The operator Tre cancels roaming in 50 non-EU countries, two new Chinese airlines start flying regularly from Helsinki and a Finnish influencer moves into a hotel in Helsinki ... for a whole year. These are some of this week's travel news here at FREEDOMtravel. As usual, we want to hear your reflections and thoughts on this week's news!
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Three cancels roaming in 50 countries
In summer 2017, roaming charges were removed across the EU. Now the operator Tre is expanding the offer and making it possible to surf as usual on holiday in another 50 destinations outside Europe. With the new "3World" service, you can now surf at no extra cost in a total of 80 countries, including Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.
Airtours launches Agadir
Tour operator Airtours, which specialises in weekend breaks and sun and beach holidays, is launching the Agadir in Morocco as the first new destination of the year. "Agadir is a modern city with French influences and a fantastic sandy beach. It is a very good destination for the sun-loving traveller who wants a shorter flight to the sun during the winter", says Stefan Chatzopoulos, Head of Information at Airtours.
New Chinese airlines fly from Helsinki
Two new Chinese airlines, Juneyao Air and Tibet Airlines, will start operating regular flights between Helsinki and several destinations in Europe this spring. China. The air routes offer increased opportunities for both business and tourism. The Chinese can experience winter sports, Finnish sauna and reindeer safari, and we northerners can experience Tibet or Shanghai, for example.
Three new motorhomes from Niesmann+Bischoff sell well
Niesmann+Bischoff reports strong demand for the three new models premiered at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf last autumn. "We hardly expected the rush for the three models to be so great right from the start", says Niesmann+Bischoff CEO Hubert Brandl.
Models Arto 88 LF offers a spacious luxury bathroom and a comfortable queen-size bed, Arto 88 B has a bar plan and Flair 920 EK, the best seller in the range, is characterised by a spacious and comfortable kitchen.
Finnish influencer to stay 1 year at Clarion in Helsinki
Finnish influencer Joonas Pesonen will be staying at the Clarion Hotel in Helsinki for 1 year, as the hotel embarks on a whole new kind of marketing. "This is the craziest thing I've ever done - luckily my potted plants are coming with me," he says. Joonas moves in on 1 February, and will share his experiences on his social channels.
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Reduced interest in these trips - and this is where Swedes are travelling?
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Johnny Friskilä says:
But poor thing, living in a hotel for a whole year? I wonder if he also gets access to the hotel kitchen then? Sounds absolutely terrible, I think. Otherwise nice with Agadir. Have not been in that city, but it does not sound so bad!
21 January 2019 - 7:40
Helena says:
Haha, I hope Joonas sees it differently 🙂 We visited Agadir last spring, nice!
21 January 2019 - 18:51
Emma, sun like sun? says:
That must be the dream for some people: new sheets, towels, cleaning ... But it must get boring in the long run.
The motorhome, what a dream! Looks so heavenly luxurious there in the picture.
21 January 2019 - 9:49
Helena says:
Hard to say how it would feel to live in a hotel for a whole year! Maybe you get used to it!? 🙂
21 January 2019 - 18:52
Ama de casa says:
Wow! There was plenty of surfing there by Tre. When we were last in Australia, our mobiles didn't even work at all. Had to "hire" a phone booth when we had to call. Guess our operator does not have an agreement with any Australian ditto.
Living in a hotel for a year? Well, yes. Why not? But in the same place all the time? No thanks 😀.
Have a great start to the week!
21 January 2019 - 10:02
Helena says:
We also like the removal of roaming, and hope that more people will follow suit. We ourselves have unlocked phones so we can buy sim cards when we are travelling 🙂.
21 January 2019 - 18:54
Sofia / Fantasy travel says:
Oh I also want to live in a hotel for a year! Dream!
21 January 2019 - 11:10
Helena says:
Would be a different experience 🙂
22 January 2019 - 6:15
Anna / boihusbil.se says:
That 88F looks really nice! I really like the idea of fewer seats. But they have thrown in a too big sofa where they could have extended the kitchen instead. Damn, I'll probably have to design my own motorhome 😀.
