I'm Angie, a Malaysian living in Singapore, and I love Southeast Asia so much!
Even if I have only visited 6 of the 11 countries here. Perhaps being a small-town girl transitioned into a big-city woman gave me an opportunity to experience the regional charms from natural forest to concrete jungle, and the easy access to the local food culture put me right at home no matter where I go.
Over the past few years, I had the chance to meet a few long-term travellers from beyond, touring Southeast Asia. Often they would tell me that their favourite part about the region is the less touristy places, where they could put themselves right into the local experiences. I almost get what they mean - when I was researching for a Bali trip, I was so sick of repetitive contents about the same destinations and sights that I decided to forget about it, rented a scooter, and went about with my own exploration and schedule. Best decision ever made.
Bali aside, I began to think: what about everywhere ...
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I will be heading to Scandinavia in August and I am looking for any tips, tricks, or recommendations along the way. I have been to Norway but not their neighboring countries and I'd love to know more about camping options, budget travel, nature, hikes, and things to see! I am hoping this thread will be useful for other travelers too.
Hi Becca,
what a nice plan. I have been traveling 7 times to Scandinavia and provide "Most beautiful places in Scandinavia: 25 must-see places!" on my blog. Hope, it helps. Safe travels, Julia
juliasjourneyz.com/25-schoenste-orte-skandinavien/
Thank you for this! I will take a look :)
You can't go wrong in the Nordics with camping, nature, hikes especially in August! The weather should still be decent depending on where exactly you plan to travel.
Budget travel is another story here in Finland ha ha. Nomadic Matt and The Broke Backpacker have decent tips. Visit Finland is also a pretty comprehensive site.
Hey Shelly, yes I think it is going to be difficult to be on a small budget, but I have seen there are lots of things to do that are either free, such as hiking/walking and or some paid-for activities that I think will be worth the investment. Just looking to strike a balance between the two :) I will check out the guys you suggested and see what they say. Thanks again for the tips!
Becca, if you do plan on Finland—give me a shout. I can provide more actionable tips.
How about Helsinki and Stockholm on one trip? Both cities are very liveable on August (but not cheap) and there is a direct overnight ferry across the Baltic sea. Basically you'll fly either Stockholm or Helsinki and have a two-night cruise between these cities.
I wrote a blog post years ago about this option.
www.travelwithtimo.com/single-post/2016/05/30/take-in-helsinki-and-stockholm-in-one-visit-1
For Norway. I highly recomend the interactive maps from helenemoo.no/collections/maps and realcamplife.com/en/interactive-map-of-western-norway/
So much hours saved with all the points of interest saved in a google maps sharable map.