Mondays mean travel news here at FREEDOMtravel. Every Monday (if we're not travelling) we report on the week's news from the travel, camping and digital world.
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ShareThis week, we report on foreigners who want to experience Swedish Midsummer, Rhodes as the new holiday favourite for Swedes, and how emojis have become an important part of communication around the world.
Table of contents
Germans and Norwegians want to experience Swedish midsummer
The traditional Swedish midsummer celebration is special, with dancing around the midsummer pole and other festivities. Not only Swedes want to experience this, but also foreigners.
According to forecasts from Booking.com, it is mainly Germans and Norwegians who have booked accommodation in Germany. Sweden over Midsummer, but also Brits and Finns. Swedes who want to "avoid" the Midsummer celebrations are mainly travelling to Copenhagen, Croatia or Prague.
Rhodes is a summer favourite
A new survey from online travel agency eBeach.se shows that Rhodes is the most booked destination this summer. The second most popular destination is Majorca followed by Costa Brava, Costa del Sol and Crete. The day when most travellers leave is, unexpectedly, Midsummer's Eve.
New flight route Stockholm - Chambéry
In February 2018, SAS will open a new route from Stockholm to Chambéry in the French Alps. Chambéry Airport is the closest airport for travelling to and from popular ski resorts such as Val d'Isere and Val Thorens. The new the food and drink conceptwhich we told you about last week, will be on board.
Emojis account for 7% of all communication
Dagensanalys.se reports that emojis account for about 7 per cent of all communication worldwide. By far the most common use of the little characters in Francewhere they account for 20 per cent of communication. The most common emoji by far is 'Face with tears of Joy' (second from the left in the second row), which accounts for 15 per cent of total use. Next comes the heart, with 6 per cent usage.
Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Facebook Live, Nokia phone back and SAS new food
You might also like:
Doubling of journeys, Advent cruise and more train services
Summer record, membership record and fairytale Christmas
Croatia, live concerts and Sweden climb the list
Charters, sustainable theme park and asteroid hunting
Recruitment at campsites, the friendly train to the Alps and shy octopus
Lifting of restrictions and calves born in zoos
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski
Across the board says:
Oh dear. We have not experienced a Swedish midsummer since 2002 The last 14 years we have always been somewhere in Europe and so also this year.
05 June 2017 - 7:41
Helena says:
Wow, it's been a long time since we experienced Swedish midsummer! We have also been abroad many midsummers, all of them.
05 June 2017 - 9:20
Lennart says:
Swedish Midsummer is celebrated in Sweden!
05 June 2017 - 8:01
Helena says:
We hope for nice weather in midsummer this year 🙂 We will go down to Poland and the Czech Republic at midsummer.
05 June 2017 - 9:22
Ama de casa says:
My opinion is that they should have made Midsummer's Eve the Swedish national day instead of the 6th of June (oops! That's tomorrow!). Because on Midsummer, we Swedes know how to celebrate 🙂.
I would probably consider Rhodes as the Swedes' new favourite. Good for the island that it has become popular again 🙂 However, I have never been there ...
Have a great start to the week!
05 June 2017 - 8:45
Helena says:
Of course we are good at celebrating midsummer in Sweden 🙂 But I just heard on the news that more and more people celebrate the national day! Have fun!
05 June 2017 - 9:23
Marina says:
This year we leave Sweden over Midsummer to go to Bulgaria (provided that the container that is on its way across the sea manages to arrive on time!!!), but on the other hand we intend to celebrate Midsummer with Swedish friends there 😉.
05 June 2017 - 9:09
Helena says:
Excited about Bulgaria! (And with the container ...! Hope it arrives on time!)
05 June 2017 - 9:24
JoY says:
Celebrating Midsummer is more or less like any other weekend for me because I work shifts, which means that Midsummer we are always at home in Sweden and get to enjoy the light. This will also be the case this year and tomorrow on National Day. Glad to have a job so I can take a holiday later ????
Hugs nice weekend
05 June 2017 - 9:37
Helena says:
It is important to enjoy the time you are free, no matter when it is 😉 Have a great time! Hugs
05 June 2017 - 12:50
Role o Carina says:
We have always celebrated Midsummer in our home country!
The best time of the year is when we stay at home.
But when autumn comes we want to go, Mallis is great!
SolKram
05 June 2017 - 9:52
Helena says:
It is good if you have the opportunity to plan as you want! Southern Europe is almost the most beautiful in spring and autumn 🙂.
