Guest of the Week: Sofia Nordlander, adventurer on a board

Sofia Nordlander was just over 30 when she realised she wanted to travel - on a board! Now she's approaching 40, and by now she has travelled around the USA, Central America and Australia on her longboard. With her minimal pack strapped to an old board that comes with her as a trailer, the adventure lies ahead. It's a different and fascinating way of travelling, and of course we took the opportunity to ask a bunch of curious questions. You can also check out and read more on Sofia's own website Longboardlady.com.

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do when you are not travelling?

My name is Sofia and I live in Borås. My big passion in life is travelling and if I'm not on one, I usually plan for the next. I work in a disability organisation, a job with many challenges and lots of time outdoors, which suits me perfectly. The love lives in Halmstad but the friends in Borås, which means that I alternate the benefits of coast and inland quite a lot.

When did you start boarding and what got you hooked?

San Diego and the small beach suburb of Ocean Beach, California, were my home for a few months in 2012. One morning, at the bus stop, I saw a guy approaching on a longboard. He had a Take Away coffee in his hand and was sipping it as he turned into a side street. I was completely mesmerised, he was one with his board.

Back home in Borås, I mentioned my fascination to my sister who frowned a little and said that I was probably a little too old to start longboarding. But when a year had passed, I decided that if I was old, I was rather old enough to decide for myself what I felt like and one beautiful summer day I was helped by a bunch of local riders to try out my, somewhat wobbly, legs. Instinctively I chose a low board that proved to be exemplary for pedalling in long-distance conditions.

How do you travel with a board and how far do you travel with it?

I have built a trailer from my old board to which I attach packing and water. After many mistakes and a lot of patience, it works perfectly! It is a freedom not to have to carry a rucksack, I have never liked packing on my back.

Measuring distance and time stresses me out and I prefer to stop when I'm simply tired or where there is something appealing. However, sometimes it has been necessary to count to make sure I have enough food and water. On the last trip, with poor tarmac and sometimes almost 50 litres of water for 2 people, we had to calculate for only 3 miles a day. Even though we usually managed much longer, you don't take chances in the desert. At home on smooth, nice cycle paths, the conditions are completely different.

I travel in every way I can and want to. Sometimes the board is stowed in the luggage on the bus or train and lately there have been longer longboard trips. On the next trip, however, the board will be left at home. Then it will be spring sunshine in Barcelona with my boyfriend Anders and my best friends. This summer I will also try my hand at a bike that I will build myself. We don't know where we're going yet, but we're sticking to northern Europe.

Where have you travelled with your board and with whom? Tell us about your travels!

In autumn 2014, I took a year's leave of absence to ride long distance in California and Central America. Unprepared for long distances combined with untested equipment, it didn't turn out as I had planned, but I still managed to cover many sunny miles ... and I managed to wear out the board.

In the US, it was difficult to travel at first, but easy to meet interesting people. A friend with a car helped me around Joshua Tree National Park and the fascinating desert area around the Salton Sea, sometimes on a board, sometimes in a car. Finally, I got my equipment working and headed for my missing San Diego. There I enjoyed luggage-free riding on bike lanes along the beach and breathed in as much nostalgia as I could fit in a few weeks.

Panama, where people are helpful and kind but more shy than in the US. Green and lush nature, sticky air that I love. Anders joined me on his bike and we stopped at worn out hotels along the road when nothing else was offered, other times at beautiful beaches with the sea as our only company. Unfortunately, Panama's rough tarmac eventually killed my longboard and in the Costa Rica I was more or less stuck waiting for a new one. Old friends from Sweden and new ones in Costa Rica kept me company in the meantime.

Life at home demanded my attention and I decided to take a break and be where I was needed for a while. That's when my Australia plans started to take shape and with an extended leave of absence they became a reality.

Till Australia and Stuart Highway, straight through snow-dry plains, Anders followed as an enthusiastic beginner on a board. There, the tarmac, the lack of water and the endlessly straight road became a dizzying challenge. It was nice to have company and someone to share thoughts with. With little variation in the road and scenery, we patiently pedalled along to be rewarded with a small tree for a shady lunch and time to think about everything and nothing.

It may seem boring, but the day we finished our trip, we immediately wanted to be out there again. The tent, the great silence and the endless starry skies. The tinned food and the smell of gas from the kitchen, chilled drinks that passers-by stopped to give us in exchange for a chat. Or the tarmac, when it goes from unbearable to nice and fast, the traffic that subsided completely at night and the ice-cold beer waiting at the next roadhouse that we had been craving for days. It's not boring, it's incomparably good.

Are you never afraid of wild animals and other things, and if so, how do you protect yourself?

The strategy was to have our tent safe from spiders, flies or ants, like a free zone. We failed with both flies and ants but the spiders fortunately stayed out. They were numerous and could give really nasty bites but not fatal. Of course we saw other animals too, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, emus, camels and one day a bunch of cows strolled right outside the tent in the morning. However, most of the animals were roadkills, horribly smelly but completely harmless.

What scared us most was the traffic. The further south we got, the more sparse it became, but when a road train (a truck up to 53 metres long) roars past on narrow roads, there is a great risk of being sucked underneath or losing your balance and going into the road. Usually we could hear their rumble from a distance so we could step off the road until they passed.

What's in your pack? What should be prioritised when travelling with a board?

When it comes to clothing, there's not much room. I have most things in thin merino wool that I can use many times without washing, a fantastic material. In Australia I didn't need any fancy clothes, but in the USA and Central America I squeezed in a skirt as well. A varied pair of shoes with flip-flops on my feet and a down vest for chilly nights.

The kit is also thin. Toothbrush, deodorant, lots of wipes, a good hairbrush and soap are the essentials. With a sunburn, no make-up is needed and I can do without creams of various kinds. Coconut oil is said to partially protect against the sun and I also use it as a lip balm, for dry legs and it even works as a toothpaste if you want. And yes, you smell like freshly greased coconut, so both you and your partner have to put up with it!

Food is a priority and it becomes a sport to look for cans of long-lasting energy. In order to be able to kick all day, we focused on a lot of fat and proteins. Coconut oil (again), eggs, nuts, tuna and tinned meat stews became staples. Food and kitchen take up a large part of the pack. Drinks were water or tea/fast coffee, unless passers-by or kind "neighbours" at rest stops took pity on us and handed us something refreshingly cold.

Spare parts, action camera, headlamp, multi-tool, rechargeable battery, solar charger, tent and sleeping gear, a book, sewing kit, and duct tape (lots of uses). The mobile phone serves as a camera, GPS navigator, media player, extra flashlight and blogging tool when we found coverage.

Things I might miss: It's really not much, you quickly learn to appreciate the simplicity. However, it would have helped with a computer for blogging, a bigger kitchen and a decent pillow for better sleep. A camping chair would not be bad either, the board works well to sit on but seriously, a chair is worth its weight in gold sometimes.

What are your travel plans for 2016?

So far, only Barcelona and that, rather unplanned, cycling I mentioned earlier. We'll probably squeeze in some hiking in the Siljan area as well this summer. Otherwise, we like to travel when the mood strikes and we find cheap tickets. If it's flat and nice asphalt, the board may follow.

Finally, a question we ask everyone we interview: What is your dream destination?

I can't pick one in particular, there are so many places to go. For me, it's more of a lifestyle. The dream of being able to live on the move for an unlimited amount of time will come true one day. Maybe on a bike, maybe in a hippie van, or maybe it will simply be on a longboard!

Thank you Sofia Nordlander for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

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