Travelogue: I Do It Alone - International Travel Edition

I never type up such things for my personal writing blog or The Useless Critic - which I've actually considered pulling the plug on lately - but this time around, it felt different. When my buddy Al and I headed to Sweden in Fall 2010, we both took turns hitting up internet cafes to update The Useless Critic (and, for me, my respective Tumblr. Please don't go searching for it. I apologize if I ever subjected you to reading it). 

But when I went to Finland and Estonia last month by myself - I had everything I needed in my smartphone, and as well, I recorded daily events on Facebook and Instagram. I think my trip to Europe was the only justification for me having an Instagram ... ever ... but I digress. The world could truly benefit from more guinea pig photos.

I have to say - aside from moving out of my pretty-much-cursed-from-Day-One apartment in January, this was arguably the best decision I've made for myself in a long time. It's amazing how much of life feels like a blur after a while. You wake up, you do the same things, go to the same places. You rinse and you repeat. When I was in my early 20s, I never thought I'd go that route. Life was an adventure to me, and I was determined to take it in. But I grew up, I became scared, I sought less adventure as the years flew by me. This isn't me trying to belittle myself; I think I equated this turning away from my heart with turning into an adult. It's not really the case; there's plenty of people that marry the two worlds. For me, it seems this has been a more careful act. 

(This is not to say I am saddened by anything I've done the last decade. I managed to do a lot of cool stuff personally and advance myself professionally. I wish I had been willing to take more risks, but this is something to learn from and that's all I can do now!)

So going to Finland, which was something I had wanted to do in 2012 - 2014, deciding to take a solo trip for my 30th birthday, I figured I was honoring my younger self. After years of longingly staring at flights headed to here and there, I purchased one.  I took off the time from work, made some basic preparations, and bought a bus ticket from LA to Phoenix so I could save money on my domestic travel. 

Los Angeles is the Gateway to Hell

Was saving money worth it? Well, the short answer is fuck no. Have you ever been to the downtown LA bus station? It is a special kind of hell on Earth. Furthermore, have you been to downtown LA bus station while still suffering the effects of food poisoning from eating bad shellfish? I'm not going into further details but suffice to say there was a *lot* of bargaining done with my digestive tract done that trip. 

On the plus side, I did lose several pounds, so pick your battles.


I booked an AirBnB over in Inglewood, which is a neighborhood rapidly undergoing gentrification. This was my first AirBnB I booked myself. Yay! I'm a big girl now! The host was great, although we never actually met. But I got to chill out with her cat, which was wonderful. I don't even like cats but the companionship was comforting (I missed my pigs). 


In the morning, I took an Uber to the airport and waited for several hours to go through security.  After having been slightly traumatized by my time at the LA bus station, I figured I'd play it safe and just hide out in the airport. I mean, I'm no stranger to spending long periods in airports. I've been stuck in them, I've slept in them, for a few days in 2011 I basically lived in one. Spending a few extra hours in LAX? Not a big deal. 


Or so I thought.


A woman came up to me in a surgical mask with a cart full of luggage. For the next hour, this woman proceeded to tell me her entire life story and emphasize her special connection to God. I listened very patiently, but one of my big pet peeves is when people don't realize you really need to exit a conversation. And this lady didn't pick up on my cues at all. 


"I'm not telling you I'm psychic," she told me, pointing her to forehead. "But God and I just get each other." I nodded, and eventually found a way to let her know I needed to eat something. 

I bought some overpriced food, picked up some stuff for my flight, and started reading "The Remains of the Day," a book I bought in 2015 but haven't touched since then. 


As the hours bled into each other and the flight became more real, I began panicking slightly. I was flying from LA to Oslo, the biggest journey of my adult life to date. And I was doing it alone! What the fuck, what the fuck, etc.

"That seems like something you wouldn't do," my co-worker had told me earlier in the year when she learned of my plans. I wanted to tell her it was something the former me would have done, but she knew the current me and that was a reasonable statement to make. 


Why I Didn't Get an Aisle Seat? I Needed to Pee All the Way to Norway. 

That sums up my flight experience. I thought a window seat so I could see Iceland and Canada and whatnot would be a fabulous experience, but it really was not the best planned. Because I needed to pee, and I didn't want to bother the nice older Norwegian couple next to me. So I bargained with my body NOT to have an accident because on the heels of The Great Torres Food Poisoning of 2018, I didn't need any other bodily misfunctions.

I would like to give Norwegian Air a shout out. Probably one of the best airlines I've ever flown. Yeah you have to pay extra for pretty much everything, but the quality of the flight and the service was top rate. I would highly, highly recommend flying them.


The Oslo Airport is the BEST Airport!

