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In December 2010 I met Malin at a hostel in Tucson, Arizona. She was occupied with her new GPS navigator which she used for a longer hike. On the next day we went for a hike to Sentinel Peak Park, a mountain right next to the city. It was fascinated how Malin made it her own way up the mountains through cactus trees and up rocks. I found out that she had lot of outdoor experience and went for a couple of really nice oversea trips, among others to a bicycle ride trough Alaska, one from Vancouver to San Francisco and one from Amsterdam to Berlin. She have a really great attitutde and approach how she do those things. Time to ask her some questions about.
Hi Malin, you are from a northern swedish province town and went to the US for several times for bicycle trips – could you tell us how that becomes?
Traveling has been one of my biggest passions since I was a little girl, when my mum started to take us around to see the world, and since the day I was able to go exploring on my own, I did. I started my bike touring in Canada, and as time passed I went down south to do some touring in the states as well. I have been back to both Canada and the States several times during the last few years, just because I really like the scenery here and the people and they are both great countries to travel in with a bike.
Right now you are in Arizona and went out for hikes – how is this trip so far?
My hiking trip was really short lived and it ended after less than a week, but the time I spent on the trail was just amazing, well until the day when it started snowing. But I was lucky to meet some really nice people out there, and the scenery was just spectacular.
Often girls argument that as a male you could do things like that but for females it's not possible. Do you now assumptions like these and do you think it is more complicated for a female doing outdoor trips?
I guess that depends where in the world you are going, some countries. But my experience so far, is that being a female and doing the kind of traveling I have been doing has been far from complicated, sometimes I tell myself that is probably better to be a girl than a guy doing this. Mostly because people really care about me, just because Im a girl, alone, in a foreign country, and I sometimes think that this people wouldn’t have cared as much if I was a guy, and because of this I have meet some really wonderful people on my trips. I also believe that nothing is impossible as long as you set your mind into it, and then it doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl.
How are your family and friends think about your travels? Are you sometimes “talk of the town” back home?
My parents were of course really worried about me as I first set out traveling for four years ago, as a 19 year old. I guess as parents they will never stop worrying, but in a way they have gotten quite used to my way of travel now. Most of my friends back home already have a job, a house, and a family, and my way of life is just so different from theirs, that it makes it hard to even understand. But both me, my family, and my friend appreciate and are proud of each other for the choice we have made and for the things we have accomplice in our life, even though our paths are so far from each other. Coming from a small town where everyone knows everybody and everything about each other, so in a way, everyone is the talk of the town in my village, some more then others.
Do you had some trips where things don't worked as scheduled?
I have always been a very bad planner and traveling the way I do, I have learned that almost nothing goes as planned and that’s why I no longer have a schedule when I travel, instead I kind of go in the direction I feel like going, traveling alone makes it easy to take every days as it come, I can decide if I wanna stay or if I wanna leave, if I wanna go left or right in the next junction I come to. I travel with the philosophy that; “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
Are there some advise you could give to all those people who would like to go for an oversea bicycle ride or hike?
My advise is that if you wanna go abroad to go biking or hiking, just go, don’t just sit at home and worry about how things might be, or if you can do it. Since bike touring is my thing I will talk about that, sure some planning is necessary both for your own safety and for your own comfort. But let me tell you about my first bike touring experience. Back home I have never been too much of a fan of biking, instead I loved to run and to hike in the forest. But when I moved to Whitehorse, Yukon I felt this craving to own a bike, and I got inspired by touring by a friend of mine and books I read. So one day I quit the job I had in Whitehorse, bought some gear for my bike and some camping equipment. It was 7 in the morning as I moved out from the room I had been renting in the town and started out on my tour. I hadn’t even once tried to ride with all my gear loaded on the bike, and it was a bit wobbly at first, I had had my friend show me how to repair a flat tier the day before, and I had a map of Alaska in my pocket, and that was all. I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t know anything about repairing a bike, I set out on my tour just because I wanted a challenge and I loved biking. As time passed I learned to work on my bike, I got my first flat tier and I walked along the road for almost half a hour to find someone to help my fix it. Everything I have learned about biking and bikes I have learned while biking. Today 15.000 km biked since my first wobbly day leaving Whitehorse I have learned a lot about bikes and I do most of repairs on my bike myself. But after all, my advice to everyone that wanna go on a bike tour, know the basic of bicycle repairs, and get some good rain gear, but then don’t worry too much about where youre going and what you wanna see, the most important thing is that youre going, and it will be a good time.
