteins took turns driving the wild cat literally all over England. Djupvik single-handedly finished 20 energy drinks during the world-record. The Norwegians still had to leave the road for a bit. The extreme weather warning for South West England meant that the team had to change their plans last minute. An open rib had initially been booked to take the team across the Solent, but the waves were too big for them to safely follow Viking tradition, and they had to settle for a less spectacular crossing. They were saved by a high-speed ferry service that took them from Portsmouth to Isle of Wight and back. But the stressful moments are all now forgotten. – It’s celebration time in Cornwall! Although I fear that a bottle of bubbly will be all it takes to knock us out in Bude. It has been a rather long day, Gunnar Garfors said. And it wasn’t the first time we attempted to set or beat slightly restless world records. Øystein Djupvik and Gunnar Garfors already hold a couple of world records together. They visited 19 countries in 24 hours in 2014 before passing through 22 US states in 24 hours last year. But there is more. Brothers Øystein and Gunnar Garfors have been to all of Norway’s 19 counties in the same amount of time in 2014. Gunnar has also been to five continents in just one day, and is finally the youngest traveller to have been to all 198 countries in the world – while holding on to a full-time job. See photos from every county further down. Some of this travel madness has also made it into Gunnar Garfors’ book, “198: How I Ran Out of Countries“, reviewed by Tom Woods. Rating 9.5 out of 10. When I grow up I want to be Gunnar Garfors. The book’s casually written style, breaking up each country into bitesize chunks and grouping them by common theme under 21 umbrella chapters, lends itself well to the pick-up-and-put-down reader, which as a book about travel works extremely well. Reading 198 was not only an enjoyable experience, but it made travel blues seep from the pores of my skin. At times I wanted to be just like Gunnar, a man whose ambition and burning desire to visit every country on Earth was conveyed by his written word. This is a man who ‘gets’ travelling, looking past the two-week all-inclusive beach holidays and popular tourist attractions to try new things and meet people with different values, beliefs and behaviours, from all over everywhere. His analysis of ‘western arrogance’ is astute. Why stay in what we label safety zones, when there is a whole planet out there ready to explore? You may buy the book all over the world. There are 48 ceremonial counties in England. To find out how they managed to crisscross into all, check out their GPS tracked route in detail in this zoomable map. Now, photos. Finally.

Where are you from, exactly? Or your ancestors, rather. Most people will assume that they are practically 100% Norwegian, Rwandan or Czech. Likelihood is that you are wrong. As I just discovered. Travel portal Momondo recently launched their “DNA Journey“, where they challenge travellers to use scientific ways to discover their trur ancestry. That means taking a DNA test, simply spitting in a plastic tube and having the saliva analyzed. I agreed to go for it, assuming that I’d be pretty close to 100 % Norwegian, perhaps with a few percentages of European blood following pillage and plunder, rapes and kidnappings of a viking past I am likely to have. But what do you know. My ancestors seem to have been rather active in such despicable activities. It turns out that I am “only” 74 % Norwegian, or Scandinavian. That leaves a fair amount of “foreign” blood. 22 % of that turns out to be Irish, coincidentally where the Vikings spent a lot of their time, something which seems to support the viking theory. Add another 3 % of British blood, and the theory is only strenthened (they also spent considerable time in Britain). That leaves a mere percentage point, which seems to be split between the rather big area of “Western Europe” (so I might be a tiny bit Swiss, Dutch or even Italian or Spanish) and Russia which adds a tiny bit of Russian, Finnish or Lappish. My results, which are not necessarily 100 % accurate, can be seen in full on the Ancestry website. So I guess I am not quite the Norwegian that I thought I was. Or maybe that is exactly what I am. Hardly no one in the world is a hundre percent this or that. Racists ought to think twice before spreading their propaganda too loudly. Let’s Open Our World, as Momondo puts it. Do note that your DNA can be used for a lot more than determining where you are from. It can for instance be used to relatively accurately determine what diseases I am likely to get, and to even die from. That is info any life insurance company would pay a lot to get their hands on. Ancestry, the company Momondo has teamed up with, guarantees that the DNA will only be used for ancestry purposes. In terms and conditions we trust.

