Norwegian travel blogger of the year shares her favourite destinations

At the Norwegian Travel Fair 2017 this weekend, the award “Travel blog of the year” was handed out for the first time. The winner Reiselykke (“Travel bliss”) is a blog run by Norwegian Mette Solberg Fjeldheim focusing on comfort, great food, people and culture. The jury writes:

“The blog shows great diversity, is user friendly and easy to navigate. It features beautiful pictures and an inspiring, fresh design. There is a personal touch but no navel gazing. And – perhaps most importantly – it’ll make you want to travel.”

Jeg oppsummerer reiseåret 2016: www.reiselykke.no • These are the most liked pics this year ❤️ Naturbilder er tingen, med andre ord! Norge leder med hele 4 fotos. Dernest 3 bilder fra Færøyene og 2 fra Joshua Tree National Park @visitnorway #bestnine #bestnine2016

Et bilde publisert av Hi, I'm Mette @ Reiselykke™ (@reiselykke) fredag 23. Des.. 2016 PST

Fjeldheim herself especially appreciated hearing that she’d put the right amount of herself into the mix.

“What I’ve been trying to do is focusing on the destination”, she says.

“It’s all about conveying the place you are in, the people and the culture, not me. But at the same time, I need to show the reader that I was there.”

On her blog, Fjeldheim shares her travel experiences both abroad and at home.

“Summer is my favorite season in Norway. I used to snowboard a lot, but that’s been overtaken by my interest in kayaking.”

When it comes to future destinations in Norway, Lofoten is now at the top of Fjeldheims list.

“I haven’t been there yet. But then again, I also hear the Helgeland coast is supposed to be really beautiful.”

Here are three Norwegian destinations recommended by Fjeldheim, sorted by season:

Winter – Hemsedal

Hemsedal: skandinavias alper - mer på www.reiselykke.com #hemsedal #norway #skiresort #vinterferie #winter #norwegian #mountain #skiweekend #reise #reisetips #reiselykke #travel #tourist #traveler #traveling #wanderer #wandering #visit #visitnorway #ilovenorway #white #snow #snø #slalom #snowboarding #downhill #skiing #bestofnorway #ig_captures_nature #ig_captures_landscape

Et bilde publisert av Hi, I'm Mette @ Reiselykke™ (@reiselykke) onsdag 19. Feb.. 2014 PST

I’ve been here perhaps 20 times, the first time when I was 17 and the last time in 2014. Hemsedal is known for great and challenging slopes for snowboarding, with black trails and opportunities for mogul snowboarding. And it’s high up. This is probably the closest you can get to alps in Norway.

Hemsedal is also known for its après-ski, being something of a party destination for young people. For me as an adult, I prefer the local restaurants for good food, and nice, quiet evenings.

Spring – Hardanger

Hardanger 💕 Derfor mener jeg dette er Norges svar på Italias Cinque Terre 👉 se link i bio #ReiselykkeiNorge @visitnorway @fjordnorway @visithardangerfjord #iphonemovie

En video publisert av Hi, I'm Mette @ Reiselykke™ (@reiselykke) torsdag 16. Juni. 2016 PDT

This is a beautiful place, I call it the Norwegian answer to Cinque Terre. You should experience the fjords here both by boat and car, because it’s two different ways of viewing them.

Coming in by boat from Bergen, you can see the landscape shifting, both in the rock formations and in the fruit fields. You see how the cultural landscape is structured, with farms in rugged locations that are often hard to spot from the road.

When you go by road, you’re driving through a landscape filled with fruit, meaning you’re more in the thick of it. They bloom in May, with lush greens and blues while there is still snow on the mountain tops. In a way, it’s like travelling through a post card.

When I was a kid, we drove a car through here. The roads were full of twists and turns, so I got very carsick. Now, I think driving here is a great experience. We have a marvellous country, and you see it clearly coming through the fjords.

Summer – Utsira

Utsira - streetart without streets • #utsira #utsirart #art #3F #reise #travel #wander #island #streetart #gatekunst #grafitti #reiselykke #visithaugesund #visitnorway #ilovenorway #ReiselykkeiNorge

Et bilde publisert av Hi, I'm Mette @ Reiselykke™ (@reiselykke) mandag 04. Aug.. 2014 PDT

This is an island in Rogaland I want more people to discover. It’s one hour an ten minutes outside of Haugesund, where I am from.

Going by population, Utsira is Norway’s smallest municipality, with a bit more than 200 inhabitants. The people living there are very fond of cultivating a strong community. I travelled there to write an article about a project where some of the great street artists from around the world contributed. They were painting on the walls of buildings, but also on windmills and rocks.

There is a lot of art and exhibitions happening out there, but above all, the nature there is great. The landscape is filled with heathers and moors, and many people go there to experience the unique bird life. There are bikes strewn alongside the roads, that you can borrow to get around. Biking out to the local lighthouse, I definitely ran into more sheep than people.