Three hours through winding roads between breathtaking mountains, and arrow straight pathways cutting across what can only be described as desert, you begin to pass places like Apache Trail, Cherokee Trail, Lost Horse Mine Road and Sunnyslope Drive. It makes you image a time gone by, when place names were a way of describing the actual location or the destination, not just a way to ensure your Amazon Fresh order gets to the right place.

I follow the sat nav on my phone, and it leads me up a sandy road called Uphill Road, a quick right onto Singletree Lane (I love these names) and I’m here, at my second AirBnb, a gorgeous little bungalow under a tree, complete with porch, hammocks, and BBQ.

Im not sure why Joshua tree jumped out as a destination to visit, I think subconsciously I had seen mouth watering sunset photos on my instagram, or maybe it was just that U2 concert (not), either way, I was here. It, was, hot! I mean hot hot. As i unpacked the car, I felt the silence. It had a similarity to Norway, the mountains, the landscape, and the utter lack of noise - but 35 degreed hotter. I took it in.

I immediately headed back out onto the sandy roads - pulled the heavy lever in the jeep and clunked it into 4WD. Making my way through the sweeping roads, towards Keys View the highest point in Joshua Tree and a view-point that provides a vista over Palm Springs, Salton Sea and on a very clear day, a mountain in Mexico.

I’d downloaded an app for my phone earlier that day called PhotoPills Its a cool photography app, with more features than I will ever use, but what it does have, is a geo located guide to sunrises, golden hours, and sunsets. Perfect for timing my Keys Views trip so I arrived just in time for the beautiful, breathtaking orange-red sunset.

That evening I headed to a local Mexican Restaurant called Las Palmas. As I stood at the bar reading the menu, wondering whether I should sit down or be seated, i looked around. . . no tourists in here that was for sure. One of the locals was headed my way in a tank top, was I going to get called out as an outsider?

“Love your ink bro”

Few minutes of tattoo talk ensued before he ordered his Pepsi refill and sat down. This was the first of only a handful of encounters with the locals, but each was a friendly and welcoming one, not once did I feel like I was a 'city slicker’ from out of town.

The following day I packed a few big bottles of water, some fruit, and some provisions I had bought before leaving Venice Beach. I headed out, trying to ‘star’ a few places on google maps, so I could plan my route.

Is was surprisingly easy to make my way through the national park, with roads, carparks, and restrooms at all the main ‘exhibits’. I was however, super grateful to my Jeep when Google Maps decided to take me off-road from time to time (what started out as wanting a cool car, was now a necessity).

Arch Rock, Skull Rock, Split Rock, the Cholla Cactus Garden. . . you get the picture here. But the landscape is so breathtaking that you never get bored. A couple of hours trek up Ryan Mountain was one of my favourite parts of the trip. The sun was beating down, but the views were well worth it from the peak.

One of the places that kept popping up during my many ‘oh you must try here’ conversations, was Pappy & Harriets in Pioneertown, a rustic, authentic wild west style live music venue. It’s famous for having world class artists turn up unannounced to perform, and also for being extremely busy. Another example of the friendly welcoming nature of the local inhabitants, although there was a queue, the front of house team were extremely welcoming and shuffled tables around to give me a space. I ordered far too much food (full rack of ribs plus extras), but was given friendly encouragement each time the waitress came around.

Thanks to my Photopills app I managed to finish my meal, and walk around Pioneertown (an old wild-west style village) just in time for yet another incredible photo-perfect sunset.

As I drove back to the Airbnb, through the inky night, I glanced up to see the brightest, fullest moon - here lay my one and only disappointment of Joshua Tree, or at least Joshua Tree whilst I was there, I didn’t get to see the stars in all their glory. I have heard the milky way is clearly visible on the darkest nights, and this will continue to be something I need to see. Maybe another excuse to come back again.

Following my 14 hour flight (with several stops) to Tokyo earlier in the year, this 10 hour direct flight was a walk in the park. Although I’ve never been able to sleep on a flight, I usually like to book the exit seat - life and death responsibility for extra leg room seems like a pretty fair trade, even if that means I have to sit through the same people going for bathroom breaks and doing yoga stretched the entire flight just feet away.

