Scandinavian Outdoor joins forces with me for the coming year! They made a nice interview (in Finnish) so I decided to translate it here. SO = Scandinavian Outdoor.
INTERVIEWING JOONAS LINKOLA
SO: Hi Joonas! Scandinavian Outdoor starts following your adventures for a year from now on. For many of our followers you you are already familiar, but we would like to get a detailed explanation of who is Joonas Linkola right now and what will we be able to experience during the next year?
Joonas: I’m a smily outdoor enthusiast, social media content creator and newly graduated engineer. I like, above all, sleeping in a tent, photographing, producing videos and being on the road! The last few years I have encouraged people to enjoy cabin life and outdoor culture, and I hope that I can also continue this. My own work is mostly visible in Instagram, which has become part of my job.
SO: Where do we get to go with you?
Joonas: Huh! There are certainly many things to do but let’s start from Northern Italy and Slovenia. I’m most likely staying inside Europe, but you never know. Branding of Finnish nature is my passion, so I will certainly put in effort in domestic tourism as well.
SO: What kind of trips and adventures can we expect to experience during the next year?
Joonas: I like when life is vibrant and varied. The same applies to trips and work. I think it’s right to stay in the discomfort area and face all the things that I have prejudices of. During the next year, we are in warm and cold, alone and together. Goal is to develop as a person and encourage others to seek their own boundaries.
SO: You mentioned that nature in Finland is one of your passions – can you mention a few favourite spots?
Joonas: Finland is the gem of this planet. Personally, I am particularly fond of the Saimaa lake area, as well as Lapland. We do not have mountains or fjords, but the beauty can be found in the mood, of the small details and fragrances. In the North especially the eastern border fascinates me: Salla, Oulanka, Urho Kekkonen National Park.
SO: What in the outdoor culture inspires you the most?
Joonas: Absolutely it’s the constant change. How the amount of light changes, the weather changes and the seasons continue. Nature is growing and moving forward, without knowing what’s the day is like tomorrow. It empowers me and keeps me going.
SO: Why was Scandinavian Outdoor being chosen as a partner?
Joonas: I have long wondered that how could I encourage people on practical level to find the joy of movement in nature. My experience is that the biggest threshold is the starting. Often it is because there is insufficient knowledge or skills. Today, however, almost all information related to hiking is digitally available and the cost / quality ratio of the equipment improves as technology develops. So we shook hands with Scandinavian Outdoor and started the collab!
SO: Thanks for the interview, it’s great to start our joint one-year trip! ?
