Week 32 of „One Year – One Island“
It was only natural that I would draw a campsite. Öland is a camper’s paradise. On the island’s 137 km length, there are currently 26 campsites and countless smaller and larger mobilhomes pitches vying for customers. Some have many loyal customers, others advertise a specific niche – e.g. Eriksöre attracts dog owners and Wikegård waves the Pride flag – and two of the campsites boast a 5-star seal. One of these two 5-stars-places is Böda Sand Camping. With 1,350 slots and 125 cottages, it is Sweden’s largest and best-known campsite. A docu-soap on Swedish TV called Böda Camping, which was filmed for four years in the summer and broadcast in the winter, also contributed to its fame. You can imagine how many Stockholmers and Gothenburgers watched this show in the dark, wet winter, longing for their summer vacation. A complete success! See the intro:
Subsequently, there were even legal actions because another campsite in Böda had designed its advertising in such a way that many customers mistook it for the TV campsite and only discovered the deception upon arrival. The fake campsite then insisted that cancellations were no longer possible – and the „real“ campsite was, of course, already fully booked. The fact that the campsite operator then became abusive to the disappointed campers finally broke his business neck, because all handyman and companies of North Öland turned against him; no one wanted to work with this campsite anymore. There is now a new owner, and he is still struggling with the bad reputation of his predecessor.
Böda Sand Camping is a place of longing for many Swedes. Located on a 20 km long, snow-white sandy beach, shaded by tall pine trees and surrounded by deep forests where, yes, there are also moose. But the real appeal lies in the offerings, which have been massively expanded over the past 15 years: in addition to several restaurants, a bistro, an after-beach pub and a café/bakery, there’s a pool area with water slides, a spa, and a sauna, as well as a hairdresser, a large grocery store, mini golf, a yoga lawn, a 9-hole golf course, a childcare center, a youth camp with skateboard ramps, a climbing wall, and trampolines, a huge playground, and an outdoor gymnastics facility. Oh, and well-known music and theater shows perform on the covered outdoor stage. And so you don’t miss a thing during the most precious weeks of the year, there’s a special Böda Camping app where you can view and book the current program, check the pool water temperatures, and browse the weekly changing restaurant menus.
Of course, this massive entertainment and relaxation machine requires an incredible amount of staff. That’s why the HR department has a recruitment office in the nearest city, Kalmar. From there, older pupils and university students are welcomed into the Böda Camping family and committed to the company for years. Naturally, this also affects all other campsites, restaurants, hotels, etc., which are also looking for summer staff. But only if you are not landing the desired position at Böda Camping, you would look further, as all other summer jobs are second choice. The staff are offered almost as much as the customers themselves: shared accommodation with their own barbecues and staff parties – yes, this is where long-lasting friendships, first loves, and shared growing-up experiences are formed. Everyone wears the same uniform: a bright yellow T-shirt with the word „Staff“. Teenagers love to strut around in it, even in their free time. I know this because my own daughter once worked there.
When I was sketching the week after Midsummer, the regular pitches were occupied by permanent campers, with small fences, huge canopies flanked by flowerpots and solar lamps. There were also a few smaller tents for touring cyclists, converted VW vans, and many camper vans. It wasn’t completely booked yet, and there were still some open green spaces, but that would change by mid-July at the latest. I sat with my back to the skate park in the shade of a pine tree and watched the families go about their holiday rituals. In the morning, many people headed toward the beach and pool; later, children were cycling and racing each other on e-scooters, eating lots of ice cream, and daddy would start the grill. So here’s my camping picture, which had easily been painted on every other campsite on Öland.
Me and my husband like our own camptrailer. We usually go when it is offseason and we do not stay many hours on the campsite, but love to do excursions during the day: art halls, long walks in a forrest, visiting an old building or castle. It is lovely to sleep in your own bed and having a space which is just your own AND having the opportunity to travel around during the daytime. Do you like camping? Or glamping? Or are you a wildcamper? Or do you prefer hotels or holiday apartments?
