My Journey with Leathermen Travel

by Paul Couillard

In February and March 2022, I embarked on a month-long trip to Scandinavia planned in conjunction with Will Stone and Chuck Russell of Leathermen Travel. After several days with friends in London, England, I visited Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo and Bergen, Norway; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

We began discussions the previous September with Will and Chuck asking me the places that I wanted to go, the kinds of things that I like to do and see, and  they provided some preliminary recommendations as to some options I should consider. After deciding upon an itinerary, I booked my flights and hotels with  the recommendations provided by Chuck and Will to maximize my time in each city and to hit as many highlights and opportunities for nightlife as possible. (How refreshing it is to have travel planners with whom one can be completely open and who anticipate the kinds of things that leathermen want do see and do!)

Will and Chuck’s recommendations were spot on. The hotels they suggested were in my price range and well-situated for public transit and convenient to restaurants and gay bars and clubs. Their expertise opened new doors for me. For example, instead of flying from Oslo to Bergen, they urged me to take the train which is one of the most spectacular on the planet. Leathermen Travel
opened doors that I wouldn’t have done on my own. My guidebook stated that Domkirkeodden, the ruins of a 12th-century cathedral in Hamar, Norway that are spectacularly preserved under glass, were closed when I was there. But Will inquired and found out that as a retired architect, the staff would open the facility for me to tour or even arrange for a paid tour, which I did—one of the highlights of the trip. They also made arrangements for me to meet up with a few guys from local leather communities which allowed for more experiences. As the trip grew nearer, the guys presented me with a PDF itinerary that had each day’s destinations and transportation clearly laid out; an itinerary that I reviewed at night and that I carried with me on my phone.

Travel in the time of Covid is difficult and Will and Chuck were there to encourage me
when I felt overwhelmed or discouraged by rapidly-changing travel requirements and they helped me tweak plans when circumstances
demanded it. And when I contracted Covid and ended up in a Copenhagen hospital for eight days, there were daily texts and  messages from the guys to keep my spirits up. Because of this, I didn’t get to sample as much nightlife on this trip as I had planned for and am hoping that will be rectified on future trips with Leathermen Travel.

In spite of this setback, the trip still was spectacular and I marvelled at
how much more I saw and experienced because of Will and Chuck’s
expertise. We’re already planning for my next trip—to Folsom Europe!

[Click here to read more of what your fellow traveling Leathermen have to say about LEATHER TRAVEL PLANNING.]