21 January 2019 - 12:06
Helena says:
We often wish for more focus on the kitchen... well, drawing our own would be great! 🙂
22 January 2019 - 6:17
Ditte says:
Nice idea to stay in a hotel for a year. But it would be a bit boring for me. I would like to try different hotels.
Tibet is an experience, but I think travelling by train is a better way to get there. From Beijing it takes 48 hours, but you can fly to Changdou and take the train there. Many who fly directly to Lhasa (about 3650 metres above sea level) have difficulties with the thin air there and you have time to get used to it if you come by train. Fun with a couple of new Chinese companies. Previously, Air China has had many routes there as well as Finnair, which is big in Asia. And the Chinese are happy to travel here to us.
As for Agadir, I pass. Found both Agadir and other parts of Morocco difficult to get around. I did it for two weeks as a single woman in 2003 and it was tough. Maybe that has changed now. But if you go in an organised way, maybe it's different. Before that I had lived and worked in Tunisia, so I was quite used to it. But it didn't help much here.
The motorhome looked really cool. But, no we are not going to have one, but for those who are considering a new one, why not.
21 January 2019 - 12:18
Helena says:
Interesting point about the thin air in Tibet, I hadn't thought of that! As for travelling as a single woman in Morocco, I have heard from others that it can be difficult. I have been there several times, but not as a single woman.
22 January 2019 - 6:20
Daniel | FlyingDryden says:
Okay, a year in a hotel would have worked if I had access to a gym, PT, my external monitor and network hard drive. 😉
21 January 2019 - 12:54
Helena says:
Haha, maybe that could have been solved 😉.
22 January 2019 - 6:20
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Agadir was the destination of my first charter trip in the mid-70s. It would be fun to go back, maybe this could be an option.
But living in a hotel for a year, no thanks! A week or a few days now and then is enough.
21 January 2019 - 12:55
Ruth in Virginia says:
The Chinese are everywhere.
"The red danger".
Read about a female pensioner, who was living on a cruise ship in
several years. She had everything she needed on board, including a doctor.
than living a hotel in a smaller capital city for a year, I would think. 🙂
21 January 2019 - 14:43
Ann-Louise Paulsson says:
The fact that you can surf with Tre in the US without it costing extra was very convenient because we are going to the US in a few weeks. Now I have Telia, but my partner has Tre so the whole family can simply use his phone 🙂 And I hope that Telia feels the pressure to come up with a similar offer...
21 January 2019 - 17:12
BP says:
Would definitely stay in a hotel - for free - for a year. No problem at all. Hotel breakfasts are the only ones I usually eat;-)
Agadir is nothing new, I think. We flew there twice, the first time back in the 1980s.
22 January 2019 - 0:13
Jörgen A says:
One thing to keep in mind when travelling to China, besides the visa requirement, is that now (after 1 December 2017) you must also provide fingerprints and an additional photo. This can only be done in Stockholm (at Karlavägen 108) or Gothenburg. It is quick, just a few minutes.
I was in Stockholm myself and did it today, I had booked an appointment through a visa company and then it is lightning fast, but as a private person you can expect a long queue and a lot of people.
If you don't live anywhere near Stockholm or Gothenburg, it can be quite expensive if you have to travel far,
Might be good to know. You can read more here:
http://bio.visaforchina.org/STH2_EN/
22 January 2019 - 13:12
pilla says:
Fun news sweep 🙂 I lived in a hotel for six months when I worked at Lufthansa in Hamburg and had an intro. It was... very unexciting actually - but hope he has a wonderful experience. Have colleagues / consultants from US&A here who are over and work and they run the same concept here. Is not a bit jealous actually. Like hotels but honestly, home beats it most times.
22 January 2019 - 17:16
Reiselinda says:
Nice seating area in the campervan there, but a bit too big for two?
Stay in a hotel for a year? Yes, but if it's in the right location and has good facilities, maybe.
22 January 2019 - 21:45