- Martin Solhaugen and Patrice Averilla on their visit to Sri Lanka and more
Martin Solhaugen (27) and his fiancé Patrice Averilla (30) hail from Norway and from the Philippines, respectively. Over the years of their relationship, the two bonded over their mutual love for travel and eventually began blogging their adventures.
Their latest stop was none other than the pearl of the Indian Ocean – Sri Lanka. We had a chat with the two on how their experience was and their plans for the future.
Here are some excerpts of the interview:
How did you two establish yourselves as travel influencers?
Establishing ourselves as travel influencers started with a passion for travel. We have been travelling on our own expense as a hobby next to full-time work for years. Only in recent years have we been able to turn this into a full-time job which we love and are very grateful for. Actually a lot of things happened for us when we first got the opportunity to travel and visit Sri Lanka in 2017. Establishing yourself as a travel influencer takes years and you constantly have to be digging deeper to find new stories and interesting topics for travellers.
What made you decide on visiting Sri Lanka?
We’ve been to Sri Lanka on three occasions and we really like it. What keeps bringing us back to Sri Lanka is its natural animals, climate, great food, and the people. What’s interesting about Sri Lanka is that every time you visit, you kind of discover something new. For western travellers it’s also a really good gateway to Asia. We remember the first time we visited Sri Lanka, we got a little culture shock. It was also my first time in Asia, but every time we visit we get a little bit more comfortable.
What was the highlight of your trip here and why?
The highlight of the trip we had in October was definitely seeing the highlands and the tea trails. Keep in mind that we’ve been to Sri Lanka three times and seen different parts of it every time. If someone was to visit Sri Lanka for the first time we would highly recommend them to do the central highlands, Kandy, Ella, and Nuwara Eliya.
If there is anything you would suggest the country could improve in terms of welcoming tourists, what would it be?
We think the only thing that can be improved in Sri Lanka are more coffee shops along the roads. The hardest part when we are travelling through Sri Lanka is finding great coffee; especially since we are coming from Norway, coffee is very important for us.
Is there a local destination that was on your bucket list that you couldn’t make it to?
We have always wanted to go up north and we want to sail around Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to surf in Sri Lanka either. Every time I’ve been there I’ve been so busy but we really want to come back one day to surf.
What did you enjoy the most – culture, food, or the places?
In Sri Lanka, we really enjoyed the natural waterfalls and cloudy, misty forests. So we would have to say places.
In your opinion, what’s a must-visit you would name and why?
In my opinion, you can’t leave Sri Lanka without trying the Kandy to Ella train – it’s gorgeous; there are so many sights to see along the way, and not a minute of it is boring.
Do you have any plans for the rest of the year?
We are jam-packed with exotic destinations this entire year. We are currently writing to you from Hawaii. Our future plans include visits to Cyprus; Canary Islands; Madeira, Portugal; the Philippines; and perhaps the Bahamas. Life is a journey and we’re all here to enjoy the most out of it. For anybody interested, we welcome you to check out our YouTube channel where you can find travel guides and tips from exotic destinations all over the world.
YouTube: Martin Solhaugen
