Free Travel E-Courses by E-mail
Maybe you're planning to spend this holiday season in Scandinavia, or want to find out more about local Christmas traditions?
Either way, you've come to the right place to find out more about Christmas in Scandinavia. The following new e-course has 4 parts and will arrive weekly via email, for free. Enjoy the interesting seasonal travel tips included:
Seasonal Scandinavia - Scandinavia's Holiday E-Course
And if you're looking to learn more about Scandinavia throughout the year, try the year-round Scandinavia Travel E-Course that will teach you more about Scandinavia itself, travel destinations, events, and so much more, in 6 free weekly email lessons!
Photo of the Week: Toddler on Skis
Take a look at this little Swedish cutie as she's slaloming down the hill. Doesn't she make you want to go skiing with her? Ski resorts are opening up all over Scandinavia now, so it's a great time to look into some winter travel plans.
Related travel articles:
Language Basics for Dummies
Over 5,000 languages exist today, but linguists and scientists say that there may be only 2,000 by the next decade as rare languages die out. The Scandinavian languages are not in danger of dying out any time soon, though - there are more than 20 million speakers of Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian today!
Just make sure to get a few basic words down before you travel - it makes your trip so much more enjoyable.
When translating, be careful not to use phrases with double-meaning, though! A while ago, a truly memorable lesson was learned by the Swedish manufacturer Electrolux, when the company initiated their ad campaign in the US. They marketed the then latest top of the range vacuum cleaners using a memorable English slogan: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux".
The Bridge Between Denmark and Sweden
The Oresund Bridge is the relatively new bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden, in a total length of just over 10 miles. Doesn't that sound like fun? Next time you're driving in Scandinavia, visit the Oresund Strait.
The Oresund Bridge connects the cities of Copenhagen and Malmo. It now carries more than 60,000 travelers daily, and bridge tolls are reasonably priced - get all the details in the new article about the Oresund Bridge.
FUN FACT: The high bridge part of the Oresund Bridge has the longest cable-stayed main span of all bridges in the world. That goes for both road and rail traffic! And, this Scandinavian tunnel is the world's longest underwater tube tunnel for both road and rail traffic.
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When You Should...And Shouldn't Go
Although the winter months can be quite cold in certain parts of Scandinavia, the summer isn't always the best choice. You're paying higher prices, run into crowds, and will miss out on unique natural phenomena like the Northern Lights. But is winter really a better pick? Not so fast.
When you go to Scandinavia should be decided by where exactly you want to go and the type of traveler you are. So let's find out with our new article series of "When to go to ...", which is sorted by country and lets you narrow down the information on the best time for you to visit your destination country:
Fun, Economical, Cheap
If you're thinking about renting a car at your Scandinavian destination, you should know there is a better alternative: Bikes have their own lanes (and lights) and are often faster in Scandinavia's bigger cities!
The capital cites of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are all bicycle-friendly. There is a service called CityBike which offers hundreds (or thousands) of bicycles that can be rented for free or for a small fee.
Since the Scandinavian cities generally don't have any hills, using a bicycle is easy and relaxing.
Image: City Bikes in Scandinavia, licensed to About.com
Photo of the Week: Cold in Copenhagen
The weather in Denmark is turning cool and wet. Right now, the average high temperature in Copenhagen is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Denmark doesn't have a lot of fluctuation between day and night temperatures, but wind gusts and changes in wind direction can quickly change conditions.
Art.com Coupon Codes for 20% or $40 Off
I thought I'd share this with my readers, if you want to get a head start on Christmas shopping with a good coupon. Art.com is currently running a promotion with several Art.com coupon codes. So if you're looking to buy something at Art.com - for example, the beautiful photo prints from Scandinavia that they have - use coupon code VINTAGE09 (or ABART64) to get the 20% rebate before it expires.
Before you head on over to www.art.com, know that the coupon codes FRAME40 gives $40 off orders over $160, and FRAME60 gets you a whopping $60 off orders over $200.
All these Art.com coupon codes are valid on the entire inventory, not just on the beautiful Scandinavian art prints. Art.com takes one coupon per customer, exp. 11/2009.
Half Price Hotels!
November is one of the slowest times of year in Scandinavia when it comes to tourism. There aren't too many events and the weather can turn a bit wet and windy. On the other hand, how about traveling for half the budget that you would spend at other times of the year?
At the moment, several hotel chains in Scandinavia (like First Hotels and Scandic) are slashing their nightly rates for November and early December by more than half.
You can compare them through Kayak, the website that collects prices from all the big booking websites. That'll make sure you find the lowest price without having to go from one website to another. I like it. Don't forget to compare flight prices as well.
Norway's Best Sights?
How do you rank your attractions? What do you think is better, the North Cape or the Geirangerfjord? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
It can be hard to pick the 10 best sights and attractions in Norway, but if you're planning a trip there and want some advice on must-see sights in Norway, follow that link to our top 10 and then add your own suggestions at the end of the article!
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