05 June 2017 - 12:51
ill says:
As a true friend of Greece, I think it's great that the country is "in the game" again.
My first charter trip was to Rhodes in 1977.
05 June 2017 - 10:02
Helena says:
Greece is very popular now! Rhodes you might have heard more about before, but seems to have come back! 🙂
06 June 2017 - 6:37
Goatfish says:
I have always celebrated Midsummer at home, it is most beautiful here then 😀.
But I've left right after and will do so this year as well, flying to Wales right after, feels perfect.
HAPPY MONDAY 😀
05 June 2017 - 10:12
Helena says:
Oh, how nice that you're going to Wales!!! Lovely! 🙂
05 June 2017 - 12:52
Emma, sun like sun? says:
I probably mostly use Thumbs Up and Live long and prosper - the latter because I love Star Trek! (It's not on the list above).
05 June 2017 - 11:24
Helena says:
Haha, that sounds great! 🙂
05 June 2017 - 12:54
Eva - People in the Street says:
Fun reading! Realise that I probably use emojis a lot, pictures say more than words sometimes even here. Congratulations on your 10-year wedding anniversary too, we recently celebrated 9 years together 🙂 .
05 June 2017 - 12:32
Helena says:
Thank you very much! And congratulations on your 9th birthday afterwards!!! 🙂
05 June 2017 - 12:55
Snows says:
Rhodes town, the old part, had some advantages but we stayed in Ixia which unfortunately was rather charmless. So no, Rhodes was not a favourite here. Not Crete either for that matter. But there are so many other destinations to choose from!
05 June 2017 - 12:37
Helena says:
Interesting to hear! We haven't been to Rhodes or Crete ourselves, so we don't have an opinion. And of course there are many destinations to choose from!
05 June 2017 - 12:57
gun says:
I want to celebrate Midsummer in Sweden:). Midsummer's Day you go to the dance floor down in the village (Solstadström) it has been done since youth. A dear tradition that is popular.
I have been to Crete and the only negative thing was all the currents.
gun
05 June 2017 - 12:54
Helena says:
Sounds like you have very nice midsummer traditions! I had no idea there were so many streams in Crete!
06 June 2017 - 6:39
ill says:
As a true friend of Greece, I am pleased that the country is recovering after all the setbacks.
My first charter trip was to Rhodes in 1977.
05 June 2017 - 13:10
Helena says:
Your comment came twice 😉 I remember that Rhodes was popular in the past. Nice to have been there already in the 70's! I myself have not been to Rhodes ...
06 June 2017 - 6:41
Ditte says:
Glad that Rhodes is back. Was there a lot in the 60s and 70s and then it was quite new for the Swedes. I am not a fan of either Rhodes or Crete but there are so many other islands that attract me much more and are "less touristy". Island hopping in the Greek archipelago is recommended and with stops on smaller islands.
05 June 2017 - 13:28
Helena says:
I have neither been to Rhodes nor Crete, so I have no real idea. But I can also imagine that it has changed a lot between the 70s and now ... 😉.
06 June 2017 - 6:45
åsa in åsele says:
Midsummer in Sweden, well I think that Sweden's National Day should be Midsummer Eve.
Midsummer does not usually bring any heat,
kind of the same equal weather/temperature minus snow as Christmas Eve 😉.
but since we eat the same similar food at both these holidays, the weather fits in 😀.
05 June 2017 - 14:50
Helena says:
Haha, that's a fun way to look at the weather! I agree that it is usually cold! The "hard part" is that you are expected to wear a summer dress and be outdoors ... 😉 The food is pretty much the same, except for the ham maybe 😉.
06 June 2017 - 6:47
ill says:
Third time commenting on this post. Why is my name suddenly ILL when I comment on your blog today?
05 June 2017 - 15:16
Helena says:
Hi Steve! Only now I realise it's you! I know you're a friend of Greece, so maybe I should have realised, but I didn't ... No idea why it says Ill!? Did that text happen to end up on the name row...? I'm at a friend's country house right now and only have a mobile phone (not a computer) so I have difficulty checking more than that, but I think it has been wrong for some reason and that it can be changed for next time ...!?
06 June 2017 - 6:50
Husis blog says:
Both owners have been to Rhodes and thought it was nice. Nowadays there are not so many such trips abroad in the summer because then they have to drive around with me. So they have to fly in the autumn and winter instead. So now there will be two trips during this time instead.
At Midsummer they will go to Stockholm to celebrate that weekend. They have talked about a good midsummer celebration at Skansen, so I hope the rumour is true.
