5 Need-to-Knows When Traveling Sweden

Ever dreamed of visiting the Land of the Midnight Sun? Here's 5 need-to-know tips that will help you enjoy Sweden like a local!

#Bullet Journaling

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Ever dreamed of visiting the Land of the Midnight Sun?* Sweden is a wonderful country with something for everybody: vast woodlands with magical wild-swimming spots for those who crave some time off in nature, historical cities jam-packed with every cultural activity under the sun, and, of course, friendly people who nearly all speak English.

But before you start packing your bags, here’s a few insider secrets that are great to keep in mind when interacting with Swedes.

5 Need-to-Knows When Traveling Sweden

1. Fika - pronounced fee-kah - is a serious cultural phenomenon in the whole of Sweden! To fika means to take a break with sweet or savory baked goods and a cup of coffee, although you'll be forgiven if you opt for tea instead. It's a very popular activity among friends: You sit down together, chit-chat and fika! Interestingly, every workplace will have an obligatory (well, almost!) 10am fika break, when everyone drops everything they're dong for a 15-minute catch up with their co-workers.



2. Generally, Swedes are friendly but short. They will commonly answer the question you ask - and not much more. They love to help, and they love to practise their English with you, but they won't use too many words in the process!

3. Take your shoes off! When visiting a Swedish household, always remove your shoes. It is considered rude to walk in with your shoes on. Why? If you visit Sweden during the winter, you'll know: slushy, wet snow is nothing you'd want dragged into your house either!

4. Swedes are not prone to hold doors open or say "excuse me" when passing by. Don't take it personally!

5. Tipping is not required. Wages are often centrally regulated, so tips are kind of already worked into the salaries. However, no one will be mad at you if you do leave a little extra for your waiter!



And now, back to packing those bags! Are you the kind of person who likes to make a good list of all the items to go in your suitcase, especially those you mustn’t forget to pack? Or do you enjoy journaling and scrapbooking your way through your trip to remember all the lovely little details and surprising encounters? You will LOVE the Travel pack back pages!

Add them to your planner at stage 4 in the design process.

The Travel pack also includes a section where you can do your dreaming and preparing, marking the destinations you’d like to visit one day, and creating the World Tour of a lifetime!



The back pages have, just like Sweden, something for everybody. We figured that since no two people’s lives are ever exactly the same, a planner shouldn’t be either. Make your Personal Planner™ truly yours by selecting the back pages that really resonate with you!

Have a browse and create your own Personal Planner™ here.

*In travel literature, Sweden is often called the Land of the Midnight Sun. This refers to the northern regions of the country, where during the summer months the sun never dips below the horizon - the sun is up at midnight... and it’s magical!