I won’t go into detail, but I got onto the wrong rental shuttle and ended up walking a few blocks to the Hertz rental place. I held my breath in anticipation until the guy behind the counter told me I’d managed to secure the Jeep Wrangler, in Black - success, the exact car I wanted.

I was on my way, to my first AirBnb, on my first visit to Venice Beach.

I pulled up to the ground floor studio, I’d messaged the owner Cy a few hours before and given him the heads up. This place was literally 100 yards from the sand of Venice Beach.

If you have every played GTA V on the Playstation, you’ll be familiar with the fictional state of San Andreas, with its piers, beaches, ferris wheel, and interesting locals. Based in Southern California, I always thought San Andreas was an exaggerated version of Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Los Angeles, but as I completed by morning jog up and down the beach at 7am, I began to realise it wasn’t that exaggerated after all. Ok, so I never felt like I was about to be arrested, I was never tempted to steal a car, and I didn’t feel like I would be run over, but the mix of characters was all too familiar. Whether it’s an elderly gentleman completing his early morning yoga routine on the beach, the kids playing basketball, the guy and girl rollerblading down the pier, or the dudes on the corners selling their latest mix tapes, it felt like the game had been brought to life, I was mesmerised.

As expected the beaches were pretty chilled, the whole area had that surf vibe about it, it was full of young, happy, groups and couples, it didn’t feel like a ‘party’ beach, but the legalisation of recreational cannabis was a clear plus for the area. I’ve never tried it myself, but here there were numerous coffee places you could pop into to try.

The Canals are a good way to get away from the beach but you still get the surf vibes, with boats, and kayaks tied up outside fantastic looking homes, overlooking beautiful canals and bridges.

A short walk up the beach and you find yourself at the famous Venice Beach Skate park, I’ve never skated, and these kids had obviously been brought up on it, I went here a few times, it was great for Instagram’able content, and it was mesmerising seeing how they surfed the smooth concrete curves of the skate park with magnetic accuracy. Get there for sunset for some truly unreal pictures.

I was only there for a few days, but managed to make the most of the food, its the US, the food is something else entirely. I discovered by new favourite breakfast hangout Eggslut, this place got pretty busy after 0930 so you have to get there early, but wow, I had something different each time i went, I recommend the Fairfax Sandwich - scrambled egg, in a brioche bun, with a coffee and OJ - wow.

Walk ten or fifteen minutes, or take ones of the crazy scooters that you see laid around the place (you need to download an app, and pay 15c per minute, but hold on tight, they are lethal), and you will reach Abbot Kinney, if you have ever been to Shoreditch in East London, you will feel right at home here. The street creeps up on you, one minute your in Venice Beach they next, you’re surrounded by cool coffee shops, healthy restaurants, rustic pizzerias, and rusty metal/ wood shop fronts, covering Rag & Bone, Warby Parker and Zadig & Voltaire. It’s a great place to spend an afternoon, and it became my go to place for lunch. Kreation is a healthy organic cafe , that do great breakfasts, and lunch, pus the service was incredible.

In the evening, I ventured to a yummy Chinese restaurant called Mao’s Kitchen, the wait time was a little crazy, but I’d been told it was well worth it, and yes it was, the portions… were out of this world, I had a full meal and still had enough to take away for a very unhealthy midnight meal later!

Gjelina in Abbot Kinney was a rustic pizza place, again, busy, you need to reserve ideally, but great service and even petter pizzas. There is something great about eating outside at night, surrounded by great people and good food, we don’t always get the opportunity in London.

For great coffee try Intelligentsia, especially the Macha Latte. I could have survived on that and the Macha Croissant, they were to die for. Perfect service, and a queue - the hallmark of the trip so far.

I hadn’t been on a beach holiday for so long, I needed this one, to get a little tan, and relax. If I’m honest the people were great, although the CD sellers could get a little much, The service (as always in the US) was great, and the food was delicious. But it seemed a little too surfer for me, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but, whilst I could certainly see myself hanging out here for a day or two, it wasn’t somewhere I could see myself living. But maybe nobody can.

2018 has been a year of packing, and un packing. On each trip I find something else that I can’t live without for the next one. Whether thats the latest issue of Wattswhat magazine or my new favourite luggage from Away. As I prepare to head to California, here are my top travel essentials . . . this time.

