Anglo Adventure

Travel with a sense of humor

Tag Archives: denmark


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Travel Pictures: Put a Bird on It

You know what turns a boring, mediocre travel photo into something beautiful? A bird. It doesn’t even have to be a rare bird, a scrappy seagull or downtrodden pigeon can make your travel pictures stunning.

Below is a travel photo narrative of bird photo bombs.

Elsinore.
Denmark.
Denmark.
London.
Seattle
South Dakota, Badlands
In Quebec, near the river
B.C. Birds (Victoria)
Victoria, China Beach

Travel photography tips

My number one travel photography tip: the best photographs happen by mistake.

I learned this while walking through London in shoes that pinched my feet. The clouds parted and a rainbow arched over the city. Freakin’ magical. I turned all the way around on a crowded street, snapped off a few pictures of the rainbow.

The he man behind me asks, “Blimey, don’t they have rainbows where you’re from?” his lips curled in an I-Hate-Tourists sneer. He looked so mad, I feared he would reach out and smash my camera. I felt like the biggest rube. There I was in my holy jeans and stupid shoes with a giant camera strapped to my neck getting called out by a real Londoner.

But it was worth it because I got a bunch of really great photos of a rainbow over London, including the one above with the bird flying across the square. My point is this: take a lot of photos. Don’t live through the lens, be in the present moment, but be ready to snap away the moment a great scene reveals itself.

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The Future of Travel Writing

kobe beef sliders, restaurant review writing

Small bites for small travel writers

I am teaching a travel writing workshop to kids.

About three minutes in, I discovered I am woefully out-of-touch with young travellers.

I started the workshop with things to look for in a restaurant. Maybe it’s a Seattle thing, but these junior foodies were super smart, super opinionated, and super aware of allergies. I was underprepared for Seattle kids and thought they would be younger versions of me, pint-sized pizza enthusiasts who could easily digest cheese and bread.

They’re awesome, that’s for sure. Respectful, fun, and hilarious. But way different than me.

When I was a kid, when we ate out it was at McDonald’s or Beggar’s Pizza, a pizzeria in my old neighborhood. Sometimes my dad would bring me to real Mexican restaurants. By real I mean, the menu included brains and tongue. Not in the same taco because then one might as well just put a cow’s head into a tortilla and call it a day.

I wasn’t really concerned with authenticity or local food or even bad service. Just as long as I didn’t have to eat brains. Continue reading →


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Final Word: Copenhagen Travel Guide Review

As a sometimes writer of travel guides, I am obsessed with them. If you read  and travel enough, you’ll notice subtle differences between the main brands. And there’s a new kid in town, coming all the way from Denmark. We’ll get to that in a sec.

Here’s a quick debriefing of the ones you already know.

Fodor’s appeals to upper-middle-class wanderers who have money to burn and high-end tastes. Although I am biased Fodor’s is my favorite as they only hire local writers. And the books completely revolutionized the travel industry.

To quote father Fodor:

“Rome contains not only magnificent monuments, but also Italians.”

Frommer’s is for middle of the road wanderers who want to be cutting-edge, but don’t have fancy-pants places in their budget.

Lonely Planet is for those kids who want to see Germany but “can’t afford” anything but a hostel. Broke travellers fascinate me. In my early twenties, I barely had the funds for my  $600 a month rent. Let alone plane fare to an exotic destination. It was all spaghetti O’s and frozen burritos. I couldn’t imagine spending a month in Spain on my catalog-writer’s salary.

That’s just me though. I think I should have been more daring with my $12 an hour. (Forget eating! I am going to France).

When asked to review this new guide to Copenhagen from noma (best restaurant in the world) and momondo, a travel search engine and guide book generator, I said yes. Absolutely. Bring it.

At First Look:

It’s a small, attractive guide that will easily fit into your purse or man bag (psst: everyone carries one there). With it’s chic black cover, it looks like it was designed by Michael Kors. It’s modern, beautiful, and has a classic ribbon bookmark built right in and a nice pull out map right in the back. If I judged books by their covers, I would highly recommend this guide. Continue reading →


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14 steps to being a complete asshole abroad

Castle in Helsinger, Denmark

There are two types of travel-abroad assholes: The ones who tell everyone they’re American and are disappointed when things aren’t like the good ol’ USA. Or the ones who think they belong “somewhere else” and are eager to enlighten everyone “back home” with their tales. Even though no one really gives a fuck and it’s like hearing the same story over and over again. The macaroons! The narrow streets! The lighted outdoor terraces!

Travel abroad tips:

travel abroad tips

This says slut. In Danish, it's apparently relevant to hopscotch.

1. Wear white socks, dad jeans, and bright blue running shoes.

2. Or buy a scarf and skinny jeans to blend in with the locals. Hint: it won’t happen. Your American hips look stupid in straight-legged Euro pants.

3. Develop an accent and use slang you read about on the interwebs. Correct everyone from “back home” on their pronunciation. People love being corrected.

It’s Par-i, not Paris! 

4. Complain about everything. Complain about not getting the check right away. Complain about tiny rooms and tiny portion sizes. Complain about having to walk everywhere. Complain complain complain. Continue reading →