Writer: Helena Bergström
Now it’s that time again: we’re traveling to Uzbekistan for the third time. It’s no secret that this country has taken us by storm. Every time we land it’s like we’re swept into an intense wave of exotic adventures, and it’s a little reminder of why we love to travel…
Uzbekistan – the land of dreams and fairy tales
For me it started with fantasies about Samarkand. Honestly, is there any place that has such a dreamy feel as this? I heard about the place as a child, probably through the fairy tale tax “One Thousand and One Nights” or something like that. The name stuck… and I always wanted to come here!
The dream became reality
For us, everything started when Uzbekistan opened an embassy in Stockholm, which happened in the same spirit as the new president in Uzbekistan seriously wanted to open up to tourism. We can confirm that they are Real Working for this: refreshment of destinations, new hotels and visa-free for many nationalities (including Sweden of course). They really want to show their country to tourists!
What happened from our side was that we met the Embassy of Uzbekistan at the senior fair in Stockholm in 2023. We had a booth ourselves (and we gave lectures!) and we told the embassy how much we dreamed about Uzbekistan. Every now and then a collaboration emerged! (And yes, they are also coming to the senior festival/travel fair this year, if you want to meet them!)
A first tumultuous trip to Uzbekistan
The first trip to Uzbekistan was really overwhelming. The country had a charter flight from Madrid, on the occasion of the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) meeting in Samarkand 2023. When we went to Madrid, we were allowed to hang on to the flight as journalists. How should we describe? The other travelers wore long African clothing and headgear that we previously only saw on TV. Everyone looked great Important out. We were kind of wondering where we were going to go?
It was fantastic, while the trip shocked us in every way possible. We listened to the president’s speech, we were interviewed on television, and we met and talked to people everywhere. Suddenly we realized that for many people the ‘center of the world’ is here after all, in a place that was previously only a bit vague on the map for us. We love these shifts of perspectives!
A second tumultuous journey to Uzbekistan
After the first trip we were asked if we could perhaps put together a group of Scandinavian journalists and bloggers for a new trip to Uzbekistan. It was a trip we will never forget! We were dozens of travel writers, from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. There were many nice stories after the trip! Read for example:
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The experience in place? It’s hard to explain! We had an incredible amount of fun! At the same time it was of course intense, not always so much sleep… that’s how you travel!
Now we are traveling to Uzbekistan for the third time
Earlier this year we were appointed official tourist ambassadors for Uzbekistan in Sweden, which of course feels very honorable. Of course, we are now expected to talk about Uzbekistan from time to time (which we love to do!) and we have also put together a new press tour group. We are going on a trip soon (today!) and plan to tell a lot about the trip.
Writing long, extensive reports during a press trip (usually with programs from type 07 in the morning to 11 in the evening!) can be difficult and that is why we have preset some reports on completely different matters. Feel free to follow the journey on Instagram @vrijsreisnieuws And of course here on freedomtravel.se – some may come in the meantime and even more when we get home!
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