How To Travel Without Money in Sweden

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Or How To Travel the World for Free

We got in to Luleå early in the morning, where we spent the day in nature together with yet a magic yogi friend. As the late afternoon came closer, we got on the local bus to Överkalix, where we were to spend the coming week in the mythical wilderness of the Northern forest.

The saga-like Light shines its glitter over us where we stand in awe in the deep forest. Nowhere but in the North will you find endless forests, swamps and light like this.

From here our story takes a different route as we decided to buy a car and name it Björnen (The Bear)- bringing with us some of the medicine from the north! And even though traveling by car might be the cheapest way to get around (and most definitely the easiest!) Sweden and the North, it is part of another story. So, let’s summarize How To Travel Cheap in Sweden for ya:

Transportation:

Combine sightseeing and transportation Like we did with Inlandsbanan

Combine transportation and sleep There are few over-night travel options in Sweden, but in the North is where you can find them. Sleep poorly while transporting yourself and you save one night worth of lodging, like we did between Umeå and Luleå.

Use local buses Harder to find and time consuming but generally cheaper, offers a lot of fun through random countryside experiences and take you further than you might think. Even across county borders, like when we traveled Dalarna!

Hitchhike might be time-consuming and expensive in terms of buying shitty food and snacks in every gas station you end up at in between rides. However, when wanting to get around a certain area (i.e. shorter rides and without the heavy packing) I recommend giving it a go, like we did in Rättvik.

Drive freerider cars Especially good when you want to get from A to B quick and B is really far away, like the first part of our trip.

Food:

Travel with a portable kitchen, in that way you can cook your own food basically wherever you are and save in on a lot of money. Check out foodbymagie for tips and recipes on easy and cheap food to cook both indoors and outdoors!

Use Allemansrätten and the common fireplaces at resting areas near the roads and by the lakes. Just be mindful with the fire! Read more about how I used it and what it allows you to do here. 

Learn the local plants, mushrooms and berries and just like that you have free food all around you! I will write more about this topic, if you are interested? In the meantime, check out foodbymagie and coming events and workshops here.

Accommodation:

Forest Camping & City Camping Travel with a tent in Scandinavia and you always have a place to crash. Read more about Allemansrätten and how we camped in Umeå.

Staying with friends & Couchsurfing We actually didn’t camp all that much, staying with good friends and locals always offer great experiences!

Work exchange Psst, there are cool work exchanges too, not just for accommodation, like we did on Yoga Camp and at Läkegården.

Hidden Costs: You know what I’m talking about; toilets, Internet, and most definitely where to store the bags when you don’t have a hotel/car or the like!

Library hangout: Good place to charge your devices + use the Internet for free. I’ve used the library both in big cities like Malmö and small towns like Kalix, you might need a library card in some places tho!

Toilets: The church. Even if you can’t find public toilets, you will find a church- go check their opening hours! In addition, I like to hang out in the often times very beautiful old buildings.

Backpack storage: Can’t find any lockers? No worries, locate the tourist information and ask if they have any suggestions. Both in Mora and Umeå they let us store our backpacks and bags for free! 

Do you have any great tips about traveling without money you think I should add? Or a great idea you think I should try? Comment below!

Next post: about the sacred waters and mountains of Arjeplog and how we ended up visiting a Samí family. 

Pura Vida!!

One Day in Malmö

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The thing with big cities is that they might be difficult to get to know, especially if you’re only visiting for a couple of days. I like to put together One or Two days programs that offer a good chance to meet the soul of a city. Here is my attempt to do so for Sweden’s third largest city: Malmö.

Start your day early, so that you stroll the streets as the stores are starting their day. Empty streets during morning quietness are one of the secret beauties of City Life. Stroll around Möllan’s thrift store packed corners and look for hidden gems or alternative health shops. Continue to Astrid och Aporna, where you fill a basket with random organic and vegan goodies. No food planning, just pick the yummiest looking thing on the shelf to create a Vegan Smörgårdsbord feast later.

After spending time in a food store, lunch is probably on the agenda. Head west towards the Agnes street and lovely Café Agnes. This popular and Mother Nature friendly pearl serves creative meals and sublime Fika (pastries). Its location, interior and charming patio are all characteristics that define Malmö. After a filling lunch, and despite being stuffed, buy a vegan brownie to go. Just do it you won’t regret it!

Locate the central station and take a bus to its end stop. Find a yellow bus that says “Falsterbo” and pay with a bus card for a better deal. The ride is about an hour and shows you both ocean and big yellow rape field.

