Liquid lifestyles, mobile dreams. The threefold liquidity of a surfer-traveller lifestyle

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article studies three key liquidities of a surfer-traveller lifestyle. The first liquidity is mobility, or the ‘fluid’ nature of the lifestyle, following Bauman’s analysis of liquid modernity. The second liquidity is water: waves and sea. The third liquidity refers to oil, the ‘lifeblood’ of mobility. The analysis is based on 20 thematic life story interviews with Finnish surfer-travellers who lead a highly mobile lifestyle, one that often involves flying to distant surf locations. The results reveal that the three liquidities intertwine and blend in complex ways. Surfing deepens surfer-travellers’ relationship with water, which enhances their understanding of ecological issues. Surfer-travellers largely desire to continue travelling, and their relationship with ecological issues is ambivalent, but they often also seek ways to compensate for their individual ecological footprint. Furthermore, many of them engage in various forms of environmental activism. The findings are connected with issues of sustainability in surfing and mobilities.