This post has a little less to do with Vikings than one might think at first blush, unless we want to consider the Vikings as “influencers.” That seems to be the “it” tagline these days: The term often is tossed around referring to those who can excite people because they have identified a niche market, taken a unique perspective, and illustrated a dynamic ability to create change. According to these criteria, one might be able to say that the Vikings were influencers, given that they cornered the market in their era regarding sea-faring, exploration, invasion, colonization, and long-distance trading and raiding. They even influenced a fair number of Irish and Finns and others to sign on to the lifestyle. In our own time, Nordic chic still seems to dominate everything from architecture & design to television programs to tattoo patterns. Check out IKEA, The Vikings on the History Channel and Norsemen on Netflix, or your local hipster bar if you doubt me.
All that said, who would have thought Chris and I could taste the life of being Influencers on our journey to Labrador? It is not the beautiful Point 65 Whisky 18 sea-kayaks that draw people to us; it is certainly not our stylish looks; instead, it is the SylvanSport GO camper/trailer that we are towing that has people stopping us in hotels, at gas stations, at ferry ports, at campsites, and so on and on.
We thought we would write about our GO interactions and conversations later in the trip, but after receiving so many inquiries on the versatility of this camping trailer, we thought that it was high time to let SylvanSport know there is a growing following of folks up here in Labrador and Newfoundland who admire your product.
Chris and I have talked about doing a modified version of what Volvo does in Sweden. We could invite our camping neighbors over, give them a tour of the GO, put them up for a night, and send them on their way with information about the dealerships in Quebec and Ontario. Whereas with Volvo you can drive off with your car and return to the States with it, we still need our GO for the next few weeks! Therefore, think of us as unofficial SylvanSport ambassadors, forward scouts reconnoitering the camper/trailer market in the new countries known to the Norse as Markland and Vinland, much as the Vikings might send advance parties to discover and report back on new possibilities to grow their international footprint.
Follow along on our ongoing adventures in ten-minute intervals via this link:
In the Wake of the Vikings 