Do you know much about Sweden? Sure, you probably know that Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, you can sing along to every word of Swedish pop band ABBA’s Dancing Queen, and you’ve no doubt put together DIY furniture from IKEA at some point in your life. But I bet you didn’t know this: Sweden is the second most coffee consuming country in the world. They even have a special word for it –Â fika – because a cup of coffee is about way more than just drinking it; it’s a social ritual. Intrigued? Then read on to find out what Sweden in a Volvo is all about.
Our #WestSweden Explorer trip
Sweden
We’ve been itching to go to Sweden for a while. We got a tiny taste of Arctic Sweden when we visited the village of Kukkolaforsen, but our afternoon there left us wanting more. So we’re incredibly excited to be heading to Sweden May 31st with Visit Sweden and Volvo. No, we won’t be chasing any Northern Lights on this trip; it’s that time of the year to experience the Midnight Sun with nearly 18 hours of daylight each day of our trip. So we can definitely fit in a whole lot of adventure – and does Visit Sweden ever have a ton of adventure planned for us!
Along with three other bloggers – a food lover, an art lover, and an environmentalist – Visit Sweden and Volvo have selected us to as their explorers to showcase the best of what West Sweden has to offer for active adventurers like us.
Photo courtesy of Lonely Planet
Volvo
Our friends at Visit Sweden tell us exploring Sweden by car is easy and road tripping is one of our favorite ways to travel. We hear that the roads are well maintained and traffic jams are rare. But we’re prepared to meet the occasional moose on the road. And Volvo is ensuring we can travel without limits (they SO get us) by sending us around West Sweden in a brand new 2015 Volvo XC70. We’ll pick up our all-terrain XC70 at the Volvo Factory in Gothenburg…we just might not want to give it back at the end of the week! We are currently shopping for a new car…(hint, hint).
You may be wondering why on earth Volvo would just send us around Sweden. Well, Volvo Car Corporation was founded in Gothenburg in 1927 and Volvo is still manufactured in Sweden today. They even have an Overseas Delivery Program which offers a complimentary trip to Sweden with the purchase of a participating Volvo vehicle. How cool is that? Pick out your new Volvo at the Volvo Factory in Gothenburg, take it for a test drive around Sweden, and then it will be shipped to you at home in the US to your nearest authorized dealership.
What To Expect in West Sweden
Our Explorer trip is a perfect mix of urban adventure, nature, and comfort in chic hotels where we can relax along the way. We’re excited about exploring Gothenburg while paddling kayaks in the canals, heading out to several of the islands, and feeding moose at the Moose Park in Dalsland. There are 97,500 lakes in Sweden and we’ll be hitting at least one of them in a canoe and doing some mountain biking for fantastic views over the lake. We won’t give away everything that we’ll be up to; you’ll just have to follow along with the hashtags #WestSweden and #inaVolvo. So be sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Sweden in a Volvo is going to be one amazing trip and we can’t wait to show you all of the awesome adventures you can have in Sweden. Are you ready to start planning your own trip yet? Or maybe pick up your new Volvo in Gothenburg?
Hannah says
Wow that sounds like fun! I’ve only been to Stockholm but loved it and would love to go back and see more so I’m excited to follow your adventure. Watch out for those Moose 😉
Jennifer says
A visit to Stockholm has long been on our list. We won’t make it there this trip, but we’ll have to get some tips from you when we do make it there.
Sarah Ebner says
I’ve always wanted to go and so have my kids! Look forward to following. I wonder what will impress you most or what you won’t want to leave…
Jennifer says
We wonder the same, Sarah! Let the countdown begin and we’ll find out what we love in just about two weeks now.
Elena says
Kayaking through the canals sounds like a great way to explore! (And yes- how fun would it be to drive your new car around Sweden before shipping it “home!”)
Jennifer says
It’s such a great program! It certainly makes car shopping even more fun.
Britany says
I did not know that Swedes were so caffeinated but they sound like my kind of people! 🙂
Jennifer says
I didn’t know either, Brittany! Guess I won’t have any trouble finding my morning cappuccino. It sounds like we’ll have tons of cafes to check out.
