Christian Nielsen.


Christian Nielsen is a journalist and keen tourism industry watcher based in Brussels. He writes pretty much anything that takes his fancy, from  the woes of travelling with kids to the latest ‘impact investing’ developments in Europe. But most of his output these days is in EU affairs, sci-tech writing and marcoms.

25 April 2023

Not-so-distant memories of trench warfare

As Australians and New Zealanders mark the solemn ANZAC Day1 tradition on 25 April, Christian Nielsen explores the trenches of WWI through the prism of war […]
1 February 2023

Zwanze traditions for cold, thirsty cost-savers

As Belgians hunker down in chilly houses, their living standards crushed by mounting energy and mortgage costs, could quaint café customs be rekindled for the modern […]
29 November 2022

Peace of mind for new breed of mobile workers

Don’t let feelings, friendships and other fundamentals of wellbeing be overshadowed by the practical details of relocating Bags packed. Worldly possessions boxed, labelled and ready for […]
2 August 2022

Skagen by name, Skagen by nature

What’s in a name? Philosophers and keen linguists would have a field day on the word ‘Skagen’. To Swedes, it triggers a Pavlovian response as the […]
14 July 2022

Sweden’s clever vaccination push against tick-borne encephalitis

Blueberry-picking, free-camping, forest-trekking… this is the blissful image we have of Swedish summer holidays. Deadly diseases caught from tiny arachnids doesn’t fit this dream picture. And […]
31 March 2022

Analogue travel, mapping the byways

We feed coordinates into a satnav or phone app and let it do all the hard work. It works beautifully… until it shuts down. Then what? […]
11 March 2022

Are film festivals back with vengeance?

It looks like it. Back in the flesh and with a palpable post-Covid vim, Ostend Film Festival (FFO) kicked off last week with a rich programme […]
3 March 2022

Brussels Cemetery. A most unusual place of respite in the city

Though it might not be the first place you would look for a burst of fresh air or a spot of tourism, Brussels Cemetery has a […]
11 February 2022

Australia. The trip you have to make, despite everything

There are some real-life travel stories you want to write. Others you just have to write as catharsis to the author or caveat to the reader. […]
10 November 2021

Wet nose in the salty air

Spoiler alert. This is a dog story. If you’re a cat person, ambivalent about dogs , don’t take short breaks, or oddly, hope this is going […]
2 November 2021

How can tourism wake up from the dystopian nightmare?

Everyone knows the story by now. Free-flowing international travel has become a relic of a pre-Covid era. Lockdowns, border closures, travel restrictions are a dystopian version […]
13 October 2021

Belgium has its own Hemingway story

Hot on the trail of D-Day soldiers bound for Germany, Ernest Hemingway’s dash through Belgium is not the stuff of bullfights or gallant tales of the […]
30 September 2021

Tale of two Spanish beach cities

Could Malaga take over from Barcelona as Spain’s top city-beach destination in these post-Covid times? Probably not, but it might come down to smart tourism choices. […]
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