I am asked about my favourite country 10 to 20 times every week. And yet, I am unable to give a good answer. First of all, there are way too many indescribably amazing countries out there to pick only one. I could certainly mention top ten, but that would inevitably call for an 11th country, a 12th and so on. Most people who ask about my favourite country also do so for a very selfish reason; They want a recommendation. But how can I give a recommendation to a complete stranger in a semi-shabby bar, queing for a skewer on the street or in between goats, chickens and piglets on an overcrowded bus? To give a satisfying answer I need to know a little bit about the person. What are her interests, preferences and vices? What does she loathe? Is it furthermore a family trip, a girls weekend and are gourmet food or quality cocktails mandatory? The best travel recommendations are personalized. And to be fair, I hear from a lot of people who want a very individualized travel tip. Or ten. One gentleman from the US sent me a lengthy email asking, almost demaning, that I provide him with a complete itinerary, including every transport leg, hotel and sightseeing stop for the European holiday of himself and his wife. He offered no reward, for something that would take me hours or days to do properly. I replied that a very important, educational and fun part of travelling is planning, replanning and improvising before and during your own travels, and that leaving this to someone else will diminish your own experience on the road. I never heard from him again. He presumably paid top dollar to a travel agency to sort his trip out for him. What may be your favourite country will be someone else’s tourist hell. But easy is boring, and I will give it a try. Sort of. Below follows travel recommendations for three types of travellers. Whether you are a novice, well-travelled or a true globetrotter you ought to find something here. These are my top destination tips for 2016. The novice traveller You dream about exotic travel experiences, but still always end up in some all-inclusive resort or another. At least you do then know what to expect and what you’ll get. But you do still realize that it will be win-win for you to try somewhere new. This will either open your eyes and encourage you to try out new and exciting types of destinations in the year to come, or you will be able to confirm that Sunny Beach All-Inclusive Bar, Restaurant, Hotel & Bowling is your kind of place. 1. The Dominican Republic Her finner du massevis av resorthoteller og kritthvite strender, men det er så mye mer å se og oppleve om du gir eventyrlysten en sjanse og tar turen utenfor hotellområdet. Besøk asurblå kilder i og utenfor utrolige grotter, gå turer i regnskogen eller lær å surfe. Få for all del med deg hvordan de landsetter speedbåtene på stranda før det blir mørkt. Highlights Capital Santo Domingo with its colonial history. Ditch the pub. You want to party with the locals on the car wash slash liquer store on the outskirt of town. Open ’til late. Swim in the underground lagoons. The colour of the water is unreal. 2. Cape Verde Another hour by plane past the Canary Islands provides you with a much more exciting alternative. The country is a part of Africa, but do not let that scare you (Africa does unfortunately come across as scary to many westerners). Hotels, restaurants and beaches have the same standard as in Europe, but you won’t have to queue everywhere. And that annoying neighbour of yours is for sure not here. Do not forget to bring suncream. Highlights The seafood here is worth the ticket alone. Sao Vicente is the cultural capital of the country, but demands and additional plane or boat. To not dive or snorkle here is an insult to both water temperature and fish diversity. 3. Latvia The Baltics, including Latvia in the middle, is a very safe and easy start for those willing to give Eastern Europe a chance. The odds are, you will be back. Expect great restaurants, buildings with an exciting history and top nightlife options in capital Riga and beyond. Beaches and related activities can be found nearby in the spa town of Jurmala just outside the city and the centrally located airport. Just stay away from stag night and hen parties, unless those are your thing. Highlights: There are an ambundance of photo ops in the Old Town of Riga. You will rarely pay less for massages and spa treatments. The selection on offer in beach town Jurmala will blow you away. Pub crawl or bust. Here you order beer. The (well-travelled) traveller You have travelled a bit, books your own tickets and seek inspiration to adventures in places most of your countrymen still haven’t visited. You are still not keen on going to places your neighbours haven’t heard about. What would then be the point of travel bragging updates on Facebook? 