Pros and Cons of cycling in Scandinava: Sweeden, Norway, Denmark, Finland

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Hi guys and welcome to another video by Tim vegan and Frodo thank you for tuning back in again hope you’re having a beautiful wonderful day and I’m so excited to see you back here again today’s video is going to be in this series of cycling in different

Countries and my experiences in them so for this topic for today is the Scandinavia highlights and low lights so this is about the basically outlining the best and not so good things that I have found through my personal traveling tour that I did last year or well it’s

Beginning of 2019 now so last year in Norway in Sweden and I’ve done a bit of research as well I’ve read up a few little things and little blogs from other people as well and including Finland and that as well so these are Scandinavian countries in the North

If you’re interested I’m very excited to share my experiences with you and hope you get something useful out of the video One two three four Can I just start by saying how much I absolutely absolutely loved those Scandinavian countries Sweden and Norway were just absolutely spectacular the nature I think should be number one highlights of the trip of cycle traveling trip or any sort of trip that you do in the area the foods the forests

The Lakes the fields the hills the mountains it’s just absolutely spectacular and if you’re into some sort of water sport or if you’re into hiking as well you can always do that another good thing about traveling through Scandinavian countries is actually that you can camp in a lot of places so

Basically it’s free although you do need to make sure just make sure that it’s not someone’s property and I was reading some things online that they prefer to be gone by 9am the next day but usually you can find a lot of spots on that note on the accommodation note

One of the negative things or low lights you can say that I have found a bad trailer through Scandinavia as many people would tell you is that it is expensive it is definitely something that I have noticed coming from country like Japan that I was in previously in a lot of Asian countries

It is even pretty pricey compared to Australian price extenders or the U.S as you will see through the Vlogs you would have seen some of the Vlogs that I’ve recorded there the prize definitely sort of goes up but it’s still doable even on the vegan diet

Speaking of vegan diet one of my most favorite things about these countries is how easy it is to eat vegan or plant-based or gluten-free or dairy free or whatever it is that your diet specialty is there’s so many options now how many of you have heard about Ikea

Right they do vegan little comfortables they’re absolutely amazing they tastes like really really good I’ve tried them the other day and I just really enjoyed them so basically in Sweden in Norway in Finland they’re so much variety of that type of thing from yogurts to little sort of Plum based combinations not just

Falafels well comfortables little bean things little you know pastas and soups and there’s many plant-based milks mini cereals many different options and variety body and a lot of things has little vegan signs a little V signs so it just makes it really really easy for you to know what is it that you’re

Eating to make sure you’re eating the right thing and basically don’t eat something you don’t want to be eating on accident like again has happened to me in the past but let’s live and learn and that’s okay because no one’s perfect another thing I absolutely loved about traveling in the Scandinavia I went

There in June July and the weather was just on point the it was sunny it was warm it was dry and the sunlight was on for ages and ages and ages so basically it is seasonal of course so that’s I guess is one of the low lights that if you want to be

Traveling in the winter months and the winter months I mean winter in the northern hemisphere so there’s December January February or a few months uh into the Autumn or into the spring it could be pretty cold the place is being very very Northern I actually have a map behind you guys here

So I can actually like look and it really takes me back anyway by the way I love Maps I think they’re really cool anyway when I was traveling there the weather was spectacular and the sunlight was on from six or seven am until 9 00

PM like 8 39 PM which means the I had over 12 hours like 15 hours of amazing sun and being able to see everything in front of me and not being really concerned with my lights of course they’re always charged out for the safety of reasons but it was just so so

Easy really and relaxed and I didn’t light was something that I didn’t need to stress about and that was great although mind you you still want to be finishing your cycling shows probably before eight to nine PM because if you’re planning to cycle the next day

You’re going to be a bit tired so that is definitely something to think about another positive thing that I want to mention about traveling by bicycle tourists cycling in the Scandinavian countries is the fact that yes there’s a European countries and yes there’s three different languages to you potentially

But a really cool thing is that from childhood they all learn English so if you know how to speak English or even have some Basics they’re going to be able to understand you I am also able to speak Russian you know as my second language or rather than my first

Language in English is my second so that is a positive it’s a benefit to you if you’re able to speak a third language on the European languages but basically the people also I found them to be very happy very friendly very interested in cycling and slowly going into the next positive

Is that there’s so many cyclists on the road and so many female cyclists personally I thought that was really really cool there’s a lot of bike shops through everywhere there is a lot of infrastructure for cyclists as well so there’s a lot of cycling paths there’s

Just a lot of little bike fix up stations there’s also even maps on the cycling roads in different places because these countries are really good for cycling absolutely brilliant totally loved it let me just mention to you here that Sweden Finland and Norway all together have a total population of 20

And a half million people 20 and a half million in those three countries which are pretty big compared to let alone from the previous video of Japan was 122 million people these are 40 in three and Japan is much smallest in the island or even some states in America so