Walk over the sand dunes and let the turquoise ocean greet you. If you visit in spring or early summer: enjoy the stillness and gentle breeze. If it’s in July, try to find a spot for your towel in between German tourists. Bask in the sun until you remember the brownie you brought and decide to eat it while waves are stroking the shore.

Falsterbo Beach, Malmö, Sweden

Take the bus back and spend the night cooking your random groceries. Maybe it turns out as Swedish vegan tapas. Try to use all your ingredients as you create a recap of the day in the kitchen.

If you happen to try this on a Tuesday, you might as well end a perfect day with a beautiful Kirtan gathering at Yoga Kendra on Friisgatan. If you’re out on a Saturday, on the other hand, why not bring the food to take a boat ride along the river, accompanied by live music. 

Do you have any hidden secret places you want to share? Please comment below! :)

Pura Vida

Studying Abroad in Costa Rica: this is all you need to know (part one)

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Studying Abroad in Costa Rica: this is all you need to know (part one)

Tourist Visa vs. Student Visa This means that after 3 months, you will have to leave the country and stay out for 72 hours before coming back in again...

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The Nomadic Yogi

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According to Sri Pattabhi Jois and his Yoga Mala, the space where you do your asana practice (poses) should be open and clean. In the west we are used to shalas being spacious and with a lot of room in between yourself and your neighbor. The studios are clean, have a good temperature and are QUIET. Most of us even expect a yoga space to be this way. However, yoga is about being able to quiet the mind to ground oneself and to stay focused. We practice these things on the mat to be able to apply them in our everyday life. Sticking to a regular practice while traveling is of course challenging in many ways but I believe it to be beneficial for me and for my practice to face these challenges. As yet a Staying Healthy On The Road post and to give you inspiration to keep rolling out your mat wherever you are, I share with you some of the places I’ve been doing my asanas the last few months. In some of them I had to take a few extra breaths to focus on myself instead of outside distractions, whilst in others magic happens(ed). I believe we need both sides of the coin, or it’ll get boring ;)

 

1. Hostel floor next to yesterday's stinking beer cans

Beds on Bohio, Jaco, Costa Rica

I am grateful for the spacious privates and their including patios in this place. Hostels are always a challenge for yoga practice since it’s never silent. This is not the first hostel where I’ve been doing my morning practice, nor is it the only or last one. It is, however, the only party-hostel I would stay at and where I keep showing up regularly. The smell of yesterday’s party (or the sounds of it during night) is part of the experience and I breathe through any annoyance that might come up. In addition to remind myself about the gratitude I feel for having a mat-sized patio outside the room. 

2. In the jungle together with all kinds of friendly animals that want to join me.

Uvita jungle hostel, Costa Rica

Practicing in the jungle is amazing in so many ways; the colors, the clean air, the heat, the curious hummingbirds and playful toucans, and the sounds of the forest. However, every now and again mosquitos, ants and simply all kinds of bugs like to join in. And sometimes cats. That is fine though, I like that kind of company, it keeps me staying humble.

3. Together with 22 awesome women, every morning for 22 days, on an uneven and semi-broken wooden floor

Yoga in Tamarindo with Drishti Yoga Teacher Training, Costa RIca.

The challenge for me –who is used to yoga alone- was to suddenly share my practice with others every day, and to be guided through most meditations. Sharing and creating connection in that way open up the heart and let you go deeper in your practice. I am forever grateful for what these lovely ladies shared with and taught me. 

4. On the beach when waves are coming in, removing the sand under my balancing point

Playa Uvita Costa Rica

The picture speaks for itself. Balance and alignment are obviously affected. Good fun to play around with both of these asana foundations though! 

5. On a friend's dusty floor while the news broadcast is blasting out from the radio at 6am

Deep breaths and a strong Drishti to go within and connect are what help me stay grounded and calm in these kinds of situations. Yet a place to grow if it’s added to my practice every now and again.

 

I guess it all comes down to one thing really; learn to lie on the floor everywhere. And all yogis I know love being on the floor so it actually doesn’t take long no matter where we are before our feet are up the wall.

Beds on Bohio, Jaco Beach Costa Rica with Megan and Sabeena

Where do you find it most challenging to do your practice, exercise, meditation or workout? Share in the comments below!

Pura Vida

Yoga Teacher Training Costa Rica

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Guanacaste province is located in the northwest of Costa Rica. This province is the warmest in the country and between November and April there is hardly any rain (dry season), resulting in dry forests and a desert like climate.

