Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

There’s nothing much to say about me, really. That’s why I write a blog about travel, and not about myself. But if you insist, here’s a short bio.

Born in 1972, I got addicted to computers just as they became something you could both afford and fit inside a normal house. So by sitting in front of various screens, I managed to almost completely avoid traveling until I reached my mid 20s. Then, all of a sudden, traveling around the world for half a year or so seemed a lot more appealing than to finish my thesis at the university and become a grown-up. So off I went.

I liked it. A lot. When I returned, I knew I had to travel more. All my money was spent, so I had to finish my studies and start working. From there I found my way to a routine where on average I work for two months, travel for one month, and then start over again. Most of the time I love both parts of this weird life, and I certainly couldn’t do either part full-time without going crazy.

So far, living this way for about two decades, has taken me to roughly a thousand destinations in just under a hundred countries and territories. I somehow keep adding to that. I generally seek out nature and animals rather than cities and people, but you can’t have one without the other, so you’ll find I offer a good mix of different travel stories, I hope.

Oh, by the way, somewhere along the way I managed to get married and acquire way too many cats. My wife also likes to travel, and the cats can survive for weeks on edibles they find lying around the house, so this has not been a problem so far.

Everyone knows that Moai can walk, but did you know they are great kissers?
Best of friends, from a visit to Easter Island.
Close encounter on Easter Island.

For money

I’ve been working for more than 20 years for the same employer, a finance corporation here in Norway! I know. Exciting, right? Well, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Ethically it’s one of the least worst companies in the sector, in that they avoid investing directly in things that are clearly bad for the planet. It’s also practical to me, because the company has enough IT people that they can manage fine without me for a month or two if they have to. And they frequently have to.

For the joy

When requested, I’m happy to give presentations about all kinds of travel-related subjects. Book me if you want to. I can talk about visiting North Korea, long-distance hikes, how travel makes you understand that you have basically no problems at home, and more.

I take an awful lot of photographs on my trips, so much of my time at home is spent going through those virtual piles of pixels. The photos are used for the trip reports and photo journals you can find on this site, but I also donate a lot of photos to Wikipedia and to the world for free use in general, as my way of paying back to the world for being awesome. If you want to use my photos for anything, do get in touch! I’m easy to do business with, and I eagerly support pretty much any good cause.

My stalkable on-life, ranked from most to least interesting, in my opinion. Please don’t hack me!

  • Reddit

    Reddit is my favourite hangout on the entire Information Superhighway! You will find me there as /u/uspn/.

  • Wikipedia / Wikimedia

    Wikipedia is great when preparing for a trip, or just to understand the world from your home. I volunteer, of course.

  • Instagram

    Instagram is good for seeing inspiring images from where you are now, have been in the past or will go in the future. So I add to the image pool when I feel like it.

  • LinkedIn

    LinkedIn, not sure what it’s for, but some “professionals” seem to use it. I’m here.

  • TripAdvisor

    Tripadvisor is sometimes a good thing, but not always. Sometimes I like to leave a review.

  • YouTube

    YouTube is more of an input channel for me, but sometimes I output.

  • Snapchat

    Snapchat sounds fun. Send me something at bjornfree, then send me an e-mail and explain how the #¤%& I open it.

  • Twitter

    Twitter used to be really useful. I visit monthly when I remember to.

  • Facebook

    Facebook is clearly on its way out, unless they significantly step up their game, but for now I have a mostly public profile.

  • Google+

    Google+ showed a lot of promise initially, but it made itself redundant. Which we all should aim for.

  • Flickr

    Flickr is somewhere I sometimes go and look at other people’s photos. Some of my old photos are there.

  • Myspace

    Myspace is where I go to discuss astronomical matters and to get my fill of horizontal scrolling.

  • Pinterest

    Pinterest is where I show my feminine side. Or not.

These are a few random things I like, in sort of a random order. Maybe it’ll make you feel you know me better. Maybe not.

  • Books by Douglas Adams
  • Having alone time
  • Game of Thrones
  • Go snorkeling
  • Chocolate
  • Hiking
  • Ants
  • Kjersti
  • Quizzes
  • Being right
  • Finding discounts
  • Take a long, hot shower
  • Learning a new language
  • Using public transportation