Have you have a wishlists or some trips that you really wanna do in future?
All the world is on my list of things that I wanna see, and I wish to see as much of it as possible before I die.
Traveling has been one of my biggest passions since I was a little girl, when my mum started to take us around to see the world, and since the day I was able to go exploring on my own, I did. I started my bike touring in Canada, and as time passed I went down south to do some touring in the states as well. I have been back to both Canada and the States several times during the last few years, just because I really like the scenery here and the people and they are both great countries to travel in with a bike.
Right now you are in Arizona and went out for hikes – how is this trip so far?
My hiking trip was really short lived and it ended after less than a week, but the time I spent on the trail was just amazing, well until the day when it started snowing. But I was lucky to meet some really nice people out there, and the scenery was just spectacular.
Often girls argument that as a male you could do things like that but for females it's not possible. Do you now assumptions like these and do you think it is more complicated for a female doing outdoor trips?
I guess that depends where in the world you are going, some countries. But my experience so far, is that being a female and doing the kind of traveling I have been doing has been far from complicated, sometimes I tell myself that is probably better to be a girl than a guy doing this. Mostly because people really care about me, just because Im a girl, alone, in a foreign country, and I sometimes think that this people wouldn’t have cared as much if I was a guy, and because of this I have meet some really wonderful people on my trips. I also believe that nothing is impossible as long as you set your mind into it, and then it doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl.
How are your family and friends think about your travels? Are you sometimes “talk of the town” back home?
My parents were of course really worried about me as I first set out traveling for four years ago, as a 19 year old. I guess as parents they will never stop worrying, but in a way they have gotten quite used to my way of travel now. Most of my friends back home already have a job, a house, and a family, and my way of life is just so different from theirs, that it makes it hard to even understand. But both me, my family, and my friend appreciate and are proud of each other for the choice we have made and for the things we have accomplice in our life, even though our paths are so far from each other. Coming from a small town where everyone knows everybody and everything about each other, so in a way, everyone is the talk of the town in my village, some more then others.
Do you had some trips where things don't worked as scheduled?
I have always been a very bad planner and traveling the way I do, I have learned that almost nothing goes as planned and that’s why I no longer have a schedule when I travel, instead I kind of go in the direction I feel like going, traveling alone makes it easy to take every days as it come, I can decide if I wanna stay or if I wanna leave, if I wanna go left or right in the next junction I come to. I travel with the philosophy that; “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
Are there some advise you could give to all those people who would like to go for an oversea bicycle ride or hike?
My advise is that if you wanna go abroad to go biking or hiking, just go, don’t just sit at home and worry about how things might be, or if you can do it. Since bike touring is my thing I will talk about that, sure some planning is necessary both for your own safety and for your own comfort. But let me tell you about my first bike touring experience. Back home I have never been too much of a fan of biking, instead I loved to run and to hike in the forest. But when I moved to Whitehorse, Yukon I felt this craving to own a bike, and I got inspired by touring by a friend of mine and books I read. So one day I quit the job I had in Whitehorse, bought some gear for my bike and some camping equipment. It was 7 in the morning as I moved out from the room I had been renting in the town and started out on my tour. I hadn’t even once tried to ride with all my gear loaded on the bike, and it was a bit wobbly at first, I had had my friend show me how to repair a flat tier the day before, and I had a map of Alaska in my pocket, and that was all. I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t know anything about repairing a bike, I set out on my tour just because I wanted a challenge and I loved biking. As time passed I learned to work on my bike, I got my first flat tier and I walked along the road for almost half a hour to find someone to help my fix it. Everything I have learned about biking and bikes I have learned while biking. Today 15.000 km biked since my first wobbly day leaving Whitehorse I have learned a lot about bikes and I do most of repairs on my bike myself. But after all, my advice to everyone that wanna go on a bike tour, know the basic of bicycle repairs, and get some good rain gear, but then don’t worry too much about where youre going and what you wanna see, the most important thing is that youre going, and it will be a good time.
