Last minute rush, body stress and Winter Lights

As usual, Monday means travel news here at FREEDOMtravel. This week it's all about the last minute travel rush, body stress for the beach, the Winter Lights event and more. Stay tuned!

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Unsettled weather creates a rush for last-minute travel

Despite news of a heatwave in southern Europe, Swedes continue to travel to the Mediterranean this summer. The rainy weather in Sweden in recent weeks has led to a 34 per cent increase in last-minute bookings compared to the sunny midsummer week, according to travel agency Ticket. The most popular destinations are Spain and Greece, but Ticket also sees many bookings for Croatia, Cyprus and Turkey. The Canary Islands have also increased this summer, although they are a popular destination in the winter months.

Nearly half feel body stress before the beach

A new survey from Countryside Hotels shows that almost half of Swedes feel body stress when wearing swimwear on public beaches. At the same time, 19 per cent have invested in diet and exercise to get in shape for the beach season. The survey also shows that almost four in ten drink more in the summer and nearly one in ten take a white period after their holiday. Around 23 per cent watch less screens during the summer and 11 per cent watch more. A majority, 51 per cent, feel guilty if they sit inside when the weather is nice.

Over 50 beaches in the Canary Islands awarded the Blue Flag.

Thanks to the Canary Islands' geographic location and volcanic landscape, the archipelago's coastline ranges from vast sandy beaches to hidden coves of black lava stone and rock formations. This year, in 2023, 56 beaches across the archipelago have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag environmental label. The Blue Flag is an international environmental award based on several criteria such as good water quality, service facilities and safety. The Canary Islands' 56 Blue Flag beaches can be compared to Sweden's nine.

Detur focuses on charter trips from Luleå

Just in time for the autumn holidays, Detur starts offering charter trips directly from Luleå Airport. With completely new owners in Aventura Rejser (Aventura Travel Group), they aim to offer exciting trips and destinations to travellers in northern Sweden. The first destination to be launched is an autumn holiday charter to Chania in Crete with a departure date of 27 October in collaboration with Enter Air. If demand is high, Detur can add both departures and destinations at a rapid pace.

Flix launches bus service between Finland and Poland

Starting on 27 July, FlixBus will launch a new route between Finland and Poland The new route starts in Warsaw and ends in Vaasa (Finland). The bus service adds nine Finnish cities to the FlixBus network. The route starts in Warsaw, Poland and travels via Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and on to Finland. Here the bus stops in Helsinki, Espoo, Turku, Reso, Rauma, Pori, Närpes with termination in Vaasa.

Winter Lights has its world premiere at Skansen in Stockholm on 27 October.

The new and unique concept of Winter Lights is coming to Stockholm this winter, and will have its world premiere at the Skansen when we are at our darkest.
Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a spectacular trail of magical light and sound. The visually stunning 1.5-kilometre-long promenade, lined with bespoke sound installations, will open on 27 October. Winter Lights will also be coming to Gunnebo Castle and Gardens in Mölndal on 17 November.

Reflection of the week

It is interesting that there is such a rush to the Mediterranean despite the heatwave. Personally, we like to avoid such heat, but we can certainly understand that it is boring if you only have rain on holiday. The heat is also more manageable if you stay in an air-conditioned hotel with a pool, for example ... What do you think about rain versus extreme heat?

Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Motorhome statistics, summer events and favourite summer destinations

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