During one of these hot months is when I decided it was a good time to do a Yoga Teacher Training. It happened to be located just outside of Tamarindo, which is basically as far as you can go from Puerto Viejo (southeastern corner of the country). And it was indeed hot, even I used air-condition! And, occasionally, I really missed the green jungle and all its sounds, movements, rain and humidity. I was surprised, however, that the howler monkeys woke us up around 5 am still, and they were close! Strolling around the surrounding areas showed me the many mango trees and it started to make sense why heaps of monkey families were hanging around in the desert.

Sunset Playa Negra, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We started late in the mornings (6:45), when the sun was already up, making the sun heat the shala to a boiling temperature by the end of practice (9:30).  Everyday we also practiced teaching, had philosophy class, anatomy class and Yin Yoga. In total, we did more or less five to six hours of physical practice everyday. I truly enjoy that kind of intensity every now and again. The regularity takes my practice to new levels and the wisdom from the physical asanas (postures) grows deeper inside me. For anyone wanting to experience profound transformation, I recommend trying longer retreats (no matter what level you’re at on your path). And of course, I recommend joining me and Yoga By Magie for any workshops, classes and retreats :)

Reversed Prayer. Sunset Jaco Beach, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica

Every seventh day we had a day off. If you’re a yoga junkie, it’s hard not to do any practice at all, even though the body really needs some rest to process what it’s learning. I kept my morning meditations, in addition to going with some of the girls to Playa Negra to try Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time! We went to an empty beach where the ocean was quiet enough to not knock us of balance. Doing yoga outside can be challenging, but if you’re used to it and have a good drishti (focus) you will enjoy SUP yoga. My favorite part was lying in Savasana (on my back), hands touching the water, looking up to Father Sky and Grandmother Moon, noticing the shore with its trees in the distance while the sun was setting over the west coast of Costa Rica. Big hug to Naturalbeautyyoga who showed us this place!

I am grateful for having met such a beautiful group of strong, independent and open-minded women. Already a couple days in, I asked to experiment with them by guiding them through a drum meditation and ended up doing another one the week after. Thank you all for being so receptive and for everything you shared during these weeks!

Me and two of the girls drove down to Jaco for a couple of nights to get a different scenery and some beach. While they headed back home to Canada, I went visiting another yogini in San Jose and together we bussed down to Puerto Viejo to watch the craziness of the last Easter days. That is to say, I am now back in the buzzing jungle doing yoga, writing on the porch, doing sweat lodges and work at the wellness center.

Sabeena, Megan, Magie at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

What did you do for Easter?

 

Pura Vida

 

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson


Road Trip in Costa Rica's Paradise

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The last few days, we’ve been on the road and I have managed to have a few relaxing moments without work ;) We rented a 4-wheel drive in San Jose and headed south on the west coast, towards a small beach village called Uvita. The guidebooks happily refer to this part of the country as “the real Costa Rica”, meaning this is what Costa looked like before tourism created beach towns with hotels, restaurants and roads. I’d say that statement is exaggerated as the main highway runs all the way down to Panama and is a proper, good road to drive on. Sure, there are no towns to be seen (and obviously the further south you get the more national parks and less people there are) but there are plenty of hotels and you need a car to get around. The tourism here is rather for the ones who have money.

Uvita and its surroundings are amazingly beautiful, remote and tranquil. Even though we are traveling in the backwash of high season, we found empty beaches and quiet waterfalls. The Uvita beach and the ones following south are all part of the Marino Ballena National Park and, thus, are protected and preserved with the help of an entrance fee, certified guides and the like. Needless to say, that makes the area clean and home to many interesting animals such as dolphins, whales, turtles and colorful fish. We went for a boat and snorkeling tour to swim in the warm ocean and say hello to the playful dolphins in the bay.

After a few days of spectacular beaches, ocean, animals, waterfalls and yoga on a wooden deck in the jungle we jumped back in the car and headed towards Jacó. I have earlier tried to explain Jaco, but it has to be experienced and that is precisely why I took my sister here last year, and now Ola. It is intense though and I can only stand it for a couple days in a row. One morning I did my practice on a hard concrete floor, among the fumes of last night’s beer. Challenges make you grow.

The Famous Jacó Sunset

After Jaco, we headed north and today we made a road trip from Tamarindo to Nosara. All of Nicoya Peninsula requires a 4-wheel drive, patient and a lot of time. Just this short trip took longer than expected due to gravel roads, roadwork and car accidents. We had a great day tho, and shot a short video for you. My first vlog haha Enjoy! And comment below if you do=)


Today, I'm starting my next project; the Yoga Teacher Training here in Guanacaste. I look forward to 3 weeks of deep asana practice and further self-exploration! See you in a few weeks=)

Pura Vida