You might think staying yet another day in an airport would suck. And I would have *loved* to explore Oslo - it's definitely on my list of places I want to visit. Every Norwegian I've met has been lovely, and while I don't think I will like it as much as Helsinki or Stockholm, I want to see it someday. But for the several hours I spent lingering at yet another airport, I was very impressed with Oslo's. It was like an upscale shopping center, and they had an Edvard Munch exhibit going on. 

I didn't realize Norway has its own form of currency tho - I assumed everything overseas would be Euro - so when I went to Starbucks to get a coffee and saw the pricetag, I was astonished. Wow, I thought, this really IS the most expensive city on the planet. 


But then I realized that the prices were in krone and not Euro, and it all made much more sense.


Everyone I Met in Finland Was Wonderful. 

I finally arrived in Finland after nearly two days of nonstop travel, from the bus to the plane to the last plane. It was later than I wanted, and I definitely wanted an earlier arrival. But, whatever.  I was happy to finally be in a place I dreamed about for so long. Also, EXHAUSTED. 

However, a sweet woman I met through a mutual friend offered to pick me up at the airport. So I got my luggage and found my new buddy with a sign that said my name on it, just like in the movies! I kept the sign. :) 


So off we went to find my hostel, which ended up being a reasonable amazing distance from everything. I stayed at CheapSleep Helsinki. It was approximately 20 dollars a night to share a room with a ton of other women, but I didn't mind. And considering how neurotic I am, that's a bit of an accomplishment! I even met the rare species at CheapSleep Helsinki: The EXTROVERTED Finn! Yes. this ridiculously attractive (as is nearly everyone in Finland) woman chatted me up my first full day there. We almost got dinner together, but I had plans with my long-time internet friend. Still, I enjoyed our conversation and recommended she check out Sedona, since she had expressed a desire in visiting the States. (Laura, if you read this someday, I'm sorry we didn't get dinner! Feel free to get in touch with me, you seemed very cool.) 


I packed a lot of living into my time in Finland - I met all my Finnish internet friends, went on a few dates, visited all the major tourist attractions, and managed to walk six miles everyday. In Phoenix, not having a car feels like a burden sometimes. Well, nearly all the time. I was so empowered and happy to be in a place where I didn't need a car, and most of the folks I met didn't own them, either. 


Also, the tram? The tram was everything! So easy to get around. A+ on mass transit, Finland.


Kallio is the hip place in Helsinki, and that's where I naturally spent most of my time. Because, look, I'm hip, okay? I'm still young and relevant.



My first night in Finland, I met Suvi - a woman I've spoken to since 2008. It was pretty incredible to actually run up to her outside the restaurant I went to. How do I put it, it was like a reunion? And our dinner and the drinks that followed felt very natural - essentially, we were old friends finally meeting up. She helped me head to Pub Magneetti, which ended up being my local watering hole while over there. 

My hostel was across the street from a good coffee shop, Design Cafe Helsinki, where I frequented in the mornings. I found myself missing a city - a true city. I currently live in a slightly more urbanized suburban landscape, and it's not bad, but it doesn't always feel like home. I'm certainly a city person - I find it oddly comforting, the feeling of having people around me no matter what, being able to walk to things, seeing the lights against the skyline at night. It feels right to me. 


Also, Finnish coffee? It's good stuff. I'm still upset with myself for not bringing any back with me. 


Moomin!

Were absolutely everywhere. This didn't shock me, I kind of went into it with the mindset I'd see moomin everywhere. And so, I did. 



Estonia Was Cool, Too!

Originally, I had planned to hit up Sweden again while in Finland. But, considering I was alone and without a co-pilot, I didn't want to overwhelm myself. So I just opted to take the Viking Ferry to Estonia. 

Jaana, the only Estonian I've ever known, agreed to hang out with me for the day. We hadn't seen each other since 2011, when she visited me in New York City. One highlight of that trip was when Jaana begged me to go to the Bronx with her. I gave in, even though I advised her it was probably a bad idea. We took the subway up to the Bronx, got off at the stop, walked around for maybe a minute, and immediately ran back to the subway. 


She bought me amazing praline candy and some chalky bar that was like the inside of a Butterfinger. We had vegan food and walked a lot, and I saw an Estonian mall. Fun fact: Malls are the same everywhere. Except in Europe tho, they often charge you to use the toilet. So FYI.


Old Town was gorgeous. See proof:






A Chinese tourist pushed me out of the way to get a selfie with the famous seagull, Bart, but like whatever. Little did she know I've been boxing since 2015, and ~ deeze guns aren't just for show ~


Jaana and I departed, and I sincerely hope it doesn't take us another seven years to reunite, because she's fantastic and so much fun. 


