Travel news: First camp in Central Europe and this is what Swedes hate most

By: The editors | Source: press material

Hello Monday and new week! As usual we provide the travel news and as usual we try to mix it up a bit: camping and flying, exotic and close… Have fun!

First Camp takes over nine campsites in Germany and Switzerland

First Camp, the largest chain of campsites and resorts in the Nordic region, is now taking an exciting step in its European expansion by acquiring nine popular camping destinations in Germany and Switzerland. With these destinations, the group has a total of 87 destinations throughout Europe.

The destinations, operated under the well-known brands CAMPING LODGE and AZUR, will be operated by their dedicated local teams. The new destinations are:

• AZUR Camping AltmühltalBavaria, Germany
• AZUR Camping RegensburgBavaria, Germany
• AZUR Camping AuwaldseeIngolstadt, Bavaria, Germany
• AZUR Camping Swabian AlbBaden-Württemberg, Germany
• AZUR Camping WertheimBaden-Württemberg, Germany
• Camping AlpenblickBernese Oberland, Switzerland
• Camping Bad RagazCanton of St. Gallen, Switzerland
• Campsite ErlachLake Biel, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
• Camping JungfrauBernese Oberland, Switzerland

Every tenth Swede drives on unknown low-budget tires

Every tenth Swedish motorist uses winter tires from unknown low-budget brands. This is evident from a recent study by Continental. In Sweden, the tires of 1,807 randomly selected passenger cars were photographed and analyzed using AI.

In Sweden, 63 percent drive on premium tires, which compares with 75 percent in Norway, 72 percent in Finland and 65 percent in Denmark. Nine percent of the cars in the study were equipped with cheap tires, which generally perform significantly worse on winter road conditions.

Swedes hate these costs the most when booking a trip

A new Sifo survey, commissioned by travel agency Ticket, shows that half of Swedes are most concerned about the fee for choosing a seat, something that many see as an obvious part of the ticket. Hand luggage follows closely: 42 percent react strongly to the fact that more and more airlines are charging for hand luggage.

At the same time, there is mainly a political discussion about hand luggage. The EU’s transport committee has voted to force airlines to allow travelers to take a smaller carry-on bag at no extra cost. The proposal has received a lot of attention, but has not yet been approved.

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Indonesia introduces the world’s first large-scale biometric corridors

Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration has become the first agency in the world to widely introduce biometric corridors using new biometric technology for people on the move. Travelers arriving in Jakarta and Surabaya will no longer need to stop or show documents when crossing the border. Travelers are authenticated using facial biometrics when passing through Amadeus Seamless Corridors.

Swedes will be looking for long holidays this Christmas – these destinations are popular

Christmas and New Year are favorable this year for those who want to take a longer holiday. By using five vacation days, you get 16 days off in a row. Those who can use pinch days can get 18 days off, with only four vacation days.

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New data from hotel and travel search site momondo shows that the number of Swedish flights has increased by 39 percent compared to last year. Please note that prices vary! Flight data from momondo indicates that December 21 could be the most expensive travel day of the holidays, with prices halved on December 28. Sweden’s most sought-after destinations for Christmas and New Year:

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Phuket, Thailand
3. Dubai
4. London, United Kingdom
5. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
6. Malaga, Spain
7. Alicante, Spain
8. Miami, USA
9. Tokyo, Japan
10. Cancun, Mexico

Viking Line is setting this year’s Christmas table

This year, Viking Line’s Christmas table is full of 105 dishes and will be served on all five ships from November 21 to December 25. Nearly 80 percent of Christmas dishes are locally produced with ingredients from Sweden, Finland, Åland and the rest of the Scandinavian region.

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After the Christmas table, entertainment awaits: on Viking Glory, which departs every evening from Stockholm to Turku, the wonderful Christmas show is offered Christmas Candy Landwith music, dance and spectacular costumes. The show runs Sunday through Thursday through Christmas, in the evenings and during the day.

Norwegian launches new direct flights

Norwegian continues to develop the route network and is now launching additional routes for next summer, including four from Sweden. Direct flights are launched from Stockholm Arlanda to Montpellier, Basel and Beirut. Direct flights to Riga are launched from Gothenburg Landvetter. The following new lines, some of which launched earlier this fall, will launch this spring:

• Stockholm – Beirut (starts April 3, 2026)
• Stockholm – Milan (starts May 13, 2026)
• Stockholm-Hamburg (starts May 13, 2026)
• Stockholm – Montpellier (starts May 16, 2026)
• Stockholm – Basel (starts May 22, 2026)
• Gothenburg – Riga (starts March 29, 2026)
• Gothenburg – Tirana (starts June 19)

New direct train Skåne – Hamburg and more night trains to Berlin

From May 4, 2026, Snälltåget will introduce a new direct train Stockholm – Malmö – Copenhagen – Hamburg. The new connection means that Hässleholm, Eslöv, Lund and Malmö will have a direct day train to Hamburg with stops in Copenhagen, Odense, Kolding, Padborg and Neumünster. At the same time, the number of departures by night train to Berlin will be increased in the winter of 2026/27.

This week’s reflection

Both direct flights and direct trains to Hamburg – then you can imagine that this city is becoming increasingly popular! We liked Hamburg – nice with harbor environments, boats, bridges and lots to see and do. By the way, it’s incredible how quickly First Camp is expanding!

Did you miss last week’s travel news? Read Solo travelers, Eastern Europe and the new Christmas market