Have you have a wishlists or some trips that you really wanna do in future?
All the world is on my list of things that I wanna see, and I wish to see as much of it as possible before I die.
Many thanks, Malin!
Im Dezember 2010 habe ich Malin in einem Hostel in Tucson Arizona getroffen. Sie war gerade dabei ihren neues GPS-Gerät dass sie für einen längeren Hike einsetzt einzustellen. Am darauf folgenden Tag sind wir beide auf einen Hike zum Sentinel Peak aufgebrochen, ein Berg rund um die Stadt. Es faszinierte mich wie Malin die eingeschlagene Route durch die Kaktuswüste über Felsen hinauf bestieg und ich fand heraus dass sie über große Outdoor-Erfahrung verfügt und dass Sie schon zu mehreren Übersee-Trips u.a. ein Fahrrad Ausflug nach Alaska, ein Fahrrad Trip von Vancouver nach San Francisco sowie einen von Amsterdam nach Berlin unternommen hatte. Ihre Art und Weise wie sie die Dinge angehen haben viel mit positiver Einstellung zu tun. Zeit ihr ein paar Fragen zu stellen:
Hi Malin, du kommst aus einer Provinzstadt aus dem nördlichen Schweden und warst schon auf mehreren Radtouren in den USA unterwegs, kannst du uns kurz erzählen wie es dazu kam?
Reisen war schon als kleines Mädchen meine größte Leidenschaft als meine Mum mich mitnahm um die Welt zu sehen. Und seit dem Tag, als es mir möglich war, selbst zu reisen, habe ich diese Gelegenheit genutzt. Ich habe eine Radtour in Kanada gestartet und im Laufe der Zeit die USA erkundet. Mehrmals bin ich in den letzten Jahren in die USA und Kanada zurück gekommen. Mir gefällt die Landschaft hier total gut und die Leute. Beide Länder sind bestens geeignet um sie mit dem Fahrrad zu bereisen.
Im Moment bist du ja in Arizona wo du zum Hiken hergekommen bist. Wie läuft diese Reise soweit?
Der Hiking-Trip war nur sehr kurz und endete in weniger als einer Woche aber die Zeit am Wanderpfad war einfach faszinierend allerdings fing es zum Schneien an. Glücklicherweise habe ich wirklich nette Leute getroffen die mir weiterhelfen und die Landschaft war spektakulär.
Oft argumentieren Frauen dass man als Mann solche Trips machen kann aber für Frauen ist dies nicht möglich. Kennst du solche Anschauungen und glaubst du das es als Frau schwieriger ist, solche Trips zu unternehmen?
Ich vermute dass kommt darauf an, wo in der Welt du hingehst, in manchen Ländern vielleicht. So weit ich allerdings Erfahrungen gemacht habe, ist es als Frau zu reisen überhaupt nicht kompliziert, in manchen Situationen sage ich zu mir, dass du es als Lady sogar einfacher hast zu reisen als Männer es haben. Oft habe ich den Eindruck dass sich die Leute wirklich um mich kümmern, als junge Lady, alleine, weit weg vom Heimatland und es scheint mir als hätte ich als Junge diesen Support nicht bekommen. Genau dadurch habe ich auch viele wunderbare Menschen auf meinen Reisen kennen gelernt. Außerdem glaube ich, dass gar nichts unmöglich ist, solange du deinen Verstand benutzt. Dabei spielt es keine Rolle ob du eine Frau oder ein Mann bist.
Wie denken deine Familie und Freunde über deine Reisen? Bist du manchmal „Talk of the town“?
Meine Eltern waren natürlich sehr besorgt als ich vor vier Jahren das erste Mal zu einer längeren Reise aufbrach, damals war ich 19. Ich glaube Eltern werden sich immer Sorgen machen, allerdings ist es bei mir in einem verständnisvollen Weg, da meine Eltern es wirklich akzeptieren. Die meisten meiner Freunde zu Hause haben bereits einen Job, ein Haus und eine Familie und mein Lebensstil ist so unterschiedlich von ihrem dass es schwer für sie ist, meinen Weg zu verstehen. Allerdings schätzen meine Eltern, meine Familie, meine Freunde als auch ich dass wir so unterschiedlich sind und sind stolz auf das was wir bisher erreicht haben und wie wir unseren Weg gegangen sind und dass obwohl wir alle so unterschiedlich sind. In irgendeiner Art und Weise ist jeder bei uns im Dorf „Talk of the town“, der eine mehr, der andere weniger.
