About a Worldtrotter

Anna-Lena says:

Travelling and working with tourism – it’s my lifestyle, my life, my interest and my hobby.

It started in the little quaint village of Sundborn. I was born and raised there. Played as a child at the painter Carl Larsson’s home and started to help out with guiding there as a 14-years-old.

When I later was employed at the Carl Larson’s home over the summer, a bus tour from northern Sweden visited. It was so much fun guiding them! And they must have thought it was fun too since they asked the superintendent at CL-home if I could get two days off and go with them as a guide around the province of Dalarna. How lucky I was! Because that was the beginning of my life on coaches, on planes, in cities, in countrysides, by the sea and in the mountains – around the world.

Think what path one’s life can take on just one whim…

My life as a Tour Guide
I continued with coach tours in the summer, studied at the university in the winter while working at a travel agency in Stockholm.

It was all over Norway – imagine being able to come abroad! Then there was a wine tasting trip to Germany and tulips in Holland. Even more abroad. Bus tours throughout Europe from the North Cape to Rome, from Scotland to Lisbon and many, many times around Germany, France and the Alps.

Then came the next challenge – moving to Florida, working with guest bookings, planning groups and at least once a week to Disneyworld and Epcot Center. Soon it was time to expand my horizons and the job took me around the USA, Mexico and Australia with thousands of groups.

The next step was to leave the US and move to Australia, then to the West Indies and to London. And the travels continued: Around the World, South America, South Africa and Asia.

I have changed my focus several times and now I mostly travel with incoming in Scandinavia, Eastern and Central Europe and up until recently, Russia.

I am CTM, Certified Tour Manager, by Breda college, Holland and IATM (International Association of Tour Managers) in London.

My life as a tourist guide/local guide
One thing leads to another. As a tour guide, you also sometimes guide on foot in cities and at museums, and from there it was not a big step to study to be a licensed tourist guide. Now I guide at local level both in Stockholm and in Dalarna.

It is important to be educated, to be on your toes, to follow laws and regulations and not to do anything that is not really, really right. I was a qualified guide  for the first time in Sydney, then as a county guide in Dalarna and eventually a Licensed Stockholm guide. I have as well a national certification as a professionally assessed guide.

My life as a Tourism teacher
When Scott (Swedish College of Travel & Tourism) was founded in Orsa, I had the privilege of being there. Both in planning, start-up and as a supervisor in several subjects. Likewise, when TEC (Travel Education Center) in Stockholm and Norrtälje made a new start with several courses, I was involved.

Educating new, hungry, interested people at college level led me to pursue a Vocational Teaching Degree in Tourism which then led to a Bachelor degree in Tourism.

Many guide courses have been arranged in various forms by me, where I have taught in several cases, in other cases examined.

My life as an event organizer
As a tour guide, you organize small ”events” daily, so taking the step and arranging events at different levels, for different audiences and of different topics has not been difficult. Today I arrange activities, meetings and conferences.

My life as a student
Discovering the world, studying and learning something new  became a passion and with that came both the need and the interest to study. Having the privilege of living in a country where university studies are free and lifelong learning a right has meant that, in addition to my first studies in history and ethnology at Stockholm University, I have now also studied at various universities, including art science, many courses about China, cultural studies about different countries, tourism and a full load of other subjects.

I have started my thesis in tourism which is about ”peace through tourism” and above all by traveling together with a group and having a knowledgeable guide who helps to understand the culture you are visiting. Which creates meetings. Which creates understanding. Which might create peace.

My life as a world citizen
Through my interest in the outside world, in cultures and above all my work, I have had the privilege of living in many places around the world. Home, however, has always been a small farm in Svärdsjö outside Falun in Dalarna. I also have a foot on Södermalm in Stockholm and by the sea south of Varberg.

It was many years in the USA – Florida, San Diego and New York but also in Australia – Adelaide and Sydney. Furthermore, I have lived in London, Vienna, Tobago in the West Indies, Germany and Shanghai, China. Getting to step into other cultures, to understand what makes you act a certain way in one place but in a completely different way in another gives a positive feeling and kick.