Getting ready for the adventure of our lives

Five years ago, in June 2019, I received a cultural grant from the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation for a book project I was planning to carry out during the following summer. Me and my then 8 year old son Tim was going on an interrail trip through Eastern Europe where we would stay with complete strangers through the global network Couchsurfing. It was supposed to be the follow up of my previous book "The Whole World on my Couch", released in 2013, a story of how I hosted 35 people from all over the world on my couch during a six month period and conducted interviews with them about travelling, tourism, Sweden as a tourist destination and social interactions with strangers. 

Our trip was prepared in detail. All our hosts from Germany and Poland through Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic were expecting our arrival. The excitement and travel nerves were on edge and I couldn´ t wait to embark on our journey. 

Then came something none of us had ever anticipated - the pandemic. Our plans were abruptly put on hold. And for a long time I doubted that we would ever be able to make the trip. But as the saying goes, if there´ s a will there´ s a way. 

Fast forward to June 2024. The bags are packed. The interrail passes and train tickets are purchased. New couchsurfing hosts are booked and this time, my friend and colleague Ylva Bergman will be joining us to document our journey through her amazing photography. I am thrilled and grateful and once again looking forward to the adventure of our lives. 

In this blog I will be posting reports from our entire 4 week trip, starting tomorrow morning (June 14) at Stockholm Central station. We would love for you to follow us during our journey, that will later be documented in a book. 

Are you ready? 

We are 😀