Listen

Although I have been through my fair share of Bose, Beats, and everything in between, these Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones have outlasted them all. The best sound quality I have experienced and with incredible sound cancelling. I opted for the wired version to keep the sound crisp, but this would be the only downside to the headphones - the wire tends to become faulty over time, and I’m required to buy a new one from Amazon (around £10). It’s easy to switch out and they are back to new in no time. I never go anywhere without music, and these are the best way for me to experience it when travelling.

Read

When I’m not listening to music when travelling (and sometimes when I am) I like to read a magazine. In a bid to avoid having to read the inflight magazine I like to take a few with me in my hand luggage. Im currently partial to Wattswhat magazine, a mens lifestyle magazine thats only downside is that its too easy to get through. On my trip to Tokyo I had read it cover to cover before I even boarded the plane! There is something about it that makes it so addictive, only on issue three its only going to get better.

Wear

Being an unapologetic sneaker head, it goes without saying that a comfy and cool pair of ‘crepes’ are on my must have travel essentials list. So here we are, the new Balenciaga Track sneakers. Ok, shameless plug over. Any comfy sneakers will do, I like to make sure I’m super relaxed on the plane, so its - sweat pants, t-shirt and sneakers for me every time. Oh and yeah, I’m one of those guys that takes his sneakers off during a long-haul flight - so a good pair of socks is essential too - preferably with no holes.

Keep

Continuing the Balenciaga theme, here is my latest addition to my travel pack. A killer leather passport holder. Any seasoned traveller needs to have one of these. No more fumbling around to try and find the photo page, and a good place to keep travel cards and tickets stored away. I couldn’t believe how tough it was to find a cool, good quality one, but its worth searching online to find the one for you.

Clip

This one was a gift from colleagues a few years back - a vintage money clip with my initials engraved. I love it, but, much like Queen Elizabeth II, I am rarely seen with cash, so it now mostly gets used when abroad and flashing the foreign currency. This, plus a nice leather cardholder is all I need in my back pocket. I’m not one for small change, so no need for a coin purse.

Carry

Last but by no means least - in fact possibly top (after passport). A good suitcase is one of my new favourite travel items. Away Travel are based in the US and I ordered this one online. Choosing the monogram service too (which added a week onto the delivery, but was totally worth it). They just opened a store on Earlham Street in London, so I would totally recommend these guys. Its lightweight, has an awesome space saver inside, and the customer service is impeccable. The Carry-on is more than enough for a weekend away, Im taking the Large with me to LA.

Virgin Atlantic, Direct, London to LAX, £250… done.

As with all my trips I wanted to experience as much as possible whilst in that general direction, so I decided to experience another ‘first’ for me - Airbnb. I’ve never used Airbnb, I usually just go for hotels and it seems that if travelling alone, its not exactly the cheap option, but I quite like the freedom of a ‘home from home’.

I’d heard that Venice Beach was pretty cool, chilled, on the beach, and some cool spots to hang out, eat, and take pictures. I hadn’t had a beach holiday for so long. Venice made the cut.

West Hollywood was next on the list - equipped with a Soho House, cool stores, coffee shops and restaurants. I wanted to avoid the typical ‘tourist’ spots of the walk of fame, but from what I had heard thats pretty easy to do. Plus I knew a few people in WeHo (West Hollywood). West Hollywood was added to the itinerary.

Now to take some time to relax. I had previously seen instagram pictures of Joshua Tree - out in the desert, about a three hour drive from Venice Beach. I assumed (correctly) it would be the 35 degree equivalent of my Norway trip from earlier in the year, quiet, with breathtaking views. That makes three.

Three airbnb bookings later I had my trip sorted, 4 days in Venice Beach, two days in Joshua Tree, and four days in West Hollywood. Plus a cool Jeep Wrangler from Hertz would be waiting for me at LAX.

Here we go again.

CUE THE SUNSET

I knew the story of Dave and Not For Sale, I read the book and had been in awe of Krunam and the team in Thailand from 5,500 miles away at AllSaints Studios in East London.

But having been here for just over three days, experiencing it, meeting the people behind the names, and pictures, I leave Chiang Rai with a new perspective entirely.