1 Namibia Find the biggest sand dunes in the world in one of Africa’s most modern countries. Expect traditional BBQ parties at night in the desert. You will discover that sand is more interesting than you think. The country’s colonial past ensures that pretty much everything is well organized and in order, with a much better selection in the supermarket than you will find in i.e. Norway. It is usually cheaper and easier to travel here via South Africa, an incredibly diverse country. Did anyone say two birds with one stone? Highlights: Sand surfing in the desert is the shit. Snowboarding is so 2015. The seal coloni on Cape Cross. Just set aside time for a shower afterwards. 300,000 seals smell just as bad as you’d imagine. Capital Windhoek is like a Germany in miniature, in Africa. 2. South Korea This is a vastly underestimated destination for most westerners. Discover and explore one of the world’s new superpowers in cultural exports. Gigantic Seoul never stops and gives a new meaning to convenience. You should still set aside time to visit other parts of the country too. Highlights: A Korean BBQ will bring out your inner stoneman. Sit around the flames and barbeque your own food. The student neighbourhood of Hongdae has it all, and is yet constantly changing. Jeju Island is holiday paradise number one for Koreans. Activities on offer are plentiful. 3. Bolivia This country is surprisingly diverse and you cannot visit only the major cities La Paz and Santa Cruz. Small, remote villages and breathtakingly beautiful mountains just await exploration. The locals are proud and are usually happy to pose for a picture with you in their colurful national costumes. Highlights: Hike a mountain. This is the easiest country if you want to go higher than 600 meters. Order a llama steak. Explore the fascinating brick houses that virtually cover the hills of La Paz. The globetrotter The more challenges, the better. You have travelled a lot and are not scared of the unknown. Special destinations give you butterflies. You do not belong in this category if you have never been outside “the western world” or if you have never crossed an international land border with something but a plane outside Europe or North America. 1. São Tomé and Príncipe The hospitality experienced in this island nation off Africa’s West Coast is second to none. The little country will provide you with a diverse option of activities, despite a lack of tourists. Bring good shoes and your touch piece for augmented fish luck. Or visit unreal and virtually untouched beaches in this tropical paradise. Do not confine your movements to capital São Tomé with its colonial architecture and colourful residential shacks. Just go there by plane. I hitchhiked by cargo ship fromk Gabon. That set me back 40 hours. Highlights: Buy local chocolate. Experts claim it is best in the world. Visit the blow holes. Waves pressure water through tiny tunnels in the bedrock, creating a geysir effect on land. Order a beer in one of the few but cozy bars in the capital. If you demand an umbrella drink, try the Seychelles or venture to one of the very few resort hotels here. 2 Kyrgyzstan The -Stan countries totally deserves a much bigger audience, and Kyrgyzstan is my favourite and a great place to start. Snow covered peaks higher than 7000 meters combined with the world’s second biggest saline lake and very welcoming and hospitable people make this a winner. Do not chicken out when it comes to drinking. If you are offered vodka, drink it like a hero: Bottoms up. Or fifty fifty, as they say around here. Highlights: You have to go hiking in the mountains. Not necessarily to above 7000 meters, but you have to go hiking. Go swimming in Issyk-Kul lake. The Sonjet Union once tested nuclear weapons in the world’s 7th deepest lake with no rivers running from it. Issyk-Kul means warm lake. Order caviar and endulge. 3. Kiribati The country name is pronouced “Kiri-bass” and is one of the logistically most difficult countries to visit. But you are a globetrotter, right? Expect the prototype of a Pacific island. Minus the luxury. Most of the civilization is around South Tawara, the capital, but it is in the more remote islands that you will really understand what it is like to live on a Pacific island. Electricity is not necessarily in all locals’ vocabulary. Kiribati is one of the first countries that will “sink” in case of increased ocean levels. Highlights: You are committing crimes unless you snorkle or dive here. Stay on one of the smaller islands. Go fishing. Do note that I am based well within the physical and cultural borders of western society, and that this inevitably has affected my recommendations. (I first recommended these destinations in Norwegian daily Dagbladet in January 2016.)