California for example has over 40 million people living in it so people are very spread out there’s less people on the roads there’s less people in the cities so you feel like you do have a bit more freedom a bit more space to yourself and you can just relax see when

I go back in my mind to me going back to that place while I was traveling there I just I just feel relaxed I remember the absolute spectacular nature that I saw that was just amazing and just really relaxed very calm not many people I feel like people

Are not really that stressed out over there at all especially if they’re earning there so they don’t need to worry about money and spending so another thing I have noticed whilst traveling in this Scandinavian contrast is there’s lots of space and everything is very clean which I think is again because those countries

Being an expense expensive countries the Texas are higher and a lot of money gets spent on that basically on the environment on the preservation of environment on making sure that the roads and everything is clean so one of the low lights another low light that I do want to mention is that

The maps if you’re following just Google Maps it might not be 100 clear where you can ride which roads bikes can go on because there are as few highways where the bikes are not allowed on and which ones you’re not but usually it can be

Okay if you download Max me so Maps me is another app which I personally use and you usually use it you download a section of the map and it shows you different routes for a bicycle which you can use in the area when you’re going

From A to B and it actually doesn’t use any data it only uses data wealth to download in the map and when you’re on the go you can just track it with a GPS and have the map saved with all the roads and all the towns and everything on your phone

So that makes it really really easy for you but after reading a few blogs I have noticed people complaining quite a bit about Google Maps not really warning them about the gravel roads so sometimes Google Maps does take you on the gravel route in those countries so I actually really

Don’t mind riding on the roads with the cars it’s actually something I more or less prefer some people don’t really get it but to me there is mostly a guarantee that it’s going to be a bitumen Road and also there’s going to be someone in case I need someone’s help

That’s just generally my personal you but a lot of people do love to go completely off-road and away from others and just kind of get that surrender and disappear from others would you still get no matter what with cycle touring so whichever way you want

To go Maps me is a really really good app it’s also a free app so you just download maps for any country really wherever you’re traveling in the world definitely check it out so something else that is a low light of Scandinavian countries and traveling in the Scandinavian countries that people

Mention is the yo is that you cannot take your bike on the train now it doesn’t count for all the trains it’s trains in Sweden and it’s only for the line called SJ which one of their main lines for communal lines SL or airport train from Stockholm you actually can take your

Bike on the train but it needs to be in the box or it needs to be folded so similar to our favorite Japan that we just went through again to me personally it’s actually very strange because I’m used to in Australia being able to take my bike on

The train without any worries I don’t usually take the bike on the bus but I have in the past in Australia and that has not been an issue I didn’t have dismantlers or have any sort of coverings so just be a bit wary of it in Norway though I know that you can

Take I took my bike in a bike box in Norway on the train but also nowhere in Denmark and Finland and stuff you can you can take your bike in a box or in a bag but you also do need to pay a little bit extra something I also do want to

Mention about traveling in this Scandinavian countries just like probably quite a few others but these are the countries Sweden in no ways but I’ve noticed it the most is basically needing to have a bug spray during the day just cycling I had mosquitoes and wasps biting my legs

And that was really annoying because you know the buy and then you get like this big itchy lump on your body so I mean obviously it’s fine you’re not gonna die for it from it probably but it’s just a little bit annoying so you do have some

Sort of citrus oil or some sort of bug spray or roll-on or whatever have it with you for that especially if you’re camping all in all overall I think traveling cycling cycle traveling and Recycling and just traveling and all the above in Scandinavian countries is absolutely fantastic I had the most

Amazing time in those countries I absolutely want to go back they’re so beautiful they’re very Charming I feel like you’re in some sort of fairy tale with houses that have grass on their roofs and Tesla’s zooming through the streets and ridiculously stunning nature and feuds and you know mountains around and gorgeous and

Forests and lakes and everything in between absolutely beautiful countries insane amounts and variety of vegan foods and let me tell you one tip is that if in Sweden staff is definitely much cheaper than it is in Norway so buy and kind of stock up on a few bits and

Bobs before your crossover especially if you need bike stuff like tires or extra lube there’s actually a town and a really really big shopping mall basically on the border on the border between Sweden and Norway so whilst you’re Crossing it on your bike it’s a bike Road there

Similar with the cars it’s just the same road stock up on your stuff whatever whatever it is that you need to get before Crossing to Norway but is what it is these places are extensive as well but I think their makeup for us in an amazing beautiful nature you can also

Camp in a lot of places it’s easy to find water it is easy to find food and even guests and internet there’s a lot of Wi-Fi in different shopping malls and cafes and restaurants available all in all brilliant trip amazing time there and 100 recommended now these were my

Tips and my experience in the Scandal living countries please let me know yours if you especially if you’re from there hi say hello definitely let us know if something that I have missed and I hope to see you guys again soon maybe hopefully this video has been

Interesting and helpful for you and I really appreciate you checking back in remember to stop counting calories like counting Hills okay your lunches count your passions and I’ll see you again soon bye [Applause] recognize