The Drone Dish: Kory Christensen

On this episode of The Drone Dish, Tyler chats with California native Kory Christensen, a.k.a. Adventurous Drone. Kory and his girlfriend have traveled to over a dozen countries together, and the duo always brings a drone with them in their travels. 

In the past two years, they have been to places like Norway, China, Iceland, and Hawaii, just to name a few. When they're not traveling to remote locations, Kory enjoys flying his drone along the beautiful California Coast.

Be sure to check out their AirVūz Profileto see more of their travels! 

And to see more videos from the world's best drone pilots, click HERE! 

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Tyler: We're excited to be joined on The Drone Dish today by Kory Christensen. Kory, thanks for coming on the show.

Kory: Well thanks for having me.

Tyler: Absolutely. Now you and your girlfriend Sophie are known as the 'Adventurous Pair,' and on interviews as the 'Adventurous Drone.' When did the two of you start traveling together and how did that love of travel begin?

Kory: We've been traveling for about four years now and we're both a little bit intense travelers. We're the kind of people that like to get up really early and get that perfect shot. And we're lucky to have found each other, because that's kind of rare. So we've been doing it four years and it's been wonderful. Probably visited more than a dozen countries together.

Tyler: That's awesome. Now you've been bringing a drone on your travels as well. When did you first start doing that? And how did you decide to add a drone into your travel photography?

Kory: Good question. I started using the drone about two years ago. My first drone was the Mavic Pro. For me, portability is the most important thing. And getting a Mavic Pro was really a Godsend because it allowed me to bring it on all of these trips.

Tyler: Well that answered my question, what drone you travel with. Is that something that you'd encourage fellow travelers to bring if they're thinking about using a drone?

Kory: Absolutely. It's a great drone. In fact, I just got the Mavic 2 Pro, and it's a wonderful drone.

Tyler: When you're traveling, do you have destinations in mind that you want to fly? Or do you kind of figure it out as you go? Or how do you go about picking the spots and the locations that you fly when you travel?

Kory: A little of both. I do a lot of research in advance. I look at drone videos on YouTube and other places to try to find examples of things that people have done. I remember looking at your interview with [Brim Burgay 00:01:38], for example, for Norway. Now those kinds of things really give me a good idea of some of the places I can go. A lot of the places that I film are completely surprises. I wasn't prepared for them. Some of the most beautiful things are waterfalls that don't even have a name. So, a little of both.

Tyler: You mentioned Norway, I know you recently uploaded a whole bunch of videos of air views, from your trip to Norway, and that's probably my number one bucket list trip for where I want to go with my drone. What advice would you give to someone like me, or any other drone pilots out there who want to go to Norway and then want to fly.

Kory: Weather there is variable, and you can't count on it being dry at any given time. So, one thing is, when you see a shot, take it. And there were a couple of times where I seen some beautiful areas, and I decided I'm going to wait til tomorrow, I'm a little tired. And then the next day it was pouring rain. So, if you see a good shot, definitely take it.

Tyler: Yeah, those are some good tips. I know you're based in California, which is another great spot to fly. I had the chance to fly out there earlier this year. Where are some of your favorite spots in that state, to fly the drone?

Kory: There's so many beautiful places in California, I particularly like the Northern California Coast, where I live. I live in San Francisco. And you know, this weekend I'm going to Mendocino, which is three hours north of San Francisco, just some really beautiful coastline. One thing to keep in mind with California, is that there is a lot of national parks. So there's some of the most famous places, like Yosemite, and you really can't film there. There are other areas outside of national parks that are almost as beautiful.

Tyler: One of the other places you flew that I'm pretty jealous of, is the Great Wall of China. And I went there about a decade ago and that was before drones were really a thing. What was that experience like? To fly at the Great Wall?

Kory: It was actually a little nerve wracking. I always research before I go, the legality of flying the drone. In this case I had had a lot of mixed messages about whether it was allowed or not. So I intentionally went to a place that was less touristy. I didn't go to Badaling, which is like one of the big tourist parts of the Great Wall. I went to a lesser known one. And I also got there really early, so really nobody was there. And I felt more comfortable flying.

Tyler: We talked about some of the pretty amazing places you've been able to fly. Do you have anywhere on your list that you'd like to go next? Or any plans for any upcoming trips?

Kory: I think my next three trips are Hawaii, Germany, and then early next year, Spain, then in the summer of next year, South Africa. So I've got a big line up right now and I'm already starting to do the research on some of the places, like when we go.

Tyler: I'm sure you're bringing the drone with and if you are, I can't wait to see the footage from that. Kory, we really appreciated chatting with you on The Droners today. Thanks for coming on.

Kory: No problem at all. Thank you.