What is the best airport to live nearby if you want to use a hub strategy to travel as many countries as possible? In other words, from which airport can you fly to most countries by scheduled passenger aircraft? It may not be the one that you think. The airports themselves are not a good source, as they typically count countries in imaginative ways. Hong Kong and Macau are typically counted separately (not as part of China) whereas Gibraltar suddenly counts as an own country. But there are only 198 countries in the world, and six of them do not have an airport. There is no doubt about the winner. Ataturk, Istanbul’s main airport, has a very strategic position close to three countinents and is the hub of Turkish Airlines which flies to more countries than any other airline (112). There are in fact only three countries that you can travel to from the airport that are not served by the Turkish flag carrier. IST will, in other words, take you to 115 countries. Number two on the list is unlikely to catch up anytime soon. You can fly to 105 countries from Charles de Gaulle just north of Paris in France. Two airports tie for number three, with 98 countries served by each. Frankfurt Airport in Germany and Dubai International Airport in UAE share the second spot while Amsterdam Schipol and London Heathrow trails badly with “only” 84 and  77 countries, respectively. World’s most international airports 1. Istanbul Ataturk IST 115 countries* 2. Paris Charles de Gaulle CDG 105 countries* 3. Dubai DXB 98 countries* 3. Frankfurt FRA 98 countries* 5. Amsterdam Airport Chipol AMS 83 countries* 6. London Heathrow LHR 77 countries* 115 countries means an impressive 58 percent of the 198 countries in the world (or 60 percent of the countries with an airport). Just be aware that coup attempts, whether real or staged ones, will take IST from the very top to the very bottom of this list. The airport was closed down during the failed coup attempt in July, 2016. The six airports combined will take you to 149 countries, or over 75 percent of the world’s countries. But why no US or American airports on the list? The 35 countries in North and South America are simply too far away from the rest of the world, and you will in most cases have to transit at least once before you reach your destination. The same is the case with major airports in Northern Asia. To be the most international airports do not necessarily make them the busiest. DXB is the world’s 3rd busiest one with 78 million passengers annualy, LHR is 6th with 76 million while CDG comes in 9th with close to 66 million travellers. IST and FRA are 11th and 12th, according to Wikipedia. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US tops that list by over 101 million passengers. These numbers do however include domestic passengers. If we take those away and only count international passengers, DXB is number one, followed by LHR, Hong Kong and CDG. World’s busiest airports, by international passengers 1. Dubai International Airport DXB 77,453,466 2. London Heathrow Airport LHR 69,816,491 3. Hong Kong International Airport HKG 68,139,897 4. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport CDG 60,369,798 5. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol AMS 58,245,545 7. Frankfurt Airport FRA 53,994,154 11. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport IST 42,302,859 Do note that I have not counted domestic flights from any of these airports. Doing so would add one more country to each of the four, but given that you are already in the country that didn’t seem fair. The numbers are furthermore based on my own counts from the Wikipedia pages on each airport. There may be the odd inaccuracies.

