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Hej from Sweden! Last week we traveled to Cologne, Germany via Madrid’s new multi-billion dollar airport (here’s the link to the archives). This week we fly to Stockholm for only $84 (including all taxes and fees) on a German low-fare carrier. We’re in Stockholm for only a night because I’m here for one reason: to catch a very special flight (details shortly). If you want a clue to where I’m headed and a glimpse of Stockholm, let’s go! The gate agent is paging our names on the PA system -- so hurry!

GERMANY TO SWEDEN
I purchased a 65 euros ($84) one-way ticket on Germanwings.com two weeks prior to my departure. Germanwings is a low-fare carrier that flies new Airbus A319/320 aircraft to over 50 European destinations. As with all low-fare carriers, to get the lowest deals it’s best to buy as far in advance as possible, or jump on a sale (they offer email alerts). If I took my own advice I could have scored the same ticket for half price, but $84 is still a great deal. The 738-mile Cologne-to-Stockholm flight takes 1 hour and 40 minutes. The flight was packed not just with Europeans, but some American business travelers as well (they know how to save money too).

SWEDEN
We arrived a bit late and bags took a while, but I whipped out my international cell phone and called friends and family back home to pass the time. (To learn about my international cell phone service where I get free incoming calls and pay just a third of the U.S. cell price for outgoing calls, click here). Sweden is a member of the European Union (EU), so I did not get my passport stamped when I entered the country. It was like flying between states in the U.S. Yet although Sweden is a member of the EU, they don’t use the euro as currency – they still use the Swedish kroner (SEK). The current exchange rate is $1 USD = 7 Krona (just divide prices by 7).

AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN
Sweden is not an inexpensive country. You notice the steep prices the moment you step off the plane. A 35-minute (45 km) taxi ride from the airport to the city costs 395 kronor ($56) – it’s a flat rate. Fortunately, the Arlanda Express -- a high-speed (120 mph) train -- connects Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport with the city. Most individual travelers use it, because it’s cheaper and fast. Trains depart every 15 minutes; they cost 200 SEK ($28), and take only 20 minutes. There’s also an airport bus that departs every 10 minutes; it costs 95 SEK ($13.50), and takes 40 minutes.

TRAIN STATION TO HOTEL
It turns out I did not save much money after all, because I needed to take a taxi to the hotel from the train station. The 4-minute ride to Old Town (where I was staying) cost 65 SEK ($9). That wasn’t even the worst part: The driver expected a 35 SEK tip. This is very unusual in Sweden, because people rarely tip and drivers don’t normally ask for one. I was actually going to round off my fare to 70 SEK and give him a tip, but when he gave me a difficult time he got nothing. For the most part I find Swedes to be very friendly and fair. Most speak perfect English, but sometimes (like everywhere in the world) you get a bad apple. That happened in this case.

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