LH Franz Pondering where to go for my spring trip, Daughter Betsy suggested I should go to Stockholm. Indeed, I’ve been mumbling about it on and off for a while. April seemed a good time for this trip, before peak tourist season. My other daughter, DD, mused that maybe they would be able to go with me, since they have never been abroad. (Note: Technically they actually have been “abroad” – for a couple of hours in Ensenada, Mexico, a cruise stopover when they were about ten years old. We agreed that doesn’t really count.) So preparations would include their plans as well as mine.
Between our trip to Iceland and now, several Covid-related logistical issues had disappeared. The new strains (which they’re calling “variants”) are extremely contagious (which they call “transmissible”). But although the strains are more contagious, they are not nearly so deadly as past strains. The business of requiring proof of vaccination to enter some countries was gone. The business of requiring proof of a negative Covid test before returning to the USA was also gone.
The internet told me I could get the best deal on airline fares if I booked about seventy days before my flight. So I hit the web mid-February for my trip in April. I first looked at United Airlines, as I always do, to make note of their offerings. I then looked on Expedia, as I always do, to see what other airlines flew to Stockholm. Expedia told me that Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has direct flights to Stockholm from Newark. At the SAS web site (joy of joys!) they were running special deals on trips between North America and Sweden. A round trip ticket for an SAS Plus seat was available for $700. A fantastic and irresistible price! I paid by credit card, saving my frequent flyer miles for another day. I then went to DD and they were able to buy a round trip ticket on the same flight.
There were some worries about flight delays and cancellations. During the pandemic, airlines had cut back on staff. After two and a half years of travel restrictions, they were not quite back up to full staffing and were not ready for the number of traveling passengers. To prepare for possible delays, I made a list of other flights that might be available around the times I was scheduled to leave so I would be able to knowledgeably discuss options if rebooking would be necessary. I had the SAS customer service number in the app so I would be able to call and get help quickly if I needed it, as opposed to standing on line at an airport desk.
On my last two trips, Daughter Betsy took care of researching lodging. This time, I did it myself, beginning with HOTELS.COM to get a rough list of hotels sorted by price and customer rating, then visiting the websites of each reasonable candidate to get more detail, to see pictures of the rooms and amenities, and to use Google to “walk” the area around the hotel. The less pricey of the two Best Western hotels in Stockholm was the best fit. A dependable brand, not too expensive, with elevators and a luggage check service for early arrivals, and breakfast and WiFi included in the room charge.They seemed to be within walking distance of almost all of the attractions I wanted to see. Located in the middle of town, it is also near many, many places to eat. I reserved two single rooms.
It was now time to learn something about the country I was going to see. Off to visit the library!