I recently visited Greenland, the world’s largest island, and had a smashing great time! It is quite hard not to. But it is not an independent country, at least not yet. That is set to change in 2-3 years, according to people I spoke with. If they are right, it will make Greenland country number 199, and set up the race rather nicely for number 200. Greenland is Danish, and formally governed by the Queen in Copenhagen, over 3500 kilometers from Nuuk. The four hour time difference is only one tiny reason why it would make sense for Greenland to become independent. And the parliament here has been given the power by Denmark to decide on its own future. And they are at it. A commission is being set up, as we speak, to write Greenland’s constitution. The next step, presumably in 2017 or 2018, will be to organize a referendum where the 56,000 people get to decide whether to go solo or not. The last referendum was held in 2008, and 75 percent voted for greater autonomy. That gave Greenlandic people the power to decide their own future, and the election in 2014 introduced some new politicians to parliament. Per Pilutaq Rosing-Petersen is from the Naleraq party, which got 11.6 percent of the votes at the election in November 2014 and is in opposition with 3 of 33 members of parliament. He is certain that Greenland’s time as an own country has come. – We have five times more sea than Iceland, and just look at their fishing industry, he says. The natural conclusion is that the vast amounts of seafood alone should do the trick. But there is more. There are huge amounts of minerals in Greenlandic mountains, such as uranium, diamonds, coal, crystals and gemstones to name a few. Additionally, tourism has just about started. The biggest drawback is the lack of flights. Now almost all planes come from Denmark, something that doesn’t make sense for an island that is located in North America. And international flights, except for short haul flights with propellor planes from Iqaluit in Canada and Reykjavik in Iceland, are serviced by large passenger jets that can only land in Kangerlussuaq, a village – or a settlement, rather – in the middle of nowhere. It almost feels like what I would expect a moon base to feel like. Preproduced concrete buildings everywhere, and very little in between. Including a lack of people. From Kangerlussuaq, small propellor planes or helicopters will take you to the capital Nuuk or a number of other towns, villages, settlements and airstrips around the island. Then again, there are plans for an improved situation, regardless of independence. The airport in Nuuk (GOH) will be expanded so that large aircraft can land. And leave. Direct flights from the US and other countries in Europe than Denmark may not be too far away. Greenland’s Danish connection also means more expensive food, drinks and goods than need be. To fly everything in from Denmark, one of the most expensive countries in the world, may not be the most clever of solutions. – I don’t think that Danish politicians in Copenhagen are very well suited to govern Greenland. Most of them haven’t even been here, let alone experienced the incredible nature, the beauty and the harsh, rough and unforgiving conditions. We often have four seasons in the same day, Per says. With big dreams for an independent future clearly visible in his vivid and enthusiastic eyes. And he might be on to something. Denmark hardly has four seasons in a decade. While the Greenlanders have inside information on how to live – and make a living – in these conditions, and how to compromise with nature, and when needed combat it. Per for President? Time will tell. Greenland is the least dense populated territory in the world. But given that 80 percent of it is covered by ice, the comparison isn’t all that accurate. There are only a few towns, villages and settlements were people actually live – on the 20 percent of the area that isn’t covered by ice. But wow, this is an incredible island! You should not be allowed to enter without a high quality DSLR camera and plenty of storage space. I am not Nostradamus, but I don’t have to be. I see a bright future for tourism in Greenland, the challenge will rather be to keep it at a sensible level and not to destroy the unique scenery and way of life that people are here to see in the first place.Just a little money saving tip for last. In the day of oversharing in social media, be sure to book a hotel or rent a flat with unlimited Wi-Fi included. You will otherwise have to pay 10-30USD per hour to get access from cafés and hotels, if they have internet available in the first place.

How many airports does your city have? Not as many as the top city on the list. Unless that, by coincicdence, is where you live. And even if you do, I bet you won’t guess how many airports it has. It does naturally depend on whether we are to believe sleazy marketing managers or not. Oslo, my hometown, will in that case have three airports, although the most remote one, Torp Sandefjord Airport (TRF), is 119 kilometers and almost 2 hours by bus from downtown Oslo. But it is in the former whaling capital in Norway where you might actually end up if you book a ticket to “Oslo” without checking your tickets carefully. But hey, let us for once buy into these marketing tricks and declare the world’s most plane friendly city. Oslo is one of 14 cities that have three airports with commercial flights, according to Wikipedia. Half of them are in the US. But three is nothing in this competition. Four cities – Stockholm, Boston, Melbourne and Paris – have four each. Then again, the fourth one in Paris is a whopping 166 kilometers by car away from the Eiffel Tower and is much better located for bubble lovers who fancy a trip to Champagne – where Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) is actually located. This also makes it the most remote airport in question. Not that it really matters, Los Angeles has five airports, none of which are more than 70 kilometers from the city. Which makes londoners laugh. They have six airports to chose from! You all know about Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW), and probably City (LCY), Stansted (STN) and Luton (LTN) too. Southend Airport (SEN) may be more unknown to most. Only two airlines have regular scheduled flights to and from the strip of tarmac in Rochford in Essex. But what do you know, London is also beaten. By a city it is very well connected to. New York City. Too right. New Yorkers can easily avoid John F. Kennedy (JFK), Newark (EWR) and LaGuardia (LGA). The selection of flights will be much more limited, but nevertheless. How about Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), Stewart International Airport (SWF), Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN) and Westchester County Airport (HPN)? That makes an impressive seven airports in total. And they all offer scheduled flights. I don’t even want to start counting private airfields and minor airports. And did you know that you can spell out entire sentences using only airport codes? The best airport in the world.

