Four years ago, entrepreneur and marketing expert Sara Öhman left Stockholm for Funäsdalen. The distance to work has become longer but the closeness to other things she values – like love and the mountains – much closer. With her roof tent on, it’s also easier to get away both for work and adventure.

Contrasts. It is something Sara’s life is filled with. One day she stands in Stockholm dressed to the nines and lectures to hundreds of people, the next day she puts on her wool base layer and heads out to the mountain with a snowmobile or skis at home in Funäsdalen.

Bringing work on the adventure

As a freelancer, there is no sharp boundary between work and leisure; the work laptop often comes along on rooftop tent adventures and the rooftop tent sometimes acts as a hotel on the way to and from various assignments around the country.

Life as a self-employed person allows Sara Öhman to work wherever and whenever she wants, and her adventure days often also include some work time. To ensure access to a stable connection, she usually alternates between free camping and regular campsites.

– The most important thing when working while out on an adventure is to have a big power bank and a really good camping chair. Then I have a small camping table, but often I just sit with the laptop on my lap, or inside the car working.

Prefer glamping over lightweight hunting

Her love for nature and outdoor life has been with her since growing up in Bollnäs. But rather a glamping feeling than a lightweight hunt.

– I have always engaged in this glamping thing, walking short distances and carrying lots of stuff that makes it comfortable and nice on site. Then I travel a lot by car, so the step to a rooftop tent felt obvious, she says.

Sara is a frequently hired trainer and speaker in digital marketing and has worked with over 500 companies around the country. So of course we can’t help but ask - what would she highlight in the marketing of rooftop tents?

– The absolutely best thing about rooftop tents is that it is so quick to set up, and that it is always with you! You don’t have to dig out the tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag from the car and keep packing in and out all the time. It is always on and ready for adventure, says Sara.

Often camps alone

Her travel companion is always her Border Collie Räser.

Is it a comfort to have him as company when you camp alone?

– Well... he’s not much of a guard dog!

The thing about camping alone is something many women curious about rooftop tents wonder about and find scary. Do you have any advice?

– I rarely feel unsafe, I actually think it’s mostly a matter of getting used to it. But I usually choose places where there is a neighbor not too far away and try to pick spots where I have mobile coverage. If you find it scary to be alone, I think you should start by trying campsites, where everyone is there for the same reason and it feels safe.

Often when Sara goes on road trips she has an idea of where to go, but always leaves room for many surprises and changes along the way. For example, if the weather is bad in one place, she sometimes turns around and goes the other way.

To avoid unnecessary stress towards the evening, she always tries to park by around 2-3 pm at the latest.

– Otherwise, I spend the whole afternoon worrying about where to go. Then I’d rather take an afternoon nap with Räser in the rooftop tent, do something near the campsite, and then get up early and do a hike the next morning.

• Have you started thinking about where you will go next?

– Yes, in winter and spring you sit and dream! I’m a bit curious about driving south down into Europe, but I’ve also heard it’s a bit more complicated. North always attracts, a bonus with that is that I don’t have to worry about my biggest fear – ticks!

Otherwise, I’m really into just heading out here at home too, it doesn’t always have to be big road trips. When the rooftop tent is on the car and I feel like sleeping outside, it’s so easy to just drive somewhere and camp by a lake, instead of just sitting indoors all evening, that’s the worst thing I know!