Sweden is a country I’ve been to as a child as well as an adult.
So the first time was as a 10-year old (or something like that) in summer to probably south Sweden with my parents and sister. The only place I remember is Mora and its lakes, where I tried out a canoe for the first time. I also remember seeing a moose and getting eaten alive by the many mosquitoes.
The second time was in 2012 during my semester abroad in Aarhus Denmark in November. During that time, I joined the infamous ‘booze cruise’ from Stockholm to Tallinn and back. After that, I traveled to the north and hitchhiked at least from Luleå to Gällivare via the Jokmokk road. In Gällivare, I ran into the Cross Country Skiing World Cup. From there, I hitchhiked to Kiruna, where I drove the skimobile of my driver who hosted me.
I crossed the border into Norway to Narvik with a plan to visit Lofoten, but then I received the message that my absent grandpa had passed away, so I hitchhiked back to Kiruna, took the train to Stockholm, and tried hitchhiking to Copenhagen (which failed). I ended up on a bus to Göteborg where I took the ferry to Frederikshavn in Denmark and hitchhiked back to my town Aarhus. Perhaps one day I’ll write a better story about this instead of just dumping this info here. Anyway!
Things I’d Like to Do Next Time in Sweden
- Revisit Stockholm and go sea kayaking in the archipelago. Also, I’d love to visit the Rådhuset metro station, which looks spectacular.
- Hitchhike even more. It’s a good country for long distances! Also, I should retry to hitchhike an icebreaker across the Gulf of Bothnia. And if not an icebreaker, then hitchhike with someone on one of the two ice roads.
- During summer travels, I’d love to hike the Kungsleden trail and maybe even hike up the highest peak called Kebnekaise (masl 2096)
- More kayaking. There must be some nice rivers or lakes to kayak at. I’m looking at the Lule River that passes the Rapa Valley, the Kalix River, the Torne between Sweden and Finland, and the longest river in Scandinavia: Klarälven (460km), shared with Norway.
- Also lakes, such as Vänern with the island Torsö. Also, Mälaren is full of islands former islands such as Munsö. Both look like kayaking fun.
- Revisit areas in Swedish Lappland with more attention and learn more about the Sámi way of life.
- During the winter, experience the northern lights again.
- Revisit Kiruna and see if the town has finally moved away from the mine. Back in 2012, I felt the nightly minor planned earthquakes from the explosions.
- Some natural areas, such as Döda Fallet, Korrallgrottan, and Hoverberget cave. Then some historical areas, such as Boden Fortress, Struve Geodetic Arc, the five funicular railways, Norsjö ropeway, and R1 nuclear reactor. Some remote places such as the three-country border between Sweden, Finland, Ladonia micronation, Norway and the Strömstad area nearby Norway.
- Visit some UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as Karlskrona (looks good for sailing!), Stora Alvaret in Öland, and the High Coast
- Travel to as many beautiful lighthouses and cool islands as possible:
- The island of Ven between Denmark and Sweden. It has old observatories, hence the inclusion on this list
- The massive Gotland. It has the Lummelunda Cave. The town of Visby is also a world heritage site.
- Nearby Gotska Sandön, which is a national park and uninhabited
- Nearby Fårö, which is inhabited and looks absolutely stunning
- And Stora Karlsö, the second-oldest nature reserve in the world plus nearby Lilla Karlsö
- Yacht-friendly Tjörn near Göteborg
- The Haparanda Archipelago and its national park
- Ljusterö and Ornö nearby Stockholm
- Mjältön
- Alnön
- Visingsö
- Holmöarna archipelago nearby Umeå. In winter, when the ice can’t be broken by a ship, there is sometimes a connection with a hydrocopter. There’s also a ferry (€38 in 2022) from Umeå to Vaasa in Finland across the super shallow Kvarken Strait
- The Koster Islands
- Then take the ferry to Åland and see if it’s possible to visit Märket from there
- Do some urban exploring at abandoned airports and other places. On my radar are: one near Fällfors, Bakraby airport, Malmö harbor heliport and Tullinge airforce airfield. Most abandoned airports in Sweden used to be military and some even had underground/rock hangars like the public one at the Aeroseum nearby Göteborg.
