Traveller of the Month: Laura from A Finn on the Loose
Welcome to Traveller of the Month! Each month I’m featuring a fellow world traveller to help build connections within the travel world, share some travel wisdom for when we can travel , and give a little love to a fellow travel blogger.
Without further ado, meet October’s Traveller of the Month: Laura from A Finn on the Loose!
And if you missed last month’s, check it out here!
Who are you, where are you from and where are you now?
I am Laura, a Finnish woman in my late 20s obsessed with many things, among them travel. I’m from Helsinki and currently back to living in my childhood home.
What’s your travel story? How did you get into travel and what kind of travel are you doing now?
My family was always the type to go for a summer holiday, ever since I was a mere baby, so I assume that was what initially lightened up the spark. In addition, I used to play this video game, Colin McRae Rally, with my father on the PlayStation when I was a young kid, and I absolutely fell in love with the virtual places the game took us to – especially Indonesia caught my attention in it. At the moment I’m focusing on doing short trips, mostly around Europe, while I cook up a plan that’s more long term.
When did you start your blog and what sort of stories do you share there?
I started in May of 2018 and predominantly share my own travel experiences, mostly the places I ate at and the things I did during my travels.
What do you do when you’re not travelling or writing about travel?
I alternate between working as a grocery store cashier and a freelance writer, or watch movies, go to the gym and cook.
What’s your earliest travel memory?
I was 4 years old and we were on my parents’ honeymoon to Rhodes with my dad’s parents, and I made friends with this Russian girl my age by the swimming pool. I may or may not have climbed on the balconies between our adjacent rooms
What is still on your travel bucket list? What have you recently checked off?
Recently I checked off Transylvania, more specifically Dracula’s Castle aka Bran Castle! But I have so many more things on my travel bucket list it’d take me a day to name them all. One of the longest lasting items on it, though, is the Maldives.
What destination totally surprised you? What destination totally let you down?
Dubrovnik surprised me by how quickly I fell in love with the place! Bali was absolutely not a total let down, but I was quite disappointed to realize just how exhausting that island can be.
What is the best accommodation you’ve ever stayed in? What’s the worst?
I really loved the AirBnb I stayed in during my stay in Bucharest. So cute and peaceful, and it was so much fun to get a whole place to myself for once. Worst would have to be the one in Hanoi where the ceiling right above the bed was leaking… On top of which I was scammed into paying twice the amount for that crap night!
Do you have any travel goals?
My ultimate goal would, of course, be to visit every country in the world. But I’ll settle for visiting all continents and checking out as much of my travel bucket list as possible, focusing first and foremost in the countries that interest me the most.
Do you have any goals for your travel blog?
I’d love to turn it into a source of actual income.
What experiences would you recommend people have in your home country?
Finland has a lot of natural beauty, and Lapland is of course where you should go in the winter time. But in the summer time, Tampere, Porvoo and Hanko are all great destinations. The best sights in Finland are all the lakes, forests, Northern Lights, and so on, plus the castles in Turku and Hämeenlinna for some history, as well as Suomenlinna in Helsinki for historical and cultural reasons! For food, check out all the savory and sweet stuff sold at the different markets.
How do you keep your wanderlust up when you’re stuck at home?
I usually start planning for my next trip as soon as I get home from a previous one!
What is the best weekend trip you’ve been on?
Probably either the cruise to Stockholm or the cruise to St. Petersburg, both of which I did last fall.
If you could go on a worldwide trip, visiting just one city on each continent, which cities would you pick? Why?
Oh boy, this is a tough one! In Europe, I’d visit Athens, because it’s one of the most important old cities in the world. In Middle East, I’d visit Jerusalem for much of the same reason. In Asia, I’d go to Krabi, because I’ve been dying to visit there for ages now. In Oceania, I’d go to Sydney, because once upon a time I really wanted to live there. In North America, I’d choose NYC, because it’s the most intriguing destination to me among all of the cities and states. In Central America and the Caribbean, I’d hit up the Bahamas, because of the swimming pigs and the turquoise waters. In South America, I’d probably check out Macchu Picchu, regardless of it counting as a city or not. And finally, in Africa I’d absolutely go on a safari at Okavango Delta.
Lastly, where can we find you online?
IG: instagram.com/afinnontheloose
Twitter: twitter.com/afinnontheloose
Pinterest: pinterest.com/afinnontheloose
Facebook: facebook.com/afinnontheloose91
Thank you for joining my Traveller of the Month series, Laura! Head on over to Laura’s blog to follow more of her adventures and stay tuned for November’s Traveller of the Month!