Hattest du manche Reien auf denen es nicht so verlief wie geplant?
Ich bin ein sehr schlechter Planer und auf die Art und Weise wie ich reise läuft fast gar nichts nach Plan. Daher habe ich es aufgegeben mir eine Route zu erstellen. Anstelle dessen entscheide ich mich jeden Tag in jene Richtugn aufzubrechen in der ich Lust habe. Alleine zu reisen bringt den Vorteil mit sich, jeden Tag so zu leben wie er kommt. Ich kann mich entscheiden ob ich an einem Ort bleiben möchte oder lieber aufbrechen möchte und ob ich bei der nächsten Kreuzung lieber nach links oder rechts gehen möchte. Ich reise mit der Philosophie, dass ein guter Reisender keine fixen Pläne hat und dass der Weg das Ziel ist.
Kannst du all denen die zu einen Übersee Fahrrad-Trip oder Hike aufbrechen möchten ein paar Tips geben?
Meine Empfehlung für all jene die ins Ausland zum Fahrrad fahren oder hilken gehen möchten ist, einfach los zu gehen. Sitzt nicht zu Hause und sorgt euch was vielleicht sein könnte und ob ihr in der Lage seid es zu tun. Seid Radtouren mein Ding sind, empfehle ich das, allerdings ist ein bisschen Planung sowohl für deine Sicherheit als auch für deinen Komfort notwendig. Lass mich von meiner ersten Radtour erzählen. Zu Hause war ich nie so ein großer Radtour Fan, anstelle dessen bin ich lieber im Wald laufen oder hiken gegangen. Als ich dann in Whitehorse, Yukon spürte ich das Verlangen ein Fahrrad zu haben und ich bekam sowohl von einem Freund als auch von Büchern die ich zu diesem Zeitpunkt las. Also habe ich kurze Zeit später meinen Job, den ich in Whitehorse hatte gekündigt und habe mir entsprechende Fahrrad- und Campingausrüstung zugelegt. Es war sieben Uhr morgens als ich das angemietete Zimmer in der Stadt verließ und meine Tour startete. Zuvor hatte ich noch nicht einmal ausprobiert wie es ist mit der ganzen Ausrüstung zu fahren und es fühlte sich vorerst ein bisschen wackelig an. Am Abend davor hat mir ein Freund gezeigt wie man einen platten Reifen repariert. Ich hatte eine Karte von Alaska dabei und das war alles. Ich hatte keinen Plan. Ich hatte keine Ahnung wie man ein Fahrrad reparierte. Ich startete meine Tour weil ich eine Herausforderung wollte und weil ich Fahrrad fahren liebe. Nach einer Zeit lernte ich dann wie man ein Fahrrad reparierte. Als ich meinen ersten platten Reifen hatte bin ich eine halbe Stunde die Straße entlang gelaufen bis ich jemanden fand der mir half. Alles was ich übers Fahrrad reparieren lernte habe ich aus der Praxis gelernt. Heute, 15.000 km nach den ersten wackeligen Tag in Alaska verstehe ich eine Menge übers Fahrrad reparieren und alles was ich an Ratschlägen geben kann ist, mach dich mit den Basics vom Fahrrad reparieren vertraut, leg dir gute Regenkleidung zu und mach dir nicht zu viele Gedanken wo du hin willst und was du alles sehen willst, das wichtigste ist, dass du los ziehst, dann wirst du eine gute Zeit haben.
Hast du eine Wunschliste oder Orte an denen du in Zukunft hin möchtest?
Die ganze Welt ist auf meiner Liste an Plätzen die ich sehen möchte und ich möchte so viel wie möglich sehen, bevor ich sterbe.
Vielen Dank, Malin!
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