This story belongs to Jonatan, my partner, who I have shared most of the past years with, by van, sailboat and on foot. He made a little film about it, and here is the story in writing.
Four and a half years ago, I left Sweden. I had a simple plan. Escape the winter, learn how to kitesurf, and spend some time exploring Europe. I thought I would be gone for a few months.
Instead, one adventure led to another. Before I knew it, I was living in a van, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, hiking thousands of kilometres, and meeting people who would completely change the direction of my life. Looking back, it is hard to believe how much can come from a single decision.
My name is Jonathan. 43 years young, from Sweden. And this is the story of how it all happened.
Leaving Sweden with a van and a vague plan
So I bought a van. I converted it into a tiny home on wheels, packed my things, made a coffee, and started driving south. To be honest, I did not have much of a plan at the time. I just knew I wanted to reach southern Spain and learn how to kitesurf.
Day by day the weather got warmer, the landscape started to change, and Sweden felt further away.
Tarifa: kites, vans and a different way of living
Eventually I arrived in Tarifa. I had heard a lot about the place before arriving, but nothing really prepared me for it. Everywhere I looked there were kites in the sky, vans parked along the coast, and people living a lifestyle that felt completely different from the one I had left behind.
I thought I had reached my destination. In reality, it was only the beginning.
Island life in the Canaries, and meeting Susie and Wingo
Winter was approaching. Someone told me about a ferry to the Canary Islands, so off I went. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. It was island life, water sport, van life, and just taking the day as it comes.
And then one day I met Suzanne. And Wingo. And we became a team. We parked next to each other and we started to travel together.
I introduced hiking. Not just one day of hiking, but many days of hiking in a row. And believe it or not, she loved it. We crossed several islands together. Both our parents came to visit us. We had one more kite session, and then we left the Canary Islands after five months.
Portugal, and my first time on a sailboat
We were back on the mainland and decided to go to Portugal. We chased waves along the coast and parked in amazing places. And then Susie introduced me to sailing. We joined an ocean awareness program and sailed along the Portuguese coast for two full weeks.
It was my first time on a sailboat. At the time I had no idea that sailing would become such a big part of the years ahead.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean
After the sailing we went to the northern part of Spain, to Galicia, and we explored the mountains in Asturias. Then Suzanne asked me if I wanted to cross the Atlantic Ocean with her and the Ocean Nomads sailing community. The name of the vessel was Twister. I said yes, and off we went.
For three weeks we were out there, only water as far as you could see. It was quite a journey, and when we finally saw land again I realised how much I had missed it.
Five months in the Caribbean
It felt good to be on land again, to just walk around and explore. And I had been missing kitesurfing. It was very exciting to reach the Caribbean. We tried new fruit. I think this one is called water apple.
We felt adventurous and decided to cross the island of Dominica on foot. The trail is called the Waitukubuli National Trail. We were out there for 12 days. The trail was quite well marked, and we were happy that we had brought a tent.
We sailed between the islands and visited local markets. Some islands were very quiet, others could be very busy. Some islands had beautiful flowers, others had turtles, and on a third one, if you were lucky, you could spot dolphins. Some days we woke up on the beach, and other days we were out there kitesurfing the entire day.
Then Suzanne introduced me to freediving. I trained with the local freediving community for one month, and at the end of the month I reached 30 metres.
After five months in the Caribbean, we enjoyed one last coconut, the young kind they call jelly nut. I also hitchhiked back on a sailboat. I made it back to Tarifa once again, and we were reunited with Wingo. And once again I was back on the beach teaching kitesurfing.
Into Morocco
After a few months in Tarifa we decided to take the ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar, and we ended up in Morocco. All of a sudden, we were on a new continent. Very friendly people, a different landscape, different smells. Not everything turned out the way we hoped for, but whatever happened, people always made us feel welcome.
We joined forces with some friends and made homemade tagine, the traditional Moroccan dish. We drove to the very south of Morocco, down to Dakhla, for kitesurfing. It was a lot of sand, but overall the roads were in good shape. Morocco is different, and for sure we will come back. I hope it will be very soon.
Hiking the GR11 across the Pyrenees
We took the ferry back across the Strait of Gibraltar and we were back in Tarifa. I was back on the beach teaching kitesurfing with a new kite team.
Then the mountains were calling, so I headed up to the Pyrenees to hike the GR11, the Trans-Pyrenees. I joined forces with Susi, and we hiked 850 kilometres from end to end, all the way to Cap de Creus.