I am not hard to ask when it comes to travel and the location of event can be virtually anywhere. I often speak at travel or media conferences around the world, or take part in discussions. Examples include TEDx in Binghamton, New York, The Telegraph Travel Show in London and Radiodays Europe in Paris. More and more frequently I also give presentations to schools, colleges, universities, libraries, prisons and at corporate or cultural events. Some people even ask me to take them on a trip. They have no idea what they’re in for. Check my CV. Whatever your wish, feel free to get in touch with me directly to discuss possibilities or for a quote. You can alternatively enquire via Norwegian speaker management company Athenas. And needless to say, I am easily travelled. The location of your event doesn’t really matter. #speaker #event #GunnarGarfors #conference #guidedtour #happening #keynotespeaker #presentation

What do you mean you don’t have enough time or money to travel? No one ever does. Not enough. Luckily there are ways to virtually travel at the speed of light while waiting for the next real trip. Spell your name geographically. Yes, it is real simple. Decide on what kind of a geographical entity you want to use. Go for town, village, city, mountain, island or lake and pick one for consistency. Or mix randomly together. Find photos from places starting with the letters in your name, preferrably with yourself in it. These will effectively spell your name out. Put the photos together in a picture editor such as Photoshop, the free online editor Pixlr or simply publish them one after another on your favourite social network. Embed the name of each place on each photo to make it easier to read, or let people guess. To increase difficulty, spell out a random word or a sentence instead. May I suggest I-LOVE-YOU or DO-YOU-WANT-TO-MARRY-ME? I picked countries to spell my own name. You are out of luck if your name has an X in it. Unless you’re prepared to wait until Xinjang breaks free. That’s patience for you. I’d recommend picking cities instead. And for O, Q, W and Y there is only one country each. Oman, Qatar, Western Sahara and Yemen. Correct answer, my name spelled out by photos: Gambia Uzbekistan Nauru Norway Armenia Romania

I am often asked about how many other people that have visited every country. Nobody knows the exact answer, but TheBestTravelled.com website has a pretty good overview. Of course, the definition of having visited varies from traveller to traveller. TheBestTravelled.com has two definitions: a “minimal visit” and a “good visit”. A minimal visit means that you must stand with both feet on the ground in the country in questions, in an area outside an airport, train station or similar. A good visit means “experiencing at least one recognised highlight” of an area in the country. Their good visit definition is similar to my definition of having visited a country – I must have properly been in the country (outside an airport/train/train station), done something there and have a story to tell. TheBestTravelled.com has gathered a list of 96 people that claims to have visited every UN country, a total of 193 countries. (Whereas I count those 193 plus an additional 5, totalling at 198.) 23 of us are “verified” which means that we have proven that we have actually been to 20 randomly chosen countries. That means that the real number is probably somewhere between 23 and 96. But there is more to consider. South Sudan vecame independent in 2011 and is the newest UN country. 63 people of the 96 people have not listed their last country and the year of visit, or their year to visit the last country is before 2011. They may of course have visited South Sudan since, but this is not indicated and may lead to questions. Some are also rather old and may not have wanting to visit South Sudan, a country that has seen a lot of conflict since its independence. I have been contacted by two travellers who both aim to soon end up on TheBestTravelled.com list themselves. They claim that several people currently on the list are in fact missing several countries even when counting “minimal visits”. The reason is allegedly that they count airport transits, walking across the border from South Korea to North Korea inside a cabin in the DMZ or even plane refuelling stops (not actually leaving the aircraft) as country visits. Given the uncertainties mentioned above, the actual number may be closer to 23 than 96. Another country countring website, MostTraveledPeople.com, lists 42 individuals that are alleged to have visited the 193 UN