If you know cool places and things to do in Sweden or if you are Swedish, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return!
Are you a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Sweden? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
Accommodation in Estonia: Booking Homes in Tartu, Tallinn, and Kärdla
What to expect of accommodation in Estonia as a digital nomad? We stayed in Estonia from the 9th of October till the 25th of October, 2023. These are the places we booked to both work online from and have fun day trips. Contents1 Cruiseferry from Mariehamn to Tallinn2 Tartu⭐3 Tallinn: Metropol Hotel4 Tallinn (Catsit)5 Kärdla, Hiiumaa Island⭐6 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in Estonia7 Wish to share this article? That’s totally fine with me Cruiseferry from Mariehamn to Tallinn Since this bit already appeared in the accommodation in the Åland Islands article, I tucked this one away. But yes, weContinue reading
Accommodation in the Åland Islands: from Eckerö and Kökar to Mariehamn
What to expect of accommodation in the Åland Islands as a digital nomad? These are the places we booked to both have adventures and get some work done. We were in Åland between the 24th of September and the 9th of October. Åland is part of Finland, so read about accommodation in Finland here. Contents1 Eckerö (Couchsurfing)2 Karlby, Kökar Island ⭐3 Mariehamn, Fasta Åland4 Cruiseferry Åland to Estonia5 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in the Åland Islands6 Useful info about accommodation in the Åland Islands? Please share it! Eckerö (Couchsurfing) Duration: two nights We spent our first two nights inContinue reading
Accommodation in Finland: Where We Stayed between Kilpisjärvi and Turku
What to expect of accommodation in Finland as a digital nomad? We stayed in Finland from the 3rd of September till the 9th of October, but from the 24th of September till the 9th of October we were in the Åland Islands part of Finland. Since Åland is quite a special place, accommodation in the Åland Islands is a separate post! Contents1 Kilpisjärvi, Lapland2 Muonio, Lapland ⭐3 Tornio, Lapland4 Oulu, North Ostrobothnia⭐5 Vaasa, Ostrobothnia6 Turku, Southwest Finland7 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in Finland8 Feel like sharing? You have a special place in my heart Kilpisjärvi, Lapland Duration: three nightsContinue reading
Travel Light, Shoot Big: Creating Stunning Travel Videos
1468 grams. That’s the combined weight of all my photo and video equipment, accompanying me on every journey. It’s a concise kit, with just three items: iPhone 14 Pro Smartphone Tripod DJI Mini Pro 3 (Drone) I use them to shoot videos like these: Riddersholm, Stockholm, Sweden Huai Choi Reservoir, Chiang Mai, Thailand The Evolution of Travel Videography Travel videography, once dominated by hefty equipment, has undergone a major transformation. With these in hand, I’ve revolutionized my approach to travel videography. Gone are the days when I’d be weighed down by heavy gear. Now, I capture the essenceContinue reading
Transitioning from Solo to Couple Travel: Bloggers Share Their Experiences
You’ve read the hashtags #solotravel #coupletravel and might follow some travelers based on these attributes. But what about the people who started out as solo travelers and then found someone? I asked travel bloggers to share their experiences on how the transition to couple travel has changed their travels. Adjusting to a whole other person while adventuring definitely comes with its challenges, disadvantages, and, of course, advantages—otherwise, we wouldn’t do it. Contents1 Kate (+ Partner): Solo to Long-Distance to Couple Travel2 Kerry (+ Jason): Similar Tastes in Travel3 Eloise (+ Ben): Overcoming Fears4 James (+ Kevin): Decades of Travel, NowContinue reading
Hitchhiking Bucket List: #6 Ice Road (Truckers?)
Places that are hard to reach fascinate me. You might know that I’ve already been to the largest city unreachable by road—Iquitos in Perú. That journey from Pucallpa to Iquitos and from Iquitos to El Coca in Ecuador takes several days by boat. But what about areas that freeze? Some locales I’ve been dreaming of for a long time are only accessible by seasonal ice road. And yes, I’m looking at you, Yakutsk. Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic of Russia is the second-biggest city that is not (yet) reachable by permanent road. In the summer, they have car ferries across theContinue reading