As I write this, I’m sat in the departures lounge of Chiang Rai International Airport.

I’d actually taken the opportunity to visit Japan a week ago, before catching a flight to Thailand to visit the children’s village and NFS Thailand project.

As I packed my suitcase this morning I thought back to the last time I did that leaving Tokyo on what was one of my favourite trips ever, I was on a high, overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness in Japan, the food, the shopping.

But it didn’t stay my favourite trip for long.

When I arrived at the hotel on the banks of the Mekong River, the sun was just about to set, I’d never seen a sunset like it, I didn’t realise it would go on to represent the end of a particular view of the world, in preparation for a new one.

THE 'S WORD'

I got to meet the legend that is Krunam, strong, kind, selfless, everything i thought she would be.  She had some food with us at the hotel as we planned out the next days activity.

We would start at the beginning, a trip to a drop in centre around 45 minutes away, there we would meet Shaphiel (a rescued street kid, turned hero, now fighting and caring for the next generation of kids in danger - you find this selflessness a lot here) and Oot a uni graduate, who interned and decided this is what he wants to do full time (you see what I mean about selfless).

They took us in to Myanmar (Burma), and I saw what is, I’m sure, a much safer, but still intense, trip through some of the areas they work each day, meeting inspirational examples of the NFS x Krunam model working.  

A Grandma - unable to cope following the drug related death of her daughter and son in law (you hear this a lot too), had 5 grandchildren to take care of, NFS saw these kids as high risk, and took 4 of them into the village, she hadn’t seen them in a year and a half, but you could tell she was happy they were doing well (there is that S word again - Selfless) - it turn out one is in boarding school already, and looking to follow in the footsteps of 3 other NFS Thailand university graduates!

The day was an eye opening look into what is happening at the front of the pipeline, its people like Shaphiel and Oot that have one of the toughest jobs, trying to educate the young kids they meet, about the dangers of drugs and the right paths to follow, whilst staying aware and poised to be able to pull out any kids they see as high risk.

THE OTHER 'S WORD'

Day two, still reeling from the sensory overload of Mayanmar, Shaphiel and Ood.  I looked forward to visiting the NFS village, where I would finally meet the 50 or so kids that we had talked about on allsaints.com so often.

As we took a sharp right off the main road down a dirt track, I felt a little nervous. I now realised I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

We approached the house, and little curious heads started popping up over walls and porches, Dave wound down the window and yelled ‘sah wah dee khrap’ they knew exactly who it was, as ‘phee Dave’ was yelled back and kids began popping up from everywhere.

I don’t think I have seen so many smiles (a new S word for day two) in one place, ages from around 4 to 13 the kids here have been rescued out of danger and brought to the village to be safe, educated, loved, and given an environment they can grow, and live a life free from exploitation.

Little cheeky guys began to point out my tattoos, and point to their muscles, girls went shy, others simply beamed when you smiled at them.

After lots, and I mean lots, of dancing and running around, the whole group performed a ceremony to show their appreciation to us and NFS, it was obvious they knew exactly who NFS were, and they all delicately poured perfumed water and petals onto our hands and giggled with excitement when you splashed them with it. Groups of girls then went around and delicately placed some of the remaining petals in their hair (cute right?).

Krunam and the team had arranged a trip to a hot spring, so everyone piled into the back of three trucks, one two with a roof, one without. I wanted to throw myself head first into the experience, ‘why wouldn't you ride in the back of an open van with eight 5-9 year olds?’ (I mistakenly thought).

The convoy set off on its two hour journey, with Dave trailing the van I was in, every now and then the kids would notice and give him excited waves.

Singing songs, and making little propellers out of leafs they had pulled from a passing tree ensued, until the heavens opened and although the smiles never went away (there’s that other S word again), the singing was replaced with shelter, everyone getting huddled up to protect each other from the downpour.

I could that tell Dave (from the safety of the rent-a-car) was now having a little giggle to himself.

But it’s all about the experience right?

TIGERS EYE

Day three couldn’t come quickly enough, these little superstars had put the biggest smile on my face.

