Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

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Below you’ll find all our blog posts in chronological order of publishing. Looking for something specific? Try the search at the top of the screen, or head over to our destinations page to explore the world!

The Best VPNs for Travel: What to Look for and Why you Need a VPN

Published: 1st April 2020 by Laurence Norah - 14 Comments

Best VPN for Travel

Before I started running this website and writing about travel for a living, I worked full time as a software developer, and I’ve always maintained a passion for technology. So from time to time, it’s nice to write about both travel and tech. In today’s post, I’m going to tell you everything you need to […]

Sky Replacement: How to Easily Replace the Sky in Any Photo

Published: 29th March 2020 by Laurence Norah - 2 Comments

Sky replacement - Upper Duden Waterfall

A common photography problem that you have likely encountered when taking photos is that sometimes the sky doesn’t compliment the scene you are photographing. The end result is that we get a lovely shot of some scenery or people, with a flat grey sky that really doesn’t do justice to the scene we are trying […]

The Best Travel Coffee Makers for 2026 (What We Actually Pack)

Published: 26th March 2020 by Laurence Norah - 14 Comments

Travel Coffee Maker

I’ve been brewing coffee on the road for about as long as I’ve been travelling full time, which is a good while now. I used a moka pot for a year when I lived out of a Toyota Landcruiser on a camping road trip around Australia, then a year in New Zealand. These days the […]

How to Add a Date Stamp to Your Photos

Published: 14th March 2020 by Laurence Norah - 19 Comments

Final date stamp faststone

Back when I had a film camera, a common feature was the ability to add a date onto photos. This was a really handy feature, meaning that when you got the prints back from being developed, you could easily see exactly when you took each photo. This was particularly useful when looking back at old […]

Guide to Visiting the Sagrada Familia in 2026: Tickets, Towers and Tips

Published: 10th March 2020 by Laurence Norah - 9 Comments

Sagrada Familia

If you’re visiting Barcelona, there’s a good chance the Sagrada Familia is on your list. It was on ours the first time we visited, and we’ve been back many times since. The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is one of those buildings that you have to see to believe. Photos don’t do it justice, particularly […]

10 Day Italy Itinerary: Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice

Published: 2nd March 2020 by Laurence Norah - 6 Comments

3 Days in Rome - Pantheon

We’ve been travelling in Italy for over thirty years, and by this point I’ve lost count of the trips. I got married in Venice (more on that later), which probably tells you how the country got under my skin. So when people ask us for a suggested Italy itinerary, we have a lot of opinions. […]

How to Use a Compact Camera: A Photographer’s 2026 Guide

Published: 24th February 2020 by Laurence Norah - 2 Comments

Compact Camera Guide_by_Laurence Norah

Quick take: A compact camera is still worth carrying in 2026 when you want a real optical zoom, all-day battery life, and a dedicated camera that slips into a pocket, the things a phone still can’t quite match. To get noticeably better photos than your phone manages, three things matter most: hold the camera steady […]

Our 2 Days in New York Itinerary (Weekend Visit)

Published: 13th February 2020 by Laurence Norah - 17 Comments

Manhattan Skyline - 2 days in New York itinerary

New York. The city that never sleeps. We have visited many times now, and still feel we’ve barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. Two days isn’t enough to do New York justice. But two days is also a perfectly reasonable amount of time for a weekend break, a cruise day, or […]

Food in Mauritius: What to Eat (2026 Guide)

Published: 29th January 2020 by Laurence Norah - 4 Comments

Traditional food of Mauritius

I grew up eating Creole food. Not Mauritian Creole. I’m from the Seychelles, a different archipelago a thousand kilometres or so to the north. But it’s the same Indian Ocean culinary family tree. When I finally made it to Mauritius, the food was one of the things I was most excited to explore. What I […]

How to Use a Mirrorless Camera: A Beginner’s Guide (From a Pro)

Published: 20th January 2020 by Laurence Norah - 8 Comments

Glenfinnan Viaduct Scotland Harry Potter Train

So you’re the proud owner of a new mirrorless camera. Awesome! Mirrorless cameras are a wonderful bit of photography kit, with a number of advantages over other types of camera. They’re also one of the best cameras with which to learn photography on, because you can see the changes you make to various settings in […]

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About Us

Laurence and Jessica Norah

Hi there! We're Laurence and Jessica Norah. We've been running this site since 2010 as full time professional travel bloggers. We visit all the places we write about personally, and all our content is based on our own first hand travel experiences. We also take all the photos you see on our sites. So grab a drink, dive in, and read on! You can also find out more about us here. Comic included.
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