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brooke beyond

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New South Wales
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

80 amazing things to do in Sydney, Australia

3 August 2019
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

13 fantastic day trips & weekend getaways from Sydney

29 July 2019
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Hiking the Six Foot Track in Sydney’s Blue Mountains

26 April 2019
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Royal National Park Coast Track: A complete guide to Sydney’s best overnight hike

9 April 2019
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

From Hunter Valley to Manly Beach: 10 itineraries for exploring the very best of Sydney

10 March 2019
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales / Queensland

The Legendary Pacific Coast touring route: a complete guide to road tripping from Sydney to Brisbane

25 September 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Driving the Legendary Pacific Coast (day 6): Port Macquarie & Forster

21 September 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Driving the Legendary Pacific Coast (day 3): Nambucca Heads, Waterfall Way & Coffs Harbour

15 September 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Driving the Legendary Pacific Coast (days 1 & 2): Newcastle, Port Stephens & Port Macquarie

14 September 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

The Basin: Camping in Sydney’s Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

21 August 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Perfect Palm Beach & the Barrenjoey Lighthouse Walk

21 August 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

The great Humpback migration: Whale watching in Sydney

9 August 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

A complete guide to Vivid Sydney: Where to go & what to see

9 June 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Top Illawarra viewpoints and lookouts: Bald Hill, Sea Cliff Bridge & more

7 June 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Finding the secret lookout above Sea Cliff Bridge

7 May 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

A complete guide to exploring Sydney’s Blue Mountains

3 May 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

The Blue Mountains’ Grand Canyon Loop Walking Track

1 May 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

Spit Bridge to Manly: strolling through Sydney’s Northern Beaches

22 March 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

The 5 best photo spots in Sydney’s Circular Quay

18 March 2018
Aus + NZ / Australia / New South Wales

The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk

17 March 2018
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hi, I’m brooke!

I'm obsessed with getting off the beaten path, exploring backcountry gems & travelling beyond the ordinary! I left Australia 6 years ago after finishing a PhD in Biomechanics & have been travelling the world full-time ever since (now joined by my husband/climbing partner, James). I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

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read our gear guides

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🌨️ cold-weather layers

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🛌 sleeping bag & pads

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summit guides

itineraries

outdoor gear

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recent posts

  • Swimming in the Dead Sea, Jordan

    2-week Jordan road trip itinerary: highlights & hidden gems

    14 April 2026

  • Amman city guide: what to do + where to stay in Jordan’s captivating capital

    5 April 2026
  • Little Bridge, Wadi Rum

    Wadi Rum adventure guide: how to plan an epic trip to Jordan’s red desert

    2 April 2026

  • 2-week Norway winter itinerary: Arctic Circle to southern fjords

    20 February 2026
  • Tjeldbergtind winter hike

    Complete Lofoten winter packing list: what to wear for hiking in Arctic Norway

    8 February 2026

@brookebeyond_
brooke ✨travel & mountain gal

@brookebeyond_

  • I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel. Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅 — #norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
  • Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
  • 6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅 (also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations) This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳 — #schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
  • Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
  • sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂 . ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨ . Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: - RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari - 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna - Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco . It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo! . Contact @fjordsafari to book — #flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
  • A few snapshots from one of our most unique adventures: a 4-day dogsledding trip through Sámi country (Sápmi) in Northern Sweden ❄️ For thousands of years, dogsledding has been an essential form of Arctic transport for Indigenous communities, used to travel, hunt, and survive in some of the harshest conditions on earth. Huskies are bred specifically for this environment, capable of running for hours across frozen landscapes + hauling several hundred kilos as a team. To experience it for ourselves, we took a 15hr train from Stockholm to Kiruna, drove 2hrs deep into the wilderness, and then caught a snowmobile the final kilometres to reach a remote kennel with about 50 dogs. Our first day was spent learning the basics: how to harness the huskies, attach them to the sled, and steer + brake properly. And then, we set off into the wilderness with our team of 6 dogs, travelling through snowy forests + across frozen lakes. James + I shared the sled, taking turns driving while the other sat bundled up inside, eyelashes freezing into icicles in the -30°C (-22°F) chill for hours at a time. It was unbelievably remote, the conditions were challenging, and the cold was brutal, but through it all, we formed a real bond with our team— particularly surprising given that I’m usually very scared of dogs (pictured several times here is my beloved Reisling, the best doggie 🐕🖤) It was a surprising + unexpected adventure, but such a special way to experience wild + beautiful Sápmi* *we learned that Sápmi is the traditional + often preferred term (over “Lapland”) for the region of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia inhabited by the Indigenous Sámi people — #sweden #kiruna #dogsledding #sápmi #lapland
  • magical winter lighting delivering midday sunrises and northern lights before dinner ✨ — #lofoten #winter #norway #northernlights #polarnight
  • With sufficient outdoor experience, sound judgement, and reasonable conditions, these 10 hikes are an excellent choice for safe winter hiking in Lofoten! We personally completed all of these hikes in January 2026 with just microspikes + trekking poles (and no other technical climbing equipment), though it should be noted that conditions vary winter to winter— and even week to week. In the event of heavy snowfall, some trails may become impassable without snowshoes or simply unsafe altogether. **It should ALSO go without saying that you are responsible for yourself in the outdoors; this list is based on our own personal experience and must be interpreted within the bounds of your own experience and current winter conditions. For more on winter hiking safety and details on these 10 amazing winter hikes, check out my post 🔗 brookebeyond.com/lofoten-winter-hiking
  • a collection of some mind-blowing aurora moments from our 5 weeks in Norway 🤯 *watch the videos with sound to hear me & @flyingcrepes screaming like it’s our first day on earth lol — #norway #northernlights #aurora #northernlightsphotos
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travel beyond the ordinary

Explore my travel guides, custom itineraries & blog posts with an interactive world map ✨

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  • I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel. Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅 — #norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
  • Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
  • 6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅 (also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations) This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳 — #schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
  • Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
  • sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂 . ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨ . Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: - RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari - 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna - Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco . It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo! . Contact @fjordsafari to book — #flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel. Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅 — #norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅 (also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations) This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳 — #schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂 . ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨ . Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: - RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari - 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna - Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco . It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo! . Contact @fjordsafari to book — #flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/5

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