Growing up in Vermont, I was always drawn to Scandinavia—the climate, the colors, the can-do spirit of people habituated to serious weather. I was also steeped early in Danish and midcentury design by a family that traveled frequently to northern Europe. Other people’s grandparents went to Florida; mine went to Finland.

An August adventure of some kind has become a family tradition, and increasingly, I’m looking for cooler places (both aesthetically and weatherwise) with few tourists. In addition I like comfort, so when I was connected with Torunn Tronsvang, owner of Up Norway, I knew I could delegate the planning of our 8-day escape to her connected team.

Before you even reach the bright yellow front door of podcaster and DJ Arman Naféei’s Los Angeles home, the mood is set by an exquisitely restored 1980 Fiat 124 Spider 2000, in a grey-green metallic Grigio Fumo. It feels on brand for the “directeur d’ambiance” for clients including Giorgio Armani and Moncler. Inside, Naféei is at the sunny yellow La Marzocco machine making an espresso. He pours water from cult wellness destination and grocery store Erewhon into Svenskt Tenn glasses.  “I wanted a mid-century home, with light and space — and beautiful, expansive sunrises,” he says of the one-bedroom, one-bathroom home just off Mulholland Drive, at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. Its panoramic views take in the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory — and the chaotic 101 freeway. Was that the ambience he was after? “I get a sense of the city’s energy,” he smiles.

I grew up outside of Toronto and came to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, in 2001 to study architecture – and fell in love with the place. There’s something very special about historic cities like this one, with a scale that you can hold in your hand, surrounded by nature. At the same time, Halifax is very dynamic, with a population of 500,000 and multiple universities. There is always a buzz in the air.