Scandinavia 2016
Itinerary:
Day 1, June 19:
- Depart US/British Airways
Day 2, June 20:
- Arrive Stockholm
- Stay at Scandic Hotel Malmen
Day 3, June 21:
- Explore Stockholm
Day 4 June 22:
- Explore Stockholm
- Skansen open air museum
- Red Sightseeing City tour by boat/canal cruise
- Gamla Stan
Day 5, June 23:
- Stockholm – to – Copenhagen
- Take the train to Copenhagen
- Stay at Scandic Hotel Copenhagen
Day 6, June 24:
- Explore Copenhagen
- Canal cruise or a sightseeing tour by bus
- The Little Mermaid
Day 7, June 25:
- Copenhagen –to – Billund
- Pick up rental car and drive to Bilund
- Odense and the Hans Christian Andersen museum
- Overnight at Cottage 4 in Wild West Village
Day 8, June 26:
- Legoland!!
- Overnight at Wild West Village Cottage
Day 9, June 27:
- Spend more time at