Northern Europe between land and sea

As a Travel Designer, my goal is to become a specialist of the Nordic countries in order to make eco-friendly travels for these destinations.

I will travel 6 months (from March 15th to September 15th 2020) in 5 countries : Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, known for being sustainable destinations. This travel will allow me to discover slowly each country, minimizing my impact on the environment.

My project is to promote non-motorised transports and activities because I want to preserve natural inheritage and cultural diversity.

I will travel by different types of transportation as walking, bicycling, kayaking, sailing and by train. My goal is to achieve 7 900 km in 6 months. 

The important steps of this challenge :

- Kayaking and walking through the North-West Icelandic fjords 

- Bicycling 900 km along the Swedish coast during one month following the EuroVélo 10 from Uppsala to Luleå

- Kayaking 170 km in 5 days through the Finnish lakes from Kuopio to Savonlinna

- Sailing through the Gulf of Bothnia from Turku to Stockholm passing through Åland islands 

- Bicycling 680km in the Danish Jutland during 20 days 

I want to take advantage of this experience for making a video and photographic report. In order to share this travel, I already started to build a blog (Walk Ride Sail) which will be my log book all along my travel. 

I am Léa van Cuyck and I am 25 years old. Passionate about traveling, ecology and history.

After graduating in Tourism and Travel industry (a two-year Technical Degree), I am completing a Bachelor Degree in Ecotourism. Editor of a website focused on sustainable tourism (Green World Nomad), I am also writing travel articles for the Génération Voyage online magazine.

The sustainable tourism is part of my work and a philosophy of life. As a Travel Designer, I am already deeply convinced that sustainable tours are the key for a better tourism. 

I traveled in Scotland and Wales during one month and a half as sustainable as possible, with just a backpack and a map. I am really enjoying this type of travel because I like to meet locals, discovering new landscapes, minimizing my carbon footprint.