countries. Only one of them does not appear on TheBestTravelled.com, they say it is because many of his “visits” have been in airports only. So still, judging by these two lists, there can be as many as 96 people that may have been to every UN country, although there is a lot of data missing on most of them. But who am I to judge? Out of those 96, the USA leads the way with 32 travellers. Germany is second with 11 travellers before – surprise, surprise – little Finland with 7. Sweden, another Nordic country is fourth with 6 globetrotters. I am the only Norwegian on it. TheBestTravelled.com isn’t only about the 193 UN countries, though. There is, according to TheBestTravelled, 1281 places that you can visit in the world. Number one on that list is Heinz Stücke from Germany. The 73 year old claims to have been to 1115 of them. Not bad! The founder of TheBestTravelled.com is Harry Mitsidis from Greece. He has been to all 193 UN countries and 1020 of the territories acknowledged by his own website. That makes him the 4th best travelled on his own list. The avid traveller started the website in 2011, after not finding any sites that could provide an answer to the question of how many people have visited every country. He hoped to inspire people to travel more and to give travellers a tool in order to easily compare their own travel experience to their peers. I have previously launched the country challenge – are you in? TheBestTravelled.com is a great site for you to help keep track of your travels.

The Middle East isn’t usually what comes to mind first when it comes to nightlife. For obvious reasons. But there is usually an exception that proves the rule. It is called Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. I decided to celebrate last New Year’s eve here. It was my second trip to the town, and I knew I would not be disappointed. My girlfriend and two friends, Øystein and Wanja, booked a table at the rooftop restaurant of Le Gray Hotel, boasting a gourmet restaurant overlooking both the coast and the famous Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque. We expected there to be fireworks at midnight, but there was hardly any. This was certainly compensated for, thanks to a number of people fireing their AK-47 machine guns into the air. The Kalashnikov produces a very distinct sound. Add tracer rounds, and it looks like fireworks. Sort of. We later ended up in Armenia Street, the number one spot for bars. The nightclubs are located in the marina or in Gemmayzeh Street. Throw in the great mountains, the ever changing landscape, the tempting coastline and the incredible food, and you will wonder why there are so few tourists here. I assume the reputation of the place has something to do with it. Car bombs, suicide bombers, Hezbollah and Israeli aggression aren’t usually associated with holiday hot spots, but Lebanon certainly should attract many more. There are world class vineyards here and ancient towns such as Byblos with ruins still standing and a romantic harbour. And do not let me forget about the food. They do for sure know their way around the kitchen in this Mediterranean country. You can feel the pride in many of the best restaurants, and the chefs often come into the dining room for a chat with the guests and to check that the waiters (called captains) have done justice to their dishes.The tastes of fresh vegetables and newly slaughtered and marinated birds, lamb tounges and frogs. The olive oil, the herbs, toum (an unbelievable garlic sauce), baba ganoush (roasted eggplant with garlic) and the super fresh and healthy tabbouleh (parsley, mint, onion and lemon). All the small dishes, the mezze, were invented here. And they haven’t forgotten their secrets. A good bet is letting the captain decide the menu. “Whatever you recommend, sir! And as many courses as you think I can eat,” we told him, and we were not disappointed. But we left very, very full. The amazing wine certainly contributed too. The super friendly people and the cool and often full bars just add to the attraction. Their hospitality is legendary, and local bar patrons are always curious about foreign visitors. Many of them are however genuinly surprised. “Why did you come here?” we were asked, repeatedly. They are very well aware of their country’s rough reputation abroad. But I never once felt unsafe, rather the contrary. And neither should you. That you stop to travel is precisely what fear loving terrorists want, and the risk is as low in Beirut as in New York, Paris or London. Despite of a violent past. First published in Mainichi, Japan.

