Please be seated – Are you ready for Takeoff?
I fly too much, I’m a wanderlust/can’t stand still/my feet are burning -type of person.
Controversially, I love moving slowly, with my own two feet,
unbeaten paths,
by roads,
especially railroads,
sometimes sailing.
I’m a globetrotting photographer and a writer, a remote entrepreneur
constantly on the move.
I travel for work and fun.
I travel for any reason and for no reason at all.
Slow travel
My trips often last for months, or even years.
Take it easy, take it slow, that’s the theme here.
– Constant traveling, but giving time to get familiar with places.
That is what a digital nomad life is all about.
I was born and raised in Tampere, Finland, and am currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
With experience in 86 countries (and counting), I’ve got plenty of stories to tell and information to share.
Where I’ve been
I spent a year in Cali just like, uh, 30 years ago and got – if not a stairway to heaven – at least a whole lotta love and support from my American friends to become the person I am today.
So it’s about time to give you back by sharing some information from “the old continent”.
You can catch me (if you can) by dropping a comment on any of my posts.
Please tell me how I could help you and what are the topics you would like me to write about.
I’ve also spent a lot of time in Asia; winters in Bali, anytime in Japan, my eternal love.
– Japan & Italy are my all-time favorites and will surely be my main destinations on this blog.
And yes, those 86 countries of course include OZ, NZ, and plenty of countries from Africa to the Middle East.
Haven’t been to Antarctica, though. Yet.
But Europe will be my forever home, and I want to help you to discover its best-kept secrets and to understand the different cultures and diversity of this wonderful continent.
Themes
There will be a lot of wining and dining, lesser-known destinations, and also hiking and sipping in thermal baths.
Both Italy and Japan are just perfect places for all my hobbies, as well as very picturesque to suit my job.
Most of my posts are currently written in my native Finnish, but there will be more in English.
Check the English posts category for the currently existing ones.
How did I get here?
I have a rebel mind and a gypsy heart.
I love discovering the places I have never even heard of before.
When I take off I might know the next destination I’ll be landing in,
but where I’ll end up,
that I do not know,
the adventures I’ll meet,
oftentimes not even the final destination.
I left on a 6-month journey with my hubby, Ismo, who also writes here, and we ended up traveling and living abroad for eight years in a row.
After all, slow travel is the theme here.
Where on Earth am I and how (the heck) did I get here are my frequent wonders in life.
But I’ll tell you how I got there, maybe making your path a bit smoother.
After all, not all those who wander are lost.
I might be Finnish, but I am not yet finished, so keep following my posts!
Please be seated for takeoff,
let’s go!
About the Authors
The blog is written by Tanja Mikkola, a photographer with travel and work experience in 86 countries.
Tanja graduated in advertising, portrait, and editorial photography and has worked as a communications entrepreneur since January 2000.
She is also a WSET Level 2 wine professional and has previously run an import business.
After years of nomadic living and residing abroad, Tanja returned to her hometown of Tampere in autumn 2024.
Current location: Tampere
Previous home: Belgrade 2017–2024
The second writer on the blog is Tanja’s life partner, journalist Ismo Lehtonen, who has traveled to 65 countries.
Ismo studied Cultural History at the University of Turku (BA) and has worked in journalism as well as a film critic, and as a duty officer and refugee aid worker at a Finnish Red Cross reception center.
His background in food and drink travel is supported by previous co-ownership and work at a bar in Turku.
Current location: Tampere
Previous home: Belgrade 2017–2023
For collaborations -> See our media kit
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