Sailing the Greek islands
After the hike we decided to head to Greece. Not just to drive around on a scooter, but to join an Ocean Nomads sailing trip. We were 34 people spread across four boats. Together we explored the Greek islands, sailed from bay to bay, and shared long evenings around campfires on the beach.
And once again it felt like life was taking us in a direction we never could have planned.
Back to Morocco, then back to sea
We stopped by for a short while in Spain before we decided to return to Morocco once again. Different villages, different roads. But overall it was a Morocco we had been longing for. Dromedaries, tagine and some tea.
After three months it was time for a new sailing trip with Ocean Nomads. We sailed between the Canary Islands for a couple of weeks. Then I was back on mainland Spain. I made a coffee and had one more surf session with Susie.
The Appalachian Trail
Then I crossed the Atlantic again, this time to the USA, because I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. I was going to hike from the state of Georgia to Maine, a hike of 3,500 kilometres. I brought a tent, but I could also sleep in shelters. The nature was incredible, and a friend of mine joined me. It was a very long walk, but I made it in 100 days.
The Fisherman's Trail in Portugal
Susie and Wingo were waiting for me in Europe, and they also wanted to go for a hike. So we decided to hike the Fisherman's Trail in Portugal. It is a coastal trail, and it was a little bit easier than the Appalachian Trail. It was great to have some hiking buddies. We even found fresh figs directly from the tree.
Mallorca to the Canaries by sail
After the hike it was time for a new Ocean Nomads voyage. This time we were going to sail from Mallorca to the Canary Islands on Little Mia. We enjoyed the calm Mediterranean waters and made some interviews on the way, before we had to stop in Morocco for provisioning. We had one mint tea, and then we left the shores of Morocco to go to the Canary Islands.
Crossing Tenerife and Gran Canaria on foot
After 20 days at sea, I decided to go on a hike just by myself across Tenerife (GR131). After three days of hiking I was back with Suzanne in the van, and believe it or not, she wanted to go on a hike together. This time we were going to hike across Gran Canaria, from the north to the south. Wingo was setting the pace and we took it slowly. This trail was full of beautiful surprises.
Sail training, and the long road home
After six days of hiking I decided to go for sail training. I wanted to do my Day Skipper, and I went with a nice bunch of people. Susie and Wingo were around when I was on the boat, but I always came back to catch up with them. After a little while I was back on a boat again, this time with Ocean Nomads and another sailing school, and then we joined forces again. We left the Canary Islands, back to Tarifa, and back to the kite school I had been teaching for.
This time we said goodbye to some friends, because we were heading back north. I was going back to Sweden. It was about 4,000 kilometres to get back. But we took it slowly, and we made a stop in Holland, where Susie got off. I said hi to her parents, and goodbye, and goodbye to Wingo for now.
And just like that, after four and a half years, I was on my way back home.
What four and a half years of saying yes taught me
I do not know if this is home anymore, but I am parked here at my parents' place, trying to make sense of my journey. I never planned any of this. I simply kept saying yes to the opportunities that came my way.
You do not always need a perfect plan. Sometimes you just need to take the first step.
Thanks for reading. In the next story I will share how I ended up crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Follow Jonatan here on Youtube and Instagram.
If this resonates
Join me on YouTube for more slow travel and adventure videos by sail, van and foot.
A lot of Jonatan's story happened on boats he did not own. That is what Ocean Nomads is for. It is the sailing community I founded, where people with little or no experience find boats to crew on, learn the ropes, and end up crossing oceans together. We are crossing the Atlantic again in the winter of 2026/2027.
If you want the slower, behind-the-scenes side of these trails and crossings, you can also follow along on Patreon.
A few questions people ask
Do you need sailing experience to cross an ocean?
No. My first time on a sailboat was two weeks along the Portuguese coast, and not long after I crossed the Atlantic. You learn on the way, with people who know what they are doing. If you want to understand how that works, Suzanne has lived the sailing life for a decade, wrote 2 books about it and a Zero to Ocean Nomad guidance program. Explore Ocean Nomads to dip your toes into sailinglife.
What was the hardest part: the sailing or the hiking?
Different kinds of hard. The Appalachian Trail was 3,500 kilometres and 100 days of walking. The Atlantic was three weeks of no land at all. The GR11 across the Pyrenees was 850 kilometres of mountains. They each ask something different from you, and you adjust as you go.
How do you afford to travel like this for years?
I kept it simple. A van as a home, teaching kitesurfing along the way, crewing on boats instead of owning one, and cooking my own food. Living slowly costs less than people think.