05 June 2017 - 16:54
Helena says:
Understand that caravanning has taken over in the summers, it's cosy! But you can supplement with other trips sometimes 🙂 I have never been to Midsummer at Skansen, but what I understood is that it should be good.
06 June 2017 - 6:55
Villa Freja's book blog says:
I understand that the cosy tradition of Midsummer attracts tourists. I myself would not want to leave Sweden at that time. I prefer to travel during autumn/winter.
05 June 2017 - 17:21
Helena says:
I can understand why people choose that way of travelling. Sweden is nice in the summer.
06 June 2017 - 6:56
Matts Torebring says:
Wow, Swedish Midsummer, I almost jumped out of my skin. It was a long time ago, we were in Sweden during Midsummer, 2000 was the last time. For several years we ate herring and new potatoes in Nuremberg on our way to Italy. We "Hope" to celebrate at Böda Sand in midsummer.
05 June 2017 - 18:18
Helena says:
It almost sounds like a tradition with herring and new potatoes on the way down to Italy 😉 Hope you have a nice midsummer in Böda Sand!
06 June 2017 - 7:24
BP says:
Rhodes is back as a favourite for the Swedes. Have been there and was not at all particularly fond of the island - except for the weather then of course.
As we always mostly travelled during autumn/winter/spring, we are usually at home on Midsummer, but we don't dance around the pole right away;-)
I almost never use emojis, but I do regular old "smileys" like these 🙂 😉 🙁 ...
05 June 2017 - 20:50
Helena says:
I haven't been to Rhodes so I don't have a direct opinion, but have heard both positive and negative. I like emojis. I'm probably not an advanced user, but I do like to send trains and buses and meals sometimes, haha 😉.
06 June 2017 - 7:26
Beppan says:
Traditions are nice for us who have been celebrating Midsummer at home with the same group for many years. The children are long gone, but we pick flowers and dress the midsummer pole in the same way as we have always done. Understand that many non-Swedes want to experience this!!!
05 June 2017 - 22:10
Helena says:
There is a special charm to traditions. I can agree with that, even though I may not be the best at maintaining them 😉.
06 June 2017 - 7:27
Ann-Louise says:
Last year we celebrated Midsummer in the air, between San Francisco and Copenhagen, which worked just fine 🙂 It was really nice not to have to think about finding a Midsummer celebration where you would then stand and freeze in the rain.
I have to say that Rhodes is one of very few destinations that has disappointed me. Apart from the fact that we stayed in a very nice hotel when we were there, I thought the island was quite boring (with a few exceptions such as Lindos). One of the few places that I am not keen on going back to unfortunately.
05 June 2017 - 22:22
Helena says:
Haha, what a nice description of how you want to avoid looking for a place where you can freeze in the rain 😉 I can think that Swedish midsummer celebrations are nice, but of course I agree that you often freeze ... We have alternated midsummer abroad with midsummer at home ... I have never visited Rhodes, but it seems to be a place that some people like and others do not.
06 June 2017 - 7:29
Ruth in Virginia says:
The last Midsummer I celebrated in Sweden was nice though.
We were a party of two cars visiting several villages. But the
it was overwhelming to see so many, many young people
who were staggering around in a drunken stupor. The two Americans, who were
with us, commented on it. Very boring!
When I was a teenager, there was dancing at the old farm until 2am.
on Midsummer's Day; hambo, schottis, waltz and the like to accordion and violin.
Liquor was never an issue. What fitness you had at that time. 🙂
I remember that it was often quite chilly around Midsummer, but...
that was not thought of.
06 June 2017 - 5:03
Helena says:
Swedish Midsummer can be very nice, but boring with the drunkenness! I think there can still be a lot of it, although I haven't seen much of it since we mostly celebrated Midsummer with families the times we've been home in Sweden.
06 June 2017 - 7:31
Annette says:
Fun with that emoji; "Face with tears of Joy". You see it a lot, even from people who in real life never laugh so much that tears flow, but on social media they are apparently much happier 😉.
Apart from the heart, "winking face" is probably the one I use most, to take what I just wrote less seriously...
Interesting about Rhodes. I have never been there, but I hope to get to Mallorca in September. I took part in the competition you told me about recently. Probably I'll have to settle for our tour of the Loire Valley and Normandy this summer, and I can live with that 🙂 ).
Ok, "Happy face" is apparently also available to me....
By the way, is your report ready? Do you have an internet link to it?
Have a nice day!
07 June 2017 - 16:33