FOREX appears to be the best foreign exchange provider in Sweden. They do not charge any fees while SEB at Arlanda Airport Terminal 5, for example, slips 40kr into the total amount of money you pay. Therefore, even if their exchange rate is not as good as the one offered by other providers, FOREX gives you the best deal.
From my experiences, paying abroad by Handelsbanken's allkort (so probably other credit cards issued by Swedish banks, too) gives you the best exchange rate, followed by cash obtained at FOREX. Withdrawing cash by credit card costs 35kr per transaction. Paying or withdrawing cash by your debit card (bankkort) costs you even more.
Showing posts with label 09 How to escape from Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 09 How to escape from Sweden. Show all posts
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20090723
Low-cost Airlines
In case you are new to Europe, escaping from Sweden to visit other European countries costs quite low thanks to the advent of low cost airlines such as Ryanair (flying from Skavsta and Västerås airports to various places in Europe), EasyJet (from Arlanda airport to Geneva and Milan, as of July 2009), AirBerlin (from Arlanda airport to various places in Europe), Norwegian (from Arlanda airport to various places in Europe), etc. (By the way, there used to be one more low-cost airline serving Stockholm. It was called Sterling. But it went bankrupt in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008.)
Keep an eye on The Stockholmtown Blog, which keeps reporting new routes opened by low-cost airlines from Stockholm.
Usually, tickets can only be booked online (the English version website is always available).
Ryanair is almost always the cheapest option, even if you feel ripped off because the final amount of payments is much, much more than the price you first saw (often close to zero krona). The price you first see on their website is the airfare excluding taxes, fees for online check-in, checking in baggage, paying by credit card, and so forth. Since you cannot book the seat with Ryanair, you must arrive at the boarding gate early and make a queue by standing in front of the gate, or pay a fee of "priority Q" to board first. Also beware that (1) Ryanair may fly you to an airport far away from the city center (just like Skavsta and Västerås in case of Stockholm), depending on destinations, and that (2) since April of 2009, you must check-in online in advance (you cannot check in at the airport). But Ryanair is the (self-claimed) most punctual airline in Europe (because passengers are rushed to board).
There is no such hassle with AirBerlin although it does not allow carry-on bags of more than 6 kg. (Other low-cost airlines in Europe usually allow up to 10 kg.)
Unlike other standard airlines where a single ticket costs much more than half of the price of a return ticket, these low-cost airlines do not discount return tickets compare to two single tickets. So you can fly with different airlines on the way to and back from your destination if this suits you (say, the flight schedule for one airline is more convenient than the other).
Keep an eye on The Stockholmtown Blog, which keeps reporting new routes opened by low-cost airlines from Stockholm.
Usually, tickets can only be booked online (the English version website is always available).
Ryanair is almost always the cheapest option, even if you feel ripped off because the final amount of payments is much, much more than the price you first saw (often close to zero krona). The price you first see on their website is the airfare excluding taxes, fees for online check-in, checking in baggage, paying by credit card, and so forth. Since you cannot book the seat with Ryanair, you must arrive at the boarding gate early and make a queue by standing in front of the gate, or pay a fee of "priority Q" to board first. Also beware that (1) Ryanair may fly you to an airport far away from the city center (just like Skavsta and Västerås in case of Stockholm), depending on destinations, and that (2) since April of 2009, you must check-in online in advance (you cannot check in at the airport). But Ryanair is the (self-claimed) most punctual airline in Europe (because passengers are rushed to board).
There is no such hassle with AirBerlin although it does not allow carry-on bags of more than 6 kg. (Other low-cost airlines in Europe usually allow up to 10 kg.)
Unlike other standard airlines where a single ticket costs much more than half of the price of a return ticket, these low-cost airlines do not discount return tickets compare to two single tickets. So you can fly with different airlines on the way to and back from your destination if this suits you (say, the flight schedule for one airline is more convenient than the other).
20090720
Vaccination
If you plan to make a trip to Africa or other countries with disease concerns, you may want to be vaccinated. Alternatively, your children may need vaccination.
Engelbrektskliniken at Östermalmsgatan 47 (opening hours: 800-1930 Mon-Thu, 800-1500 Fri, closed Sat-Sun) offers vaccination service.
If you live in the south, VaccinDirekt at Hammarby Allé 66 (1 minute walk from Luma station for Tvärbanan tram) and at Slussplan 7 offers an extremely efficient, quick service. (You can just drop in and take a shot within a few minutes if no one else is in the queue.)
Engelbrektskliniken at Östermalmsgatan 47 (opening hours: 800-1930 Mon-Thu, 800-1500 Fri, closed Sat-Sun) offers vaccination service.
If you live in the south, VaccinDirekt at Hammarby Allé 66 (1 minute walk from Luma station for Tvärbanan tram) and at Slussplan 7 offers an extremely efficient, quick service. (You can just drop in and take a shot within a few minutes if no one else is in the queue.)
20080816
Travel insurance
As written in the post on home insurance, your foreign travel of no longer than 45 days is insured by your home insurance. No need to buy a travel insurance every time you make a short trip abroad.
Insurance companies offering travel insurance for a trip longer than 45 days include Europeiska (its website in English). Maybe there are more in Sweden, but I just don't know.
Insurance companies offering travel insurance for a trip longer than 45 days include Europeiska (its website in English). Maybe there are more in Sweden, but I just don't know.
20080806
Kilroy Travels
Address: Kungsgatan 4
Telephone: 0771 545 769
Opening Hours: 10-18 / closed / closed
Nearest Station: Östermalmstorg
Website (in Swedish): www.kilroytravels.se
A travel agent strong in trips to Africa. Brochures written in English are available at the store. Staff members are friendly.
Telephone: 0771 545 769
Opening Hours: 10-18 / closed / closed
Nearest Station: Östermalmstorg
Website (in Swedish): www.kilroytravels.se
A travel agent strong in trips to Africa. Brochures written in English are available at the store. Staff members are friendly.
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