Why Walking is Important

Visiting a new place is scary, but here are some top tips to make the most of your travel experience.

That is what every trained media professional or influencer will tell you when trying to show you the beauty of a place through rose-coloured glasses, in which they show themselves on top of a mountain or walking through a bright, bustling market. The “but” obscures the actual process of arriving in a place and being faced with the fears and insecurities that come with being a foreigner, and the fact that you are usually being perceived by all those around you. Or that’s what my mind tricks me into thinking.

The truth is, people will look but won’t remember. The glance you think is judging you is extremely temporary before the person continues on with their day, since they are thinking of their own issues and tasks that need doing instead of considering your clothes, origin or when you last showered. It really is that simple.

Bergen

It rained.
It rained the whole time.
But the smell of rain made it worthwhile.
After possibly the most beautiful train ride in the world, I stepped off the train into the deluge outside, in search of my hotel.
In Bergen, Norway.
The city is located on the west coast of Norway’s Bergenshalvøyen peninsula and with it being surrounded by mountains it felt very much like another world compared to the fairly urban centre of Oslo I had just come from.