Boda Borg

By: Tom Lally, CFP ®

No, I’m not talking about some villain in a new Terminator movie.  If you’re not familiar with this – and neither was I prior to going – I think its best described as a cross between an escape room and obstacle course.  The concept actually originated in Sweden in the 1990s, eventually opening their first (and still only) US location in Malden, near Boston.  I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I walked out thinking it was one of the more unique things I’ve ever done – in a good way!

Rather than one big activity that could take an hour or more, Boda Borg has a series of small challenges (or Quests) which you can complete – or mostly fail, sometimes run out of time – in minutes.  Some are entirely mental, like the one that required us to push the right combination of large buttons on a wall, based on an increasingly confusing digital legend located around a corner.  Some are more physical, resembling a jungle gym or rock climbing wall, and will really get your heart pumping.

The challenges are difficult, but enticing.  There’s a clear progression, and it’s fun to work through the successively harder stages, and get a little bit further than your last attempt.  The format is a free for all, so you can try the same one as many times as you want, or move on to any other Quest at any time.  Since they are all so quick, you are never waiting for long – and might even be glad for the chance to catch your breath after a more physical challenge.

In the end we had a few close calls but didn’t complete too many Quests, but still had a lot of fun.  It’s a great team building activity because different challenges require teamwork, communication, and creative problem solving.  They say variety is the spice of life, and that’s been tougher to find the last year and a half, so this was a really enjoyable way to try something different.

The author of this article is Tom Lally, Wealth Manager Assistant at U.S. Wealth Management.

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