If you find yourself spending hours endlessly scrolling through social media feeding your wanderlust, chances are you already know about Hildegunn and Samuel Taipale. For the past four years, the spirited Norway-based couple have been sharing their amazing travel experiences on their Instagram feeds, attracting hundreds of thousands of followers in the process.
Continuing our series of interviews with inspiring travelers, we spoke to them about how travel has changed their view on the world, and how to survive globetrotting as a couple.
When did you first get the travel bug?
Samuel: We both had it before we met each other, but of course when we got married we sort of united our bugs. Personally, it comes from my childhood. My father went Interrailing when he was 18 with his buddies, and he came back with these amazing photo albums filled with his experiences. I remember looking through them as a child and it was such an eye-opening experience for me to see that there are so many interesting places to explore, outside of what was, for us, “ordinary” Finland. A little later, my brother and I started attended a couple of international summer camps in Germany, filled with interesting people from all over the world, and, little by little, here and there, I came to realize how it was an open, beautiful world, filled with so much possibility. I wanted to explore it.
Hildegunn: It’s the same for me. I’ve grown up traveling with my family every year. Seeing different kinds of amazing places and cultures have definitely given me the hunger to explore more of the beautiful world we live in. After doing a foreign exchange year in the States and studying in Paris and Hawaii, I’ve been blessed with so many international friends that I wanted to stay in touch with. It’s been awesome to visit them and to be able to partake in their culture.
While roadtripping through New Zealand we found this hidden gem. A cold and refreshing swim in the most clear water near Hamilton © Samuel Taipale
How do you learn to travel so well together, as a couple and friends?
Samuel: I think I always take the back seat, she’s always leading … No, I’m just kidding! It’s all about striking the right balance and learning to listen to each other’s wants and needs, basically, the same rules as being a couple whether you’re at home or anywhere else. Also, to consider each other’s strengths, like, how Hildegunn is great at planning and preparation for the trip, whereas I think I am pretty good in the moment; allowing the spontaneity to come through when we are on the road.
Most of the time we are traveling in connection with my work as a photographer. Last autumn, I was assigned a photography gig in New Zealand, so we decided to plan a big trip around it and visit places along the way. A lot of that was pretty unplanned, but it just felt right for us to head out on the road and see where it took us. That sense of curiosity is something we both share, so that’s probably why traveling together always seems to go so well.
Hildegunn: We love getting to know people together and sharing experiences. We learn so much about each other when we face different kind of situations!
Read more: 7 useful tips for surviving your first holiday as a couple
Probably one of the most unforgettable nights of our lives. We hiked to this active volcano in the middle of the night with a couple of friends on the Big Island of Hawaii. Such a surreal experience © Samuel Taipale
What have been your favourite or most memorable travel destinations?
Hildegunn: We get asked this all the time and, still, it is so hard to answer. I loved Bali, and particularly this tiny island called Nusa Penida that we visited just off the coast. We rented a motorbike and rode around aimlessly, getting lost and asking directions from locals. Pretty much nothing went according to plan, but it was such a fantastic place and setting to get lost. We missed the boat back to Bali because we wanted to take a hike down to a beach we heard about, then we got lost, caught in a rainstorm, and a local girl stepped in and helped us out, letting us stay in her family home. Even though we didn’t share a common language, we were able to connect. We missed the boat back to Bali again, just because we were so happy being on this beautiful, relatively undiscovered island.
Samuel: We’re both real nature lovers, so anywhere we can really throw ourselves in to that environment has a lot of appeal. Hawaii had a big effect on me for that reason, and again just because the people were so infectiously friendly and willing to invite you in to their way of life. That’s something we both search for in a destination – that sense of belonging.
One place I’d definitely recommend people visit is Norway! Yes, we live there, but the country offers so many beautiful places. The Lofoten Islands, for example, is a must. It’s a tiny fishing archipelago in northern Norway with dramatic mountains and forests, plus round the clock sun in the summer, and the Northern Lights in the winter. When most people visit Norway, they arrive in Oslo and rarely leave the city. For me, that’s not really seeing Norway – you need to rent a car or get on a train and head out in to the unspoilt nature we are so lucky to have here.
If you each had to pick one favourite photo from your travel experiences, what would it be and why?
Samuel: It’s this one I took near Queenstown. I always try to find these stunning locations where you end up standing in an awe because of what opens in front of you. I have found quite a few amazing spots like that, but this place in New Zealand is definitely on the top of my list.
Kayaking through the fjord © Hildegunn Taipale
Hildegunn: This is my favourite photo, taken in the Eresfjord in Nesset, close to where I grew up. In my opinion not much can compare to paddling in a completely still, glassy Norwegian fjord with dramatic snow-capped mountains. It was such a peaceful moment where I felt so close to God.
Read more: How to take great holiday photos
How has social media changed the way you travel?
Samuel: Sometimes it can be a love-hate relationship, but things like Instagram have really inspired me to visit new places. Even if you are looking at a photo from someone with millions of followers, it still feels personal and honest in some way, and that definitely makes that photographer’s travel experiences seem more obtainable – that I could have a similar experience.
Hildegunn: Totally! And now, it seems like that, in some small way, perhaps we are influencing people to travel more with our accounts. We often have people write to us from all over the world saying ‘Thanks! You guys have inspired me to travel to Norway, or Jordan, or elsewhere.’ We’re also pretty modest travelers – doing a lot of camping and taking road trips – so, maybe people see that and realize that you actually can get around on a pretty low budget, as long as you are smart about it and find the right deals.
What bit of travel advice would you pass down to your kids?
This photo was taken the week before our wedding in France. You can probably see the excitement on our faces! © Logan Cole
Samuel: ‘Do it!’ I think we are so absorbed by the media we interact with, and often that can bring up a sense of fear that discourages you from traveling. When we have kids, I think we’d tell them that they need to get out and see the world for themselves, and make their own opinion. They’d come to realize the world is much more open and inviting than they are potentially lead to believe.
We were in Jordan recently. It was our first time in the Middle East, and I must admit that we went there with a bit of scepticism and fear, but it was all so unjustified. It was completely safe and easy to travel around, and Jordanians are incredible, open people. People are different all over the world, but that’s something that unites us and, for me, keeps me wanting to travel more and more.
Hildegunn: Traveling is about making a connection. It’s not just about the places you get to see but the people you meet along the way. You need to let your guard down and live in the moment. It encourages you to see life as a big adventure.
