Helen shares how childhood travel, Swedish island life, fishing, hospitality and local collaboration became Catch and Relax and Life on Your Terms by Helen.
For all Nifty viewers, Helen invites you to a free conversation: Start your business journey: Live life on your terms: https://calendly.com/coach-helen/meeting-with-helen
00:05:20 – Childhood caravan trips, a fishing rod and goldfish in the zoo pond
00:06:40 – The blue teddy bear that survived the journey
00:09:10 – Exchange student life in Wisconsin before instant communication
00:10:30 – Letters, rare phone calls and solving problems alone at 17
00:12:25 – Working as a travel guide and carrying responsibility for people’s holidays
00:14:20 – Sweden’s early tourism education and service management
00:16:20 – Vienna, incentive travel and destination management after the Berlin Wall
00:19:20 – Returning to Sweden, entering tech and finding a new path
00:24:20 – Palm Pilot, Monaco Formula One and meeting her future husband
00:27:20 – Moving to the island and starting Catch and Relax
00:31:00 – “Our paradise, your secret escape”: why they opened their home to guests
00:33:15 – Regenerative tourism: leaving the place better after guests visit
00:36:10 – Sweden’s right of public access — freedom with responsibility
00:39:40 – Artists, poets and why the coast is “in the veins” of Swede
00:44:30 – Life on Your Terms by Helen: helping people build around passion
00:48:20 – Why rural businesses matter for keeping countryside life alive
00:53:20 – Destination Vaxholm and the power of local collaboration
00:57:30 – Resilience, change and “obstacles as possibilities with thorns”
01:02:00 – Domestic tourism, coolcation and rediscovering what is nearby
01:04:15 – Why staying in Sweden is no longer seen as the “nerdy” option
01:08:30 – How travel professionals observe experiences when they travel
01:10:30 – Falling in love with Italy at Lake Garda
01:15:10 – Gibraltar, passports and post-Brexit travel reminders
01:16:00 – The future of tourism in Sweden and Europe
01:18:00 – Helen’s offer: helping listeners explore life on their own terms
🌍 MEET Helen Lundgren
From childhood caravan trips and a year as an exchange student in Wisconsin, to working in European tourism, building a fishing and activity company in the Stockholm Archipelago, and helping others create businesses around their passions, Helen shares a life shaped by travel, hospitality and resilience.
We talk about Sweden’s islands, the right of public access, fishing guides, regenerative tourism, glasshouse lunches with 270-degree sea views, collaboration between local operators, the difference between service and hospitality, domestic travel, coolcation, Italy, southern Spain and why meaningful experiences often begin with what is right in front of your feet.
In this conversation you’ll discover:
• Helen’s earliest travel memories from family caravan holidays
• Why a fishing rod, a zoo pond and a blue teddy bear became lasting childhood memories
• What it was like being a Swedish exchange student in Wisconsin in the 1980s
• Why travel felt more independent before WhatsApp, social media and instant contact
• The travel guide lesson that shaped her view of responsibility and hospitality
• Why Helen and her husband started Catch and Relax
• How fishing, boats and local knowledge became a premium activity business
• Why their glasshouse became a place guests do not want to leave
• The idea of regenerative tourism: leaving the place better after guests visit
• Why Stockholm’s archipelago is so central to Swedish identity
• Why local businesses need to work together rather than compete alone
• Why resilience means adapting creatively, not simply “bouncing back”
• How people can build a business around a hobby, interest or knowledge
• Why rural and countryside businesses matter for keeping places alive
• How coolcation and climate are changing travel choices in Sweden
• Why Helen keeps returning to Italy — and why southern Spain is calling
• Her hopes for tourism, local experiences and helping people create life on their own terms
📌 Helen invites you to a free conversation: Start your business journey: Live life on your terms: https://calendly.com/coach-helen/meeting-with-helen
LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-wejkner-lundgren/
[GUEST LINKS]
https://www.facebook.com/helen.w.lundgren
https://www.instagram.com/helenwejknerlundgren/
https://www.tiktok.com/@helenwejknerlundgren?_r=1&_t=ZN-999cfRFI2aM
💡 TOPICS:
#SustainableTravel #CulturalStorytelling #helenlundgren
Sweden travel
Swedish archipelago
Stockholm travel
Catch and Relax
Life on Your Terms by Helen
regenerative tourism
nature tourism
fishing tourism
hospitality business
local tourism
domestic tourism
coolcation
right of public access Sweden
island life Sweden
turn hobby into business
small business tourism
rural business
travel entrepreneurship
responsible tourism
sustainable travel
Italy travel
Lake Garda
Nifty Travel Podcast
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