Befriend The Locals

Travel is not about liking or disliking. It’s about understanding and appreciation. My last trip to the Faroe Islands, like most Dipa trips, had a full cast of characters. Ole played a major role. He ran the Alamo rental car at the Faroe Islands airport. They just opened two months ago so he did not yet know how to charge an Amex. For insurance, I needed to use the Amex. Ole called me every day of the trip to ask if I had crashed the car yet. Had I said yes, he would have dug deeper with his HQ in Copenhagen to figure out how to charge the Amex. Lucky for me, I brought it back without a scratch and he charged my Visa at the end. Along the way, we became pals. I came to learn that Ole and his wife, with four other couples, own these cute Cottages by the Sea in what became my favorite town in the Faroes, Sørvágur. I stayed in one of the cottages for my last night on the islands and Ole arranged the stay. I heard many stories from other travelers of the Faroese going out of their way to give people lifts, feed them meals, lend their cars or a hand, in so many touching ways. There are few places still like that. Once you stray from Torshavn, the capital, there’s few options for things you may need, so locals take it upon themselves to give. I suppose that is at risk as tourism rises and it feels like a fleeting moment, in an untouched, very special place. The Faroes are poised for tourism, with their sophisticated, world class restaurants that sit juxtaposed to the slow living, jaw dropping, dramatic nature that covers these islands. I hope others get to experience the kindness, generosity and quirkiness of the Faroese as I, and many others, have experienced them. I hope that with the opportunity to visit also comes the understanding and appreciation of the nuances and way of slow living that I feel lucky to have seen a small sliver of ✨THANKS OLE!