All but four of the world’s 50 most dangerous cities are in North and South America, judging by homicides per capita. What does this say about the wild west? Too many guns, too much drugs, too many powerful gangs and too weak governments, perhaps? Your mother will probably still certainly be happy about you going on holiday to North America, and probably to South America too. But just ponder about visiting countries in Africa or the Middle East, and she is likely to go absolutely bonkers and threaten to remove you from her will. As if that would matter much, should the worst come to worst. Brazil is by far the worst, with almost half the cities on the list. But let’s look a little bit closer on the list published by Business Insider. Ten countries appear on it, 9 of which are in the Americas. The only other country present is South Africa with four cities. Do note that countries at war are not present, which explains the absence of i.e. Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. 1. Brazil: 21 cities 45.29 homices per 100,000 people, on average No surprise, perhaps. The economy is in shambles and the country has a long tradition for violent gangs and shady favelas. Many homicides are related to robberies, there are a lot of kidnappings and gangs and gang violence is widespread. It may be more surprising that killings by police officers are now the second cause of violent death in the country. It totally makes sense to award the country the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games. 2. Venezuela: 8 cities 64.08 homicides per 100,000 people, on average The economy is down the drains following low oil prices. Throw in its importance as a transit country for drug, and you sort of get the picture. Most homicides are caused by firearms, most victims are men and most die nearby their home – typically in the poor and rough favelas. 3. Mexico: 5 cities 51.74 homices per 100,000 people, on average This is one of the most important drug suppliers in the world, and even more so now when Mexican drug cartels have increased power over “colleagues” in South America. The government’s war on drugs has increased violence, and widespread corruption in police and local governments will see this continue for a long time. Of course, most of this is due to the huge and important market just north of its border. 4. USA: 4 cities 49.89 homicides per 100,000 people, on average You wouldn’t expect to see the US here, would you? Then again, this is the only country where the number of guns exceed the number of people. That may explain why two thirds of homicides here are coducted using a firearm. And the 320 million people here make it a major market for drugs from Mexico in the south. 5. South Africa: 4 cities 41.91 homicides per 100,000 people, on average The only country outside the Americas on this list. Poverty and unequality certainly contributes in the country where you are more likely to discuss which security company patrols your house than whoever provides your phone contract or your electricity. The normalisation of violence, among the world’s highest rape rates combined with a corrupt and ineffective judicial system doesn’t help much, either. 6. Colombia: 3 cities 55.91 homicides per 100,000, on average Drug production and trafficking is again often to blame. Add the long lasting civil war, kidnappings and corruption, and the picture turns rather nasty. 7. Honduras: 2 cities 92.27 homicides per 100,000 people, on average Its location is partly to blame, as with several of the other countries in Central America. It sits between the drug in South America and the buyers of it in the US. Neighbouring Guatemala and Mexico are also on this list, neither are exactly known to be peaceful havens. A lot of the violence is committed by the notorious gangs that operate here and that use violence to show off their power. 8. El Salvador 108.54 homicides per 100,000 people in the one city on the list Holding the dubious title as the most violent country in the western hemisphere says it all. 6,640 murders in 2015 is not much to brag about. And security forces are surprisingly involved in most human rights abuse complaints. 9. Guatemala 47.17 homicides per 100,000 people in the one city on the list Guatemala City is known for fierce criminal cartels with too much power. It doesn’t help that the country is in the middle of the drug supply route from South America to the US either. Add human and drug trafficking, and there is a lot of bad news. Unfortunately very few of murders, below 5%, end up in convictions. 10. Jamaica 41.14 homicides per 100,000 people in the one city on the list Kingston has “always” had a reputation for being rather rough. And, as usual, gangs and drugs are to blame. The figures.