About - Take Me to Lapland

Not many people would have thought that I would end up travelling through Lapland and northern Norway. The girl from Brisbane by way of Texas dealing with the extreme cold? No way she’d survive.

I thought that too — after all, I was the one that would put on a jacket if the temperature dipped below 15º. That was before I was given the chance to head to Lapland for a few days prior to a business trip; it was then that I became fascinated with this place that was a polar (ha ha) opposite to most places I had ever visited.

Me with Liza Minelli the sled dog on my first trip to Lapland in 2012.

In those initial planning stages, I realised how little I knew about travelling in an area with a semi-permanent cold climate (I say semi- permanent because winter takes up over half the year in these locations — more than every other season combined).

Plus, there were plenty of other logistical concerns that dogged me on both my introductory trip and my extended trip the following year. How would I deal with exchanging money so I didn’t end up in a financial bind after crossing the border into a very small northern town? How would I ensure I was adequately insured for all of the adventurous activities I’d be taking on, especially given I broke my leg on my first trip?

I eventually found answers to these questions and many more, but researching all of these concerns (and planning my itinerary around Norway, Sweden, and Finland) took more than double the length of my actual trip (which was roughly one month long).

Since it took so much time — and so many resources — for me to plan my own trip, I wanted to make the information I had learned available to other travellers to speed up their planning process. Thus, the Guide to Lapland and Northern Norway in Winter was born.

The goal of this guide was both to answer those burning questions you may have about planning a trip to Lapland or northern Norway as well as inspiring those not already planning a trip to travel to this extraordinary destination. It provides travellers with the information they need to have a successful overall trip in a region that presents a number of logistical challenges due to the extremes it endures.

In writing the guide, I fell in love with the region all over again and became fascinated with the idea of returning in summer. After all, with flowing water and snow that just barely dotted the mountaintops — rather than a metres-thick coat across the entire region — it would seem like a completely different world.

It really was. During my seven weeks visiting as many corners of the region as I could, I saw many of the same places that I had on my original visit…but they were barely recognisable. The obvious landmarks — Santa’s village, the world sculpture at Nordkapp, the brilliant red cabins over the water of Lofoten’s fjords — were all in the right places, but the world around them was a new one.

From this extended Arctic trip — my fourth in the last three years, which isn’t a bad effort for someone that lives in Australia — I will be creating the Guide to Lapland and Northern Norway in Summer. Just as the original guide focused on seasonal information, this guide will ensure you know the information most relevant to the months of June-August, when Lapland has defrosted and is enjoying the never-ending sunlight of summer.

I created this website not only as a platform for these guides, but also as a place where I can complement the information provided in the guidebooks. The books are purposely general; they do not go into detail about specific places unless required by the topic (for instance, with activities like the Sampo Icebreaker that are only offered in one location). Here, I will endeavour to provide more of that specific information so, combined with the guidebook, you can find most of what you’ll need to visit the region.

Plus, Lapland and Northern Norway have both found their way under my skin; this region has affected me more than any other place I’ve ever visited in my life. Its purity and closeness to nature makes me feel like I have found my paradise, and even when I’m rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off, I feel relaxed and happy there. If I can share that joy with even one other person — especially if they may not have considered travelling there otherwise — then my job is done.

Outside of my ongoing Lapland obsession, I am a professional landscape and travel photographer and an experienced travel blogger. As you might expect from a landscape photographer, I’m inspired by the epic landscapes of the world, and whenever I possibly can (and whenever I can get enough leave), I can be found heading for the mountains. And, if it’s an hour you consider to be ungodly, I can probably be found with a headlamp trying to capture a colourful sunrise over the ocean or the Milky Way shining high in the sky above craggy mountain peaks.

In between photo shoots, I can often be found hiking in the backcountry or throwing myself out of perfectly good airplanes. Since I’m one of the clumsiest people you’ll ever meet, those adventures sometimes go very, very awry. For instance, as noted above, I broke my leg on my first Lapland trip while chasing a bus. Not many people would go back after that, but I did. When I do live to tell the tale of my ‘adventure travels for the uncoordinated,’ it’s on A Pair of Boots and a Backpack.

I am available to work on assignment for commercial clients, especially those looking for editorial or advertorial images. I have shot on assignment for a number of companies and tourism bodies (particularly in the Nordic countries), including Tourism Media, Finnair, Europcar Suomi, Visit Norway, and Visit Finland. I am very open to returning to the region, so if you’d like to work together, please contact me here.

I love to hear from readers, and I am happy to get in touch either via email or through any of the major social media networks. My profiles on these networks can be found at the bottom of this page.