We arrived just in time for dancing and more games, the hugs were more frequent now, as was the sound of ‘Phee Dan’, followed by outstretched arms into the air (this seems to be Thai for, ‘hey, pick me up and shake me around until i giggle’), of course i obliged everytime.

In my entire time there I didn't see one tear, one tantrum or one kid looking alone. Older kids as well as young looked out for one and other, picking up when they bumped heads (often during the games, followed by more laughter and smiles), helping with washing the dishes after eating, bringing us green tea and bottles of water when we looked extra hot from the dancing.

You could also see that the games Krunam and the team introduced, all built confidence and inclusivity, whether it was a dance off (with some pretty good moves from the oldest and the youngest amongst the kids), to singing, and other group games.

A tie dye lesson later, where the remainder of the day was filled with blue hands, green hands, and green soles of feet (my fingernails are still slightly green as I type this), a birthday cake for Dave to celebrate 10 years commitment from Not For Sale to this project, is was time for diner.

Before we had to leave (a solid 12 hours after we got there in the morning), some of the kids gave us hand drawn cards, and pictures, saying they loved us and would miss us.

A few of the kids were asked to volunteer and say a few words (there’s that confidence building again) the theme was, ‘we love you’, ‘we miss you’, ‘thank you for making everyone smile’, ‘please dont forget about us’ - how can you not get tears in your eyes hearing that (impossible).

Heartfelt thank you notes, more hugs now that I’ve ever had, and a tigers eye ring engraved with the word ‘NAM’ from Krunam, and it was time to go.

It turns out my blue eyes were a talking point, and were being compared to a tiger (I’ll take that)

BRIGHT COLOURS

As I’ve said my goodbyes, it’s now possible to reflect on just what a huge impact this project is having, its not about short term kudos, or a sound bite that you can get a headline with.  It's a slow burner, requiring years of patience, but the model is working, its proven, and is having a life transforming impact to children right now, I’ve met them - the past generations of people like Shaphiel and Gallow, the future generations of tiny little cheeky kids with beaming smiles and bright eyes, looking forward to the freedom to make their own futures.

I’ll conclude with a excerpt from an email I got from Dave a couple of hours after leaving Chiang Rai (the past 1461 words could have been summed up in the next 25

Looks like I’ve found mine.

Worlds Apart

Bangkok was always at a disadvantage, sandwiched between what was my new favourite place in the world (Tokyo) and 3 days with an amazing charity (Not For Sale), Bangkok was always going to be filling in the proverbial sandwich. 

I caught a taxi straight from the airport - whilst being told by several people to 'get a taxi with a metre' I ignored them, and got a taxi from the airport, it cost around 850 baht (£20) to get me to the hotel. 

As soon as we set off, it was worlds apart from the organised, clean, efficient Tokyo.  As we sat in traffic, surrounded by motorbikes of all makes and models, I longed for the hotel. 

United Kingdom! 

As with Norway, the So Sofitel Bangkok, had been on the list of '48 Epic dream hotels to visit before you die'.  I could have just carried on from Tokyo and flown directly to Chiang Rai, but I wanted to try this place, even for one night. 

We finally arrived (around 1h30m later), and I unloaded my super large suitcase.  I was greeted in the reception by 3 or 4 people, a shout of 'united kingdom' went up as I told them where I was from.  Things were looking up, everyone seemed like they wanted to help, and welcomed me with bowed heads and clasped hands (the Thai Wai).

The hotel looked just as good as i had hoped, not sure why it was number 42 of 48 in the dream hotel list, but this was probably the most luxurious hotel I had ever visited. 

'More extravagance please'

After being shown to my room, and taking ten minutes to savour the view, send several Whatsapp messages to make my friends and family jealous, and admired the largest bed and bath i had seen in any hotel room, I decided to try and get an upgrade - would that be too extravagant?  Lets see... 

I ventured out of the room, down to the ground floor to seek out the person that had helped me to my room.  I was dutifully taken up to the 25th floor and shown the suite, fully equipped with hallway, living room, walk in wardrobe, and jacuzzi bath, I took it (after asking for, and getting, a small discount) of course.

It was far too big for one person, for one night, but what the hell, I was here for one night, I probably wasn't going to be back so why not?

Call that sushi?

