Only one day left until Christmas Eve! This year, Christmas and New Year fall on weekdays, giving workers plenty of time off. It also means that today, 23 December, is Monday. And that, of course, means travel news here at FREEDOMtravel!
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7 out of 10 drivers are affected by the winter darkness
7 out of 10 motorists find it more difficult to drive in the dark, according to Synbesiktningen, Sweden's largest vision test of motorists. In addition, 8 out of 10 say they are dazzled by oncoming traffic. Add Christmas stress, slippery roads and snow. Synoptik and Bilprovningen offer tips on how to prepare for Christmas traffic:
- Full and partial light: Check that the bulbs are working.
- Position light: Check that the front and rear position lights are working and are sufficiently bright.
- Blinkers: Check that all indicator lights are working.
- Brake lights: Check that all brake light bulbs are working.
- Reflectors: Check that the vehicle's reflectors are undamaged.
- Visual acuity: Have a free eye test at your optician every two years.
- Tobacco glass: For spectacle wearers, there are special traffic lenses that reduce glare and increase contrast.
tinyWASH now available in Sweden - washing machine for motorhomes
tinyWASH is now available in Sweden. With Husbilsakuten AB in Veddige, south of Gothenburg, tinyWASH welcomes its first partner in Sweden and
Scandinavia. tinyWASH develops washing machines, specially designed for motorhomes, caravans and boats. The appliances offer a washing machine and tumble dryer in a single appliance, with low water and energy consumption. From 2025, the tinyWASH washing machine and spare parts will be available at Husbilsakuten.
Malta tourism on track for new record levels
Malta is on track to surpass 3.5 million tourist arrivals in 2024, a significant increase from last year's record of 3 million visitors. This represents an impressive 30 per cent increase compared to the previous record of 2.7 million arrivals, recorded before the 2019 pandemic. The total number of overnight stays exceeded 2.2 million, and the average stay of incoming tourists was 6.2 nights.
More Swedes celebrate Christmas abroad
Travel agency Tickets' booking statistics show that more Swedes are choosing to leave Sweden behind to celebrate Christmas abroad this year. The most popular Christmas destination is Spain, with Gran Canaria, Malaga and Tenerife as obvious favourites. Most booked destinations over Christmas:
- Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
- Malaga, Spain
- Tenerife, Spain
- Alicante, Spain
- Hughada, Egypt
- London, United Kingdom
- Paris, France
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Berlin, Germany
- Barcelona, Spain
What annoys Swedes most about flying
A new Sifo survey from travel company TUI reveals what annoys Swedes most when they fly. Not surprisingly, flight delays top the list, followed by screaming and rowdy children. Travellers aged 56-79 are the least annoyed, while younger people (18-34) are more irritated. Stockholmers are most annoyed by delays (54 per cent), while Smålanders are more often bothered by screaming children (37 per cent). Top 5 annoyances:
- Delays (42 %)
- Screaming/unruly children on the plane (31 %)
- Travellers who fold their seats far back (29 %)
- Travellers who are too loud (29 %)
- Passengers blocking the aisle during boarding (20 %)
New charter destination from Karlstad in 2025
Next year, charter operator Detur will offer flights from Karlstad to Tunisia (Monastir). There will be a total of two departures in June and July, with the possibility of adding more departures in the autumn. Flights to Tunisia will be operated to Monastir by the Tunisian airline Nouvelair with its Airbus 320, seating 180 passengers. Flights depart on Wednesdays: 25 June and 2 July.
News at the Nordic Museum 2025
Nordic Museum has had a successful year. With the new permanent exhibition Nordbor as the centrepiece, the museum attracted around 345,000 visitors in 2024, an increase of 58% compared to 2023. In 2025, the museum is focusing on contemporary life and crafts, and will open a brand new, large permanent exhibition space showing historical and contemporary photos of everyday life in the Nordic region.
TUI releases holidays for winter 2025/2026
Planning for next year's holidays can begin. For winter 2025/2026, TUI offers over 900 hotels in popular destinations such as Gran Canaria, Thailand, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In addition to classic charter holidays, it is also possible to book package holidays by scheduled flights with flexible travel length. Departures available from Stockholm-Arlanda, Gothenburg-Landvetter, regional airports across the country and Copenhagen-Kastrup.
Reflection of the week
It's not surprising that delays can be an annoyance when flying. Small children can be supervised in some cases, but adults who fold back the seat quickly and choppily while someone else is still sitting and eating, that's an annoyance for me ...
Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Winter travel, Mellorum and Noctourism
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Ended lockdown, stricter rules and rowing across the Atlantic Ocean
Hammock hotel and the world's longest suspension bridge
Certification of campsites - and Sweden's best summer cities
#Kommaframöl and the winners of the Grand Travel Award
Favourite countries for camping, best food & most googled beaches
Winter travel, Mellorum and Noctourism
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Anna Nilsson Spets says:
The list of annoyances is true for me, even when queuing and people apparently cannot read which is the priority queue or not.
Fellow passengers sprawling across the seat is annoying.
Parents who allow their children to climb around, kick the seats... nope.
23 December 2024 - 6:06
Helena says:
Yes, sometimes you can wonder about some parents, I recognise that ... Not all of course, but it happens!
23 December 2024 - 17:47
Madde says:
Drunken adults bother me more than children who have difficulty sitting still. If the children run around too much, I bother the parents who have not planned better 🙂 The seats also bother me. On several occasions, the flight attendants have actually told people to fold up the seat at mealtime.
23 December 2024 - 6:48
Helena says:
Drunk adults are not much fun on an aeroplane... As for the seats, I can be surprised at some, when they don't even seem to reflect that someone is sitting behind...
23 December 2024 - 17:48
Netti Starby says:
Agree with you on all the points that can be annoying during air travel and especially when someone is banging on the seat behind you. Have a nice evening. Hugs <3
23 December 2024 - 19:06
Helena says:
Yes, I also find it annoying when someone knocks on the seat on aeroplanes, as if they don't think about the fact that there are others on board ...!
24 December 2024 - 17:53
Anta Snaque says:
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
23 December 2024 - 23:43
Helena says:
Thank you, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
24 December 2024 - 17:53
Ditte says:
Yes, delays can be annoying but on the other hand nothing you can influence. But people who fold their chairs when others are eating can be influenced. By showing consideration.
I am also annoyed by loud people and those who stand in the "priority queue" when they should not be there. Similarly, it is annoying with people who do not have their tickets in order and inside the plane start to take off their outerwear and then block the aisle - Same in the security queue. Why not prepare beforehand.
Children who kick me in the back or run around unsupervised are not a hit. But it's the parents who are to blame here - (many of them spend time on their phones and other things instead of their children...)
24 December 2024 - 13:14
Helena says:
Very strange to stand in the priority queue if you have nothing to do there ...! Also agree with that about kicks in the back, quite troublesome actually, and agree that it is the parents who must say so!
24 December 2024 - 17:56
Ditte says:
Fun here on the list that Spain has with 5/10 destinations....And the first four!
24 December 2024 - 13:16
Helena says:
Yes, Spain is popular ...!
24 December 2024 - 17:57