CURRENT MISSION

My mission has always been to see the world by age 25... But now that I have past 25, I think my mission is really just to see the world...

PHILOSOPHY

I have relied countlessly on the kindness of strangers while travelling, so I see this as a way of giving back... Anyone that needs a place to stay, feel free to contact me and we'll go from there. Especially in LA, it'll pay to have a friend - or at least someone with a car ;-)

Interests

http://www.jonvidarphotography.com

Well obviously travel... But more specifically I studied Archaeology for my undergrad and - even though I now consider it just a hobby - have the good fortune of being invited back every summer to a dig in Southeast Turkey.

I'm also a photographer and that has led me to work with a non-profit teaching photojournalism and multimedia to kids in both Rwanda and Iraq.

• dancing
• drinking
• flying
• traveling
• scuba diving
• tourism

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Taking a taxi in baghdad, flying over Iraq in a blackhawk, eating falafel in Kurdistan, crashing kurdish weddings in Turkey, scuba diving in the great berrier reaf, watching the sunset over Angkor Wat, sleeping in a cave in Capadocia Turkey one night and a tree house in Olympus the next, making dumplings in Xi'an, dancing in the streets of Berlin during the Love Parade.

Teach, Learn, Share

One of the hardest places to travel is the unexplored... I consider Iraq to be one of these places right now since not many people are headed there as tourists - although I figured it was a great place to spend my tax rebate since all the rest of our money is going there ;-)

Anyways, a couple tips. Northern Iraq is very safe as long as you stay away from a couple of the trouble cities like Mosul and Kirkuk - But I spent two weeks in Kirkuk, so if you want advice on the city anyways just ask...

As for Visa requirements, you can get a 9 day visa at the border when crossing from Turkey. From Diyarbakir, you need to take a bus to Silopi and hire a taxi to take you the rest of the way. The driver will charge about $20/person to get you across in a shared taxi. He will also take your passport for you and make all the arrangements while you sit and drink tea... This is the only way to do it, so dont be too afraid of giving up your passport unless something doesnt feel right.

Once across, you will have to get another taxi to go where you need to go. I recommend Dohuk, Erbil, and DEFINITELY Sulaimaniyah. Each about a $75 taxi ride from one another. Oh, right, and taxi is the only way to get around so be prepared... Sharing does lower the cost.

Once in, if you want to stay longer than 9 days make sure it is worth it. If you are only going for 12 or 14 days, it's not worth it! The process of getting the extension will take several days and it will pay to find someone to help you. Go sit down at a restaurant or walk one of the bizzaars for a little while and you will find someone.

Last bit of advice, and I dont recommend this, but just putting the info out there... The Kurdish Visa of Northern Iraq is different from the main Iraq Visa. However, upon some questioning in a side room, it will work at the Baghdad International Airport. Baghdad is definitely not safe for tourism yet, and I was only there to embed with the military, but in case anyone needs to get there the same way I wanted to put the info out there!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Greece, Turkey, United States