I headed to the gym for the first time in five days, it was very small, but worked for me.  I looked out of the window whilst running on the small rickety treadmill (not build for 16 st English men).  What a view, past the infinity pool was the modern high-rise skyline of downtown Bangkok. Was I enjoying this city? 

After working up an appetite, I navigated my way to the Red Oven restaurant, #TableForOne was going to make one more appearance on this trip. I was given a great view and proceeded to order a mango smoothie (I realised I hadn't had any fruit in Tokyo!), then went to fill my plate at the buffet.  

I mistakenly headed for some sushi as my second course, it was so dry compared to what i had been used to - it put into perspective the absolutely staggering food quality in Tokyo. 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the food, and headed back to the suite.

Tony Montana 

I fixed the iPhone up to the speakers in the bedroom, and played my 'AM' Spotify playlist (relaxing), and set the jacuzzi bath running. 

It was at this time, I began to admire the hotel and the view once more. It truly was spectacular, regardless of the earlier journey, and the disadvantage of following Tokyo, this was a truly magnificent suite and hotel. 

I sunk into the bath, and reminisced the scene in 'Scarface' of Tony Montana in the huge bathtub, I had no cigars, there was not as many expletives, but it felt good and...

Croissants with Lacroix

Following a few cocktails on the rooftop bar the night before, gazing at the sky-line again (in the pouring rain), I made my way to the Club Signature for complimentary breakfast. 

Sat in front of a huge signature of Christian Lacroix on the wall, I thought back over my time in this hotel. 

Should I have continued on? and missed Bangkok out of the trip? 

No, this was an amazing hotel a true 5 star experience, with a fantastic team more than happy to help you in any way, staggering views, and an even more staggering room, I will miss it. 

I grabbed a metre'd taxi back to the airport, for around 300 baht (including a tip) and headed to departures for Chiang Rai.

My trip to Norway was one of the first places that people had actually been jealous of, it was a destination people still ask me about to this day and Tokyo is now another.  I didn't hear a single person tell me they either didn't want to visit Tokyo, or that didn't want to go back.  I'm now one of the latter. 

It had actually been an after thought, I was simply planning on going to northern Thailand with the charity Not For Sale, but in the weeks prior, I had been advised to try Tokyo.  'It will change your perspective on the world' one person told me.  How could I pass up this opportunity. 

After hastily changed flights, panicked hotel reservations, and new currency later, I was all set - 3 nights in Tokyo before moving on to Thailand. 

The heat is on

My memory of Tokyo is one of a clean, efficient, urban city, with areas of cultural beauty, shopping that rivals the best cities in the world, and a population of people that make you feel welcome at every turn. 

But the weather - wow.  When I arrived Tokyo was in the midst of the hottest temperatures on record, one taxi driver told me (through google translate) that it was actually 39 degrees outside. Now thats hot.  Luckily I had packed my collection of super light Hawaiian shirts for the trip.  

I dropped off my gear at the Hotel Shibuya En in the centre of the city and headed out in the blazing sun to maximise my 3 days here. 

I'd been given a list of must try places from just about everyone that had previously visited the city, my first stop after the long 14h flight via Vienna was the Café Kitsuné in Aoyama.

Aoyama, would be one of my more frequented areas, and in future I'll probably look for a hotel closer to this area, its hip and younger, and looks to be the cooler part of town, great for hanging out and shopping. 

Once in this area, you can simply get lost in the maze of streets (in a good way), so many cool shops (not just referring to the heavenly AC).  Stores like Comme Des Garcon, Undercover and Prada (pictured) are all around here. 

Throughout my time in Tokyo I learned the best thing to do would be to walk, head up (out of my phone), and consume everything, the sights, sounds, and environment.  Its truly an amazing city, and you can't appreciate it getting taxi's from one place to another. 

Time to eat 

By far one of the most enjoyable parts of Tokyo is the food - luckily I'm a massive foodie, and will eat just about anything (within reason).

I can suggest a few of the places I tried during my visit, but i wholly recommend (as I already did) explore, walk around, and try anywhere that looks cool, even the ones that don't. It's more than likely to be better than what you would have in London (or wherever you may be travelling from).  

