Frequently asked questions – FAQ

I’ve been fortunate when it comes to where and when I was born, and that’s just the way it is. But in addition to that, I spend little on other aspects of life, leaving more for tickets and bookings. All the traveling is great, but in all honesty, I think few people particularly envy me my everyday life at home. (Although I’m perfectly happy with it, of course!) Whether I’m shopping food, clothes or a car, I’ll pick something basic, preferably at a discount.

I’ve also had the foresight to get a useful education (Master’s degree in Computer Science), which in turn led me to a job that pays relatively well, as long as I’m willing to work hard, by Norwegian standards. I frequently work 12 hour days, which is way above the norm where I live.

When it comes to travel expenses, I’ve learned how to avoid high prices and instead find great bargains. By traveling the right way, it is sometimes cheaper to travel than to stay home. There’s cheap food all over the world. I’ll be perfectly happy at a two star hotel, even when one of the stars turns out to be me. Flights can be found at crazy low prices. What I usually do most of the time when I travel, which is walking and looking around, is generally free.

Because I like to work long hours (see previous question), I’ve reached an agreement with my employer where they are happy as long as I work an agreed-upon number of hours per year. In other words, I don’t have to show up the normal number of days per year, as long as I do enough work on the days I’m actually at the office. Also, I’ll usually check work e-mail frequently even during trips, and I’ve done a fair amount of urgent work from abroad.

This requires a bit of planning and flexibility from my side. That’s fine by me. In addition, I spend less time together with friends and family than most people do. This can be a bit harder to accept, but the life you choose are the choices you make.

Ah. Every photographer’s favourite question!

Well, ignoring the fact that pretty much any modern camera or even mobile phone these days allow you to take prize-winning photographies, I can recommend the “mega zoom”/”bridge” cameras series from Sony. Or you can use similar cameras from Panasonic or Canon, which are perfectly fine, too.

I currently use this camera: Sony DSC-RX10 III. It’s rather expensive, and you can get really good results from another Sony camera that still is sold, at a much lower price: Sony DSC-HX400V. If you’re willing to pay for the best camera in the series, Sony DSC-RX10 IV. It’s better than III when it comes to taking video and lots of photos really fast, it has a touch-screen, and it has a slightly faster auto-focus.

Norway. It’s the one country I keep going back to. Admittedly, it’s because it’s where I live, so it doesn’t really count. In honesty, I don’t have a favourite country, and there’s certainly no country I keep going back to. Large countries like Brazil or the USA are great for their diversity, but there are also small countries like Lesotho and Ireland that are great for the narrower range of attractions they offer.

I can give you a few favourite spots, though, spread out all across the world. None of them are cities or restaurants, because I’m just not that kind of guy.