Sweden Newsletter

By the month of May, summer is fully set in the northern hemisphere and the sun is sending the temperatures soaring. While for the tropical countries, the day heat becomes unbearable, in the temperate zone (most of Europe lies in temperate zone), the rising temperatures are very welcome and people living in these regions welcome the sun with open arms.

It’s the time they organise most of their festivals – both religious and cultural. That is why, all over Europe, you will witness a plethora of events all throughout summer. While there are events like Easter which are religious but have their roots in ancient pagan custom of welcoming spring and summer, you also have a variety of music festivals, art festivals, lit-fests and other celebrations of local culture and the presence of sun.

In this issue, we talk about Sweden – the land of the late night sun in summers, white nights and their unique culture of embracing outdoors. Local people of Sweden undertake many activities to make full use of sun in the summers. Talking of which, it is important that travellers understand the local nuances and learn to travel like locals for best experiences.

And what is a great experience without preserving a memory of it in the form of a great picture. We have a handy guide to taking good pictures using your mobile phone. So there you have it – how to have a great travel experience and how to take a great picture of it – what else do you need?

Soul Trip: Travelling Like A Local

The best travel experiences are in travelling like a local. What does travelling like a local mean? Here are some fundamental steps to get a true local experience in your travels:

• Knowing the place: Read up as much as you can about the country / city you are going to visit. And this does not mean just the guidebook. Find out about their government, important festivals, any interesting stories, some phrases in local language, their history and current news.
• Eat local cuisine: You will miss one of the key experiences of a place by looking for ‘Dal-Chawal’ everywhere in the world. Just like our food, there are traditions, stories, local culture imbibed in the food they eat. Be aware of your dietary restrictions, if any, and go for local delicacies.
• Use local public transport: If you want to feel the daily pulse of a place, no better place than its local trains, metro, undergrounds, buses, trams, ferries, boats etc. Figure out how people travel in their daily lives and try to experience that.
• Do what locals do: Go to the wet markets, the daily needs supermarkets, stay in local residential areas rather than the touristy ones.

And above all, respect the local traditions and place just like the local people do. Do not think since you are there only for a few days, you can litter and harm the public places etc. Leave the place better than you found it.

Discover Your World

Enjoy the Summer Season in Sweden

Scandinavian Sun

To get a sample itinerary (7 days) for Sweden, click here .

With its Scandinavian culture, rich history and pristine landscapes, Sweden is a traveller's paradise. If you love the outdoors, then Sweden makes for an excellent destination choice for the summers. The air and water are crystal clean, and there are thousands of acres of unspoiled forests and majestic lakes to explore, not to mention vast archipelagos along its coasts.

The roads and public transport are modern, the citizens are warm, friendly and helpful. Their history ranges from Viking invaders to the Royal dynasties of today. Sweden's tourist attractions range from opulent palaces and ancient towns to vast Arctic landscapes and the famous Ice Hotel, Northern Lights, Treehotel and Dog sleds. While some gems are available to view only in winters, it is in summers that Sweden shows its true colours. There are so many things to do that you'll want to allow plenty of time to enjoy all its natural glory, outdoor adventures and historic treasures.

Lapland (northern part) is the best place in Sweden to see the world-famous white night phenomena, a time when the night is just a dimmer version of day. Hiking in the untamed mountains of Lapland during this season is a rare adventure as the glowing light illuminates the trees and casts a glow over everything. And, for a more relaxed vacation, there are several cruise lines that offer Midnight Sun Cruises. On these cruises, you can experience the effects of the special light from the sun on the open sea. The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight.

As a general rule of thumb, summer in Europe equals perfect weather. But it also means lots of crowds (meaning long lines) and an exodus of locals. In terms of budget, it has high accommodation prices. But if you choose your experiences well by beating the most obvious tourist spots, you are in for a most pristine and peaceful holiday that takes you closer to nature and adventure. June in Sweden is full of festivals and even the National Day of Sweden falls in June. So if you are planning to be in Sweden this summer, don’t miss out on these events.

Travel Smart

10 Tips to Take Better Pictures

Memories of an Epic Trip

When you come back from a holiday and go through your pictures on your mobile phone, do you ever wonder that you could have taken the picture a bit differently? All it takes is a little know-how and practice. Read on for some important picture-taking tips.

• Look your subject in the eye: Take your shots boldly. Be clear about what is the subject of your picture and capture it in a bold way.
• Move in close: Don’t take very long shots. Try to move in close and try different angles.
• Move the subject away from exact middle: Compose your pictures differently than the usual on thing in the centre.
• Learn the rule of thirds: Use guidelines of the camera to compose your picture between three vertical and three horizontal lines. The points of intersection of lines are key focal points.
• Find a support to keep hand steady: If your hand moves even slightly, the picture gets blurred.
• Make the most of light: Learn to use the light. Specially try not to place your subject with the light behind them.
• Put HDR mode on: Keep this mode on for sharper pictures.
• Clean the lens: A lot of times picture quality is bad just because the lens is greasy from our fingers. Clean it with a soft cotton cloth.
• Try different modes and filters available on phone camera: Your phone has various options – play with them.
• Experiment with different camera apps – You don’t have to use the standard camera of your phone. You can download other camera apps and use them for different quality of pictures.

News you can use

Events, Festivals around the world and key announcements

• Vienna Festival: May 10 to June 16, 2019
• Summerburst, Goteburg, Sweden: June 7 to June 8, 2019
• Midsummer festival, Sweden: June 22, 2019
• Sweden National Day: June 6, 2019
• Steamboat Parade – Archipelago Boat Day, Vaxholm, Stockholm – June 13, 2019
• Sardine festival, Portugal, Lisbon: June 12, 2019
• Taste of London Food Festival, London, UK: June 12 to June 16, 2019

‘Vacations’ is powered by OneShoe Trust for Responsible & Mindful Travels – a travel events and marketing social enterprise that promotes travelling as a means to raise awareness about climate change and preserving local ecology.

Disclaimer: Any use of the information in the e-mailer/blog/website is at user’s own risk. Nothing contained herein shall constitute or be deemed to constitute an advice, invitation or solicitation to purchase any products/ services of ICICI Bank and shall not be relied upon as such. ICICI Bank shall not have any liability towards any third party for any loss or damage incurred as a result of use of the content or reliance on any information provided hereunder.