Jaunted

Eurovision / Europe Travel / Sweden Travel / Music Travel / Denmark Travel / Videos / → All Tags

Where Eurovision Will Be Singing It's Heart Out in 2014

Well, it's been a whole entire year since all of Europe was singing and dancing to the annual song contest, Eurovision. Last time we watched, the insanity went down in Baku, Azerbaijan and Sweden won, so this year they played hosts in the Southern city of Malmö.

The contest as a whole has held the reputation of being quite the show, a mix of both native tongue and English lyrics accompanied by flamboyant costumes and overly produced choreography. This year was no exception. While the Russian grannies from last year didn't make the cut, 2013's winner did come from another Scandinavian country; Denmark.

If you're not up on the rules, this means Eurovision heads to Copenhagen for 2014.

more ›

Videos / Time-Lapse / Ferries / Ships / Finland Travel / Cruise Travel / Stockholm Travel / Shopping Travel / Sweden Travel / Duty-Free / → All Tags

Video Interlude: A Time-Lapse Trip on Scandinavia's Ultra Fancy, Duty-Free Ferry

If you think cruise shops are pretty fancy, then you haven't stepped onboard a Scandinavian ferry. Indeed, ferries aren't what they used to be—they're so much better, as musty waiting room-like spaces are being replaced with comfortable lounges, entertainment spaces and even airport-style shopping.

The latter is the highlight of the crossing between Stockholm, Sweden and Turku, Finland onboard the Viking Line ferry M/S Grace. The boat stops in Marihamn, a port town which sits pretty on the Åland Islands between the two Baltic Sea cities. These islands are one of those weird territories travelers love to visit, as they have their own government, flag, stamps and patriotism, but still come under some jurisdiction of another country (Finland, in this case). The draw for the ferries and their duty-free shops is that these boats are exempt from Europe's VAT tax. It's literally a booze cruise—buying it, not so much consuming it.

more ›

Sweden Travel / Social Media / Couchsurfing / → All Tags

Sweden Makes It Possible for Tourists to Order Up an Instant Best Friend

If you’re heading to Sweden anytime soon you’ve probably already perused the tourism books over at the local Barnes & Noble, and it’s likely that you’ve also started hitting up your favorite travel blogs for tips. The country’s tourism board wants you to take an additional step when it comes to visiting their native land, as they’re eager to hook you up—not in that way—with your very own Swede.

The new site "Visit a Swede" works exactly how it sounds, as they’ve kind of created their very own social network based solely on hanging out with your very own Swedish best friend. So far there are at least 10,000 residents signed up through the site to host visitors, so you’re free to check out what they have to offer. Want a tour of the sights? They’ve got you covered. They’ll also meet you for some coffee, cook you a meal, head out for a run, or many even offer you up a free place to stay.

more ›

Travel Contests / New York City / Subways / Brooklyn Travel / Sweden Travel / Music Travel / → All Tags

Write a Song About NYC's G Train, Win a Trip to Sweden

In his novel Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem takes pity on the G train, New York's most maligned subway route. He says that the train's legendary terribleness is because the G, like the runty kid in school, gets picked on for being the only train line that doesn't touch Manhattan.

Like it or loathe it, the G is in major need of a PR boost. So local hopmasters Brooklyn Brewery are sponsoring a contest. They're asking songwriters and musicians to compose original songs about the G train and post them on YouTube. After that, they'll chose a few favorites and ask readers to vote. The winner scores a free trip to Sweden for the Debaser Music Festival in August.

Might we suggest "The Waiting 40 Minutes at 4 AM Blues" as a possible title?

[Photo: bitchcakesny]

Social Media / Sweden Travel / Travel Advertising / Tourism / Twitter / Tourism Boards / Bad Ideas / → All Tags

Whoopsies. Sweden's Twitter Campaign Gets Predictably Trolled

And now boys and girls, another object lesson on why skepticism is the proper response to advertising strategists and reporters who tell you that social media is magic and that engagement means letting everyone be heard. We have to do these posts every few years because our rants never seem to take hold, least of all with travel journalists and tourism boards.

Let's go back all the way back to four days ago Sunday. The New York Times publishes a puff piece about Sweden's Twitter initiative, done of course at the behest of an advertising agency, to "entrust the country's Twitter account [@Sweden] to a new citizen every seven days." Look how social! Look how effing authentic! To be clear, there was a point during which we actively adored the account, but that was when the guest curator was posting lamb photos every few hours.

more ›

Eurovsion / Azerbaijan Travel / Sweden Travel / Stockholm Travel / Music Travel / Videos / → All Tags

Why Eurovision Gets Our Pulse Racing for International Travel

The world's oldest song contest has just completed with a new winner crowned. After being glued to the television for both semi-final rounds and then the grand finals, we just have the desire to hop on a plane to travel.