My first stop was the Tonkatsu Maisen in Aoyama, my Instagram stories were soon filling up with the #TableForOne.

Everyone is super helpful, and will try to speak to you in english, offering you advice on how to eat the food, and offering you english menus.  

Whilst some of the people living in the city groaned when I mentioned the words Ichiran Ramen I really enjoyed eating here.  You have to buy a coupon upon entry, then sit in a kind of booth, where your meal is passed through a small hatch in front of you.  Its delicious, although a little lonely. 

I was lucky enough to know a few people here and was taken to dinner one evening to a local sushi bar (the kind with the guys stood in front of you preparing the sushi to order) Iki-na Sushi - it was incredible and was certsinly another highlight. 

Retail Therapy 

Yet another area Tokyo excels at, shopping, some of the stores here are incredible.  From small book stores (try Cow books) to and second hand / vintage stores like Berberjin and J'antique, to high end stores like Visvim and Beams there is truly a mix of stores for every taste.

I could list out every store, but will go back to my advice from earlier.  Head to a cool area like Aoyama, or Harajuku and explore, you'll find gems you didn't even know existed, a cool store called V.E.L where I was so captivated by Japanese culture i bought a kimono style work shirt (pictured). 

I was told before travelling here, 'you will make at least one regretful purchase' and I think this one was mine, but thats all part of the intoxicating joy of Tokyo.  Thats why I loved it, it made me do things I would have never done before. 

Explore, Explore 

My Suica card was useful on the trains (and the vending machines) and allowed me to go a little further out of town to explore as much of Tokyo as I could (nowhere near enough).  You will find little backstreets, and alleys that are made just for Instagram.  Head out at night, and just snap away, the neon lights are incredible, and the streets are filled with interesting people.  Or head to the Meiji Shrine and capture the ancient sights, even see some Rockabillies dancing in the park on a Sunday morning.

I never felt unsafe as I wondered the streets, even in some of the more questionable areas i walked through, it never felt uncomfortble or like I was in danger. 

It's a city truly like no other, with so much to do it's impossible to do in a few days.  I'll be going back for sure, and can count it was yet another amazing experience of 2018. 

Caleb Smith, a programmer at a huge Internet company, wins a contest that enables him to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan Bateman. 

Sound familiar? It's the awesome 2014 Alex Garland movie 'Ex Machina' starring Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac, and its partly filmed in the stunning 'Juvet Landscape Hotel' in Alstaad, Norway. 

Its to be the location for one of my first holiday's for over a year - a New Years Resolution to travel more. 

Booking the hotel cannot be done online, instead its done by hopping over to the hotel's website and emailing Knut (the hotel owner), no deposit, just an agreement with him directly of your arrival time and date, and how long you wish to stay. 

I had tried this the previous winter, but, unsurprisingly he was fully booked. 

First impressions, were that this felt personal, it felt unique, it wasn't like googling a package holiday, it felt special. 

Don't take a taxi

The trip was off to a very sweaty palmed start, as I grabbed a taxi from Alesund airport, and began the trip to the remote hotel.  We had barely left the carpark when i glanced at the metre, it was already at 200 NOK (£20).. a quick google maps check, oh - we were 2 hours from the destination.. gulp! 

In hindsight there had been several ft of snow recently, and even the taxi driver struggled to stop us going sideways for parts of the journey across the winding roads, snaking around fjords and under mountains, perhaps renting a car wouldn't have been such a good idea after all. 

The View

It's like nothing I had ever witnessed.  When I arrived at around 7pm, it was getting dark, the snow had turned everything white (obviously), making it practically impossible to take a picture, as you couldn't even make out trees or mountains, and the clouds were so low they covered the top 50% of the mountain anyway. 

Each morning, afternoon, and evening, I would just stop, and perform my own human 360 degree view, no phone, just me, taking in the breathtaking landscape.  Including the modern buildings designed by master architects Jensen & Skodvin that seem to fit seamlessly into this rugged rural un touched panoramic view. 

From speaking to the team (we will talk about them soon), their favourite time to consume the landscape is in the autumn, 'you get to see the amazing changing of the seasons', the colours, and the long nights.