Other Highlights Include

Everything about this trip was utterly fantastic. I didn't do an awful lot of planning in advance, mostly because my summer was just kind of a mess. Plus, I mean, Helsinki isn't exactly Rome or London or Paris. Most travel guides I came across said different iterations of the same thing. Like, go to the Sibelius Monument. Take a ferry somewhere. Drink vodka. A Finnish woman bought me mint vodka one night because she, quote on quote, wanted to get the American trashed. Luckily for me and her, I don't even like liquor, but I felt like my mouth had been violated. She also was insistent I meet "Good Finnish men," and like, LOL. (Eventually, the person I was with told her in Finnish that I like women, and she was extremely apologetic.) I only know one word of Finnish: kiitos. I said this all the time. Even in situations where I shouldn't have. I wanted to be very respectful of the culture and pick up a few words, but Finnish is hard. My brain is small, American, and addled with useless knowledge, like "What was the reason for Taylor Swift's last break-up?" Luckily, everyone in Finland speaks English (or at least most people.) 

One thing I found interesting was how many people were confused I was visiting. This extended from Norwegian customs to random Finns I met in public restrooms. I actually got a lot of hugs, which I didn't expect. Most people, despite being extremely introverted, were also extremely warm. I miss it. Whereas here, when I walk home from the grocery store, sometimes strangers yell interesting and colorful things at me. 


Finland's a pretty sustainable place (rad!), very green (fascinating for this desert rat), full of amazing coffee shops (YES), and packed with parks and beautiful architecture. I mean, just look:








I was struck for - as someone who did grow up on a Great Lake - how healing and reviving being around so much water was. It was incredible, how much it did for my spirit. This trip did a lot for my spirit - it gave me a new, much-needed lease on life. 


I met the best people. I can't say this enough. One in particular sticks out - the time we spent together, although short, was great. I hope at some point we meet again in this crazy world. And I got to see my favorite Finnish band's last show EVER in Helsinki with my old friend Mira. Although I had just started to get a cold and it was pretty brutal.



I also ate pretty well, even if I ate one real meal a day and went to several fast food restaurants. This includes European McDonald's, Hesburger, and Chalupa. Of all of these, I liked Chalupa the best. The Finnish take on Mexican food wasn't as awful as you'd expect, although the tortilla was super dry. I preferred it immensely to Chipotle. I've never understood how I always end up with such a bad aftertaste in my mouth after eating it. Shrug. 

The fortress outside Helsinki, Suomenlinna, is a MUST visit destination. I went there one day and was amazed by its beauty and its connection to a history I've never had such immediate access to. There's a library, a church, a brewery, and a small community there. I even stumbled across a hostel, which is where I will stay next time.

My ol' buddy Anna-Greta and I went to the Sibelius Monument together on my last real day to do fun stuff in Finland. I was kind of surprised by its size - it was tiny, and not where I'd expect it to be. But there's a cute little cafe nearby on the water, and I would suggest ordering the salmon bread while there. Which sounds like maybe the Finnish equivalent of "avocado toast" but I assure you it's WAY better. 


You may think to yourself, "Doesn't Britt like a good gas station hot dog? Why should I take food tips from her?" And to that I say, listen, I don't eat them as often as you think. Asshole. 



Finland, I'll See You Again!
Overall, this trip - for my moderate amount of planning - was a success. I had some issues with my hostel reservations, and I wholeheartedly do not recommend using Couchsurfing in Finland. Finns are mostly introverts, and CS - especially if you're a woman traveling alone - lends itself to a lot of questionable dudes. You may have better luck if you're travelling in a small group or with another person. 

Markets are good for grabbing food that's pretty inexpensive. The language differences can be hard to navigate, but it's doable - just use some common sense. 


Download the mass transit app. This is a big help and an easy way to get from Point A to Point B.


Definitely make it a point to immerse yourself in the culture. Talk to people, try to meet up with people while you're there. This made my trip so spectacular: It was the people I met. I felt like I was at home there in a way I never really feel in my day-to-day life. Perhaps it was the ease of getting around or the collective introversion. But something in me just clicked when I was in Finland, and I recently had a friend comment on how confident I've seemed since coming back. Coming back was hard - physically and emotionally. Physically because everything I ate made me sick for two days afterward. Emotionally because I was full of longing. There's a chance in the next decade I may spend a year or two in Europe, but that's a way aways. Still, it's on my mind and I've been researching its feasibility. I am sad my memories have begun to seem further away now that I'm back and in my routine. I did come back to the U.S. with the sense I wanted to live my life differently, and I've made some progress with that goal. Not as much as I would like, but enough to make a small difference. 


Finally, I don't care if you travel to London, Hong Kong, or even just a city across the state from you - traveling alone is good for the soul. It's meditative, it challenges you to grow, and it helps you reconnect with yourself. I know it's somewhat taboo but it's worth it. I do recognize there may be stipulations for you, and it's not realistic to travel a lot since it's so expensive (unless you're a badass who somehow makes it work). But, at least once, give it a shot. You won't be disappointed. 


Kiitos, Finland! 



I also want to give a big thanks to my buddy Margarita, the woman who met me at the airport, who was a livesaver on this trip. She was an absolute angel and her help was so huge. 

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