Here's a little background if you are not privvy to the amazement of Eurovision. It is an annual competition amongst members of the European Broadcasting Union. Each member submits an entrant to sing an original song in the hopes of getting the most points at then end a few elimination rounds. This is kind of like American Idol or The Voice, but way more quirky and unique. The contest began in 1956 and has acquired quite the cult following.

more ›

Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Holiday Travel / Sweden Travel / Christmas Travel / Drinking Travel / Booze Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Glögg Mulled Wine of Scandinavia

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

With only so much time left before the holidays, it's now that we get serious about winter treats. Gingerbread houses and candy canes are all well and good, but going farther afield to foreign Christmas traditions yields such yummy drinks as Glögg. This mulled wine is a decidedly Scandinavian tradition, but Iceland and Estonia like to get in on it as well.

Since Glögg is essentially just one version of mulled wine, other country's attempts at the beverage are also totally fine if Glögg isn't available. Germany/Austria/Switzerland's Glühwein is, for instance, an excellent substitute, as is the vin brulé of Northern Italy (especially the ski resort towns). Just be sure to serve it with a bit of gingerbread or a few ginger snap cookies on the side.

more ›

Coffee Travel / Starbucks / Fast Food Travel / Airports / Sweden Travel / Finland Travel / Norway Travel / → All Tags

Watch Out Finland! Starbucks is Set to Invade Your Country, Beginning at the Airport

Those Nordic countries better watch out, as Starbucks is about to invade. Residents of Sweden have already started to add Mocha Frappuccinos to the cup holders of their Volvos, and now it looks like Norway and Finland are next on the list. Awesome local coffeeshops need not be too threatened; for now the expansion seems to be limited to just the airports.

It all goes down in 2012, so if you have a plan to visit next summer to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and long, long days you’ll be able to do so with an overpriced latte. Starbucks officials have already announced their plan to add a location at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway. Their most recent announcement reveals that they have plans for two locations at the airport in Helsinki, as there will be one place to grab a coffee after security and one welcoming passengers in the arrivals hall.

more ›

Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Sweden Travel / IKEA / Holiday Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: Sweden's Nygårda Julmust

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

When the holidays roll around, you can be sure that food companies around the world are rolling out their seasonal products, some true specialties and others made to be consumed as often as Coca-Cola. In Sweden, there's Nygårda Julmust, which belongs in the latter category, except that it's more popular than even Coca-Cola at this time of the year. Let's investigate...

The Taste: The ingredients on the back include hops and barley, but trust that there's no alcohol present; there's just a curiously bitter cola. In fact, the closest thing we can liken it to is the Italian Chinotto soda, a bitter citrus drink, but far more gulpable. Did we sense a hint of coffee in there as well? Possibly, but the taste runs more along the lines of a flatter Coca-Cola that's been brewed with non-alcoholic beer.

more ›

Literary Travel / Movie Travel / Sweden Travel / → All Tags

Sweden to Become Hotspot Thanks to 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

Chances are, you've either read the Stieg Larsson book Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or know at least two people who have, because that book is everywhere. In fact, it's the first book to sell over 1 million copies on the Amazon Kindle and now Hollywood wants a piece of the action.

It's been announced that Daniel Craig has signed on to star in the English-language movie version, and David Fincher will direct. And MTV has some exclusive and exciting news straight from Fincher that's sure to make the Sweden Tourist Board very happy: the movie will be filmed in "Stockholm. Uppsala. In the north." This means the movie will stay true to the novel's Scandinavian imagery instead of trying to Americanize it by shooting it in the States.

more ›

Food Travel / Sweden Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: Nordic Muesli is Far Sweder

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Forget cornflakes or cocoa puffs; Sweden knows that breakfast is better with a bowl of muesli. And although we wish it had a funkier, Sweder name, one of our favorite bags of the good stuff goes by the simple name of "Nordic Muesli."

Grabbed by the handful, served in a bowl with milk or mixed with cut fruit, muesli is an essential snack in Sweden, so much so that the Swedish almost match the Swiss in their love for it. Grocery shelves offer a staggering variety, but we'd stick with this stuff.

The taste: Muesli is dry oats mixed with a some goodies, like dried banana chips, orange bits, raisins and slivered almonds in the case of this variety, and thus it can be quite dry. You'll need to either warm up your salivary glands or douse it in milk. We recommend almond or coconut milk (the latter used in the picture below) to enhance the flavors, and you'll end up having both a healthy meal and one that tastes of a nice fruitiness.

more ›

Travel Contests / Road Trips / Sweden / Cars / Sweden Travel / → All Tags

How to Win a Free Road Trip through Sweden in a Volvo

If you want to plan your own road trip across West Sweden, there's someone willing to foot the bill. Volvo and West Sweden's tourism bureau are offering a contest that will pay for your trek across the Scandinavian country, and anyone is free to enter.

The thing is, you can't choose whatever pops into your head for the design-it-yourself trip's itinerary. Instead, you're provided with a list of activities from which to choose. For example, you could take in the art at the Nordic Watercolour Museum on the island of Tjörn, go on a lobster safari to catch the creatures and help cook them for your dinner at a hotel on Flaton island, dine on elk or beaver at Falktholts Gestgiveri in Dalsland, or go golfing at a number of courses.

more ›