Angela Travels says
I just entered. Since I am half Swedish, I would love to visit the motherland 🙂 I am keeping my fingers crossed and can’t wait to read about your journey!
Jennifer says
That’s awesome, Angela! Good luck. Hopefully you’ll be headed to Sweden and can check out your heritage there. Since you are half Swedish, are there any foods you recommend we should try while there?
Angela Travels says
Korv is something that was always made by my Grandmother for special occasions. It is delicious!
Devlin Madden-Perdue says
I’d love to visit Sweden – just entered, thanks for that! 🙂 – I’ve never been but it would be great to visit one of my buddies I haven’t seen in years.
Jennifer says
Good luck Devlin! Sounds like you’d have a great local to show you around – that’s the best way.
Katherine Belarmino says
We just returned from our very first visit to a Scandinavian country and I am ready to visit the rest of Scandinavia. We even thought about crossing the bridge from Denmark to Sweden just so we could spend a few hours in the country. That will be so much fun to drive a new Volvo around Sweden! By the way, I can sing along to every word of every ABBA song, not just Dancing Queen. 🙂
Jennifer says
I’m loading up my iPhone with ABBA before the trip. Only fitting that we jam out to ABBA while road tripping around West Sweden!
We haven’t been to Denmark and it’s the last of the Scandinavian countries for us. Hopefully we make it there soon and I’ll definitely be asking you for some tips, Katherine. 🙂
Sofie says
Darn! Only US residents.
Does look like a fun trip though:)
Jennifer says
Sorry, Sofie! Yes, this trip giveaway is only open to US residents.
Arianwen says
Great competition! My knowledge of Sweden is exactly what you described, only I also have great knowledge of Roxette. I’ve only been to Stockholm and the amazing ABBA museum and would love to explore further!
Jennifer says
OMG, I would LOVE the ABBA Museum. We’ve got to get to Stockholm, but won’t have time on this trip.
elaine schoch says
I had no idea Sweden was the second most coffee consuming country in the world… Looking forward to learning even more from your posts after your trip. Enjoy!
Shanna Schultz says
We only got to to visit Sweden (Stockholm) for one day one a cruise a couple years ago. We loved it and can’t wait to go back! Looking forward to reading about your adventures!
Jennifer says
Cruises can be such teases, but they are great for discovering places you’d like to go back and spend more time. Hope you back it back to explore more of Sweden, Shanna!
Bob R says
Sounds terrific, I’m sure you’ll enjoy. I spent about 10 days in Goteborg back 2006 on an assignment so had little time to explore. But I really liked what I did see.
Jennifer says
Great to hear, Bob! We’ve heard great things about Gothenburg and we’ve been Googling all the islands and lakes we’ll also be visiting. It looks stunning so we can’t wait to see it in person and share.
Casey @ A Cruising Couple says
What an awesome trip! Can’t wait to follow along! We loved our adventures in Stockholm and Lapland, but didn’t get to travel through Sweden as much as we had originally wanted. We will actually be back in Stockholm for one day before we fly out on June 1st, but I don’t think we’ll have time to go see Gothenburg, somewhere we really wanted to visit originally. Looking forward to vicariously living through you and planning our next trip back to Western Sweden! Dan is also a HUGE volvo fan (it was his first – and only- car) so he is especially a bit jealous ;-P
Heather says
This is going to be amazing! Can’t wait to read all about it – and hopefully get some ideas for my own Swedish adventure! 🙂
Beverly Giles says
This Swede would love to travel in Sweden in a Volvo won or purchased there. The glass factories and Carl Larsson’ s home are high on my list.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
If you live in the US, be sure to enter to win the trip to Sweden Bev! As a Swede, do you have any insider tips for us?
Emelie Persson says
We can t wait to welcome you to West Sweden and we hope that your followers will enjoy reading about your adventure! I am looking forward to meeting you on monday in Gothenburg.
P.S I just ordered sunshine 😉 D.S
Have a safe flight!
All the best, Emelie (Press & PR West Sweden Tourist Board)