I must admit I feel like I missed a small portion of the experience due to the snow, although each morning, more river, trees, and rocks would appear as the snow melted each night, creating an ever changing environment, perfect for peaceful walks and lazy mornings in the comfort of the steam room or hot tub.

The food 

It is beyond doubt one of the highlights of the hotel, Chris the head chef, is not only one of the nicest guys you will meet, but the food is magnificent. 

Locally sourced ingredients, all being brought to you with an accompanying story of where is was sourced, why, and what makes it so special, are all part of the nightly routine. Not a night went by when I wasn't pleasantly overwhelmed by each course. 

Whether is was the chicken broth in the afternoons, the whale starter, or the reindeer main course in the evenings, each looked, and sounded, as good as it tasted. 

You need to pay an additional 600 NOK on top of your room for a three course evening meal, but this is all part of the experience and you shouldn't be without - you WILL regret it if you miss out. 

The team 

I was the only person in the entire hotel for 4 of my 5 nights, and has the privilege of experiencing the service, food, facilities and landscape without anyone else (Oh this is how I later justified the £300 taxi fair to and from the airport haha - sweaty palms just thinking about it)

I also managed to share the table with Knut one evening, the story of the hotel's inception is an inspiration, an ex mathematics teacher turned hotelier, his aim was to create a retreat for like minded individuals to enjoy the natural beauty of Norway in the day, and gather around a communal dinner tables to engage in conversation in the evening.

But what I found more impressive was the team Knut had managed to create around him, they were ambassadors of him and his vision for the hotel, ambassadors for the hotel, but mostly, ambassadors for Norway, championing its natural beauty and its culinary delights. 

The hotel

In between savouring the views, the food, and the people, I'd almost forgotten about the hotel itself. 

From the fantastic architecture that sat in between trees and mountains like it had been there for 100's of years, to the way that what started as small two person rooms, evolved into additional some single rooms (birdhouses), plus a conference building, and soon, a three bedroom house, each with its own unique vista on the surrounding landscape.  The hotel was a masterpiece. 

Each room is simply designed on the inside and out, warm heating and comfortable beds are there, but everything is overwhelmed by the huge glass walls installed in each to allow you to feel like you wake up actually in the trees. 

The nightly trek through snow to the communal barn where dinner is served each night, allows one last glimpse of the sunsets, and the morning trek to the chilled house containing lounge, steam room, and hot tub (outside) is a joy each day. 

Trust me - plug in your iPhone and listen to Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, look out on the river neck deep in hot water, and you will feel like nothing in the world matters.

On leaving the hotel, the team prepared me a sandwich, wrapped it up in brown paper, with an apple, and left it in the main dining room, so I could enjoy on my trip to the airport. It's small but powerful acts like this that will be my lasting memory of the Juvet Landscape Hotel, I'll see you soon!

My mind travels back to various conversations about Gen Z's and Millennials (of which I am one.. just), the future of commerce, and what people will be spending their hard earned (or easily gifted) money on in the years to come. 

Travel, experiences, memories were subjects that came up time and time again.  Working in fashion, we were no longer simply competing against other fashion retailers, in fact we were competing against a trip to Cuba, or a weekend away in Paris.  People are looking for ways to enrich their lives more and more, as the world becomes closer in some ways, and further apart in others. 

Was I missing out? By working as much as I possibly could, and being single, I rarely had a reason to travel, and the majority of the travelling I had done in the past, was actually with work (Moscow, Miami, Boston, San Francisco), so did that even count? 

As I watched the spectacle of the London fireworks, I decided, this year I would take note of Mark Twain (after all I have one quote of his tattooed on my arm already) 

I grabbed my laptop - poured myself another Jack Daniels with ice, and hit Google (a guy at work had told me a few weeks prior that I should get slightly drunk and just book a holiday).  I came across the '48 most epic dream hotels you much see before you die' it seemed like a pretty good place to start. 

Perusing the sun drenched beaches, caves, huts on stilts, I spotted the perfect location (cue orchestral choir).  The location for the filming of the movie 'Ex Machina',  secluded in the mountains of Northern Norway, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. 

If I was looking for a culturally rich experience, and exploration of the unknown, this looked perfect. 

I want to see if travel really does broaden the mind, so here we go 2018, let's see what you have to offer. 

Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway - here I come.