This is something that is changing in the way we travel.
The pace is slowed down, screens are given a rest and what once felt like a contrast to everyday life has become its very purpose: silence, presence and genuine experiences.
In Grebbestad, at the top of northern Bohuslän, this longing is clearly visible – not least around TanumStrand, where the sea and nature are always close. Here, in the archipelago of northern Bohuslän, the concept of slow travel has taken hold, and this is where you can really experience it for real.
Here, among salty winds and rounded granite cliffs, Ingela and Marcus Holgersson run the award-winning activity company Skärgårdsidyllen. Since the start, they have let people experience the archipelago for real. From the kayak, from the rocks, from the silence.
For many years, they have also worked closely with TanumStrand, where guests have the opportunity to take part in their experiences, not least kayak tours in the archipelago, but also hikes and yoga in the Bohuslän nature.
– “We meet our guests the way we want to travel ourselves,” says Ingela. “It’s about the genuine. About being in nature, not just looking at it.
A new kind of traveler
In recent years, travel trends have pointed in a clear direction. Concepts such as ‘coolcation’ – choosing cooler destinations over the heat of the Mediterranean – have taken hold. At the same time, more and more people are moving away from the large-scale and towards the small-scale, personal – a development that goes hand in hand with slow travel.
– “Many people don’t want the manufactured anymore,” says Marcus. “They’re looking for the real thing. That which does not feel like a tourist product.
This is evident not least in who finds their way to Grebbestad. Visitors from all over Europe – Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, England and Norway and also more and more from the United States. But no matter where they come from, they are all looking for the same thing: nature, the sea and the feeling of being present.
When silence takes over
Paddling a sea kayak between islets and skerries is an experience that instantly changes the pace. There are no notices, no distractions, just the rhythm of paddling and the sound of water breaking against the rocks.
– “Many people react to the silence,” says Ingela. “It’s almost deafening. And it’s only then that you realize how much noise we otherwise surround ourselves with.
That’s what makes kayaking more than an activity. It becomes a way to land.
– When you paddle, you’re busy. You can’t sit with your phone. You’re here and now, and that’s what many people crave.
During the tours they always stop for a break. Coffee, something simple to eat and conversations that arise spontaneously.
– We often see that people find each other. Someone comes alone, someone else in a group, and then they sit there together. Those meetings are what many people remember most.
A place that touches
It’s hard to talk about northern Bohuslän without mentioning the sea. The special saltiness, the clear water, the light reflected in the granite.
– “Many people say it feels like paddling in an aquarium,” says Marcus. “The water is so clear. And then we have all the islands, it’s something we almost take for granted, but it’s actually quite unique.
The right of public access also makes it possible to get close to nature in a way that few other countries can offer.
– For us, being able to stop on an island, make coffee and just be is a given. But for many of our guests it is a completely new experience.
The little that sticks
In an age where so much is available at a click, it becomes clear what actually matters. Not what is fastest, but what is felt.
– “We have guests who come back year after year,” says Ingela. “Maybe they were here when they were young, and now they come back with their children. It’s nice to be part of their journey.
And perhaps that is the essence of the new travel. Not to see as much as possible, but to experience something in depth.
Gliding between islets and skerries. To feel the wind against your skin. To hear the silence. And to, for a moment, be fully present in what is, exactly what slow travel is all about.
Photo: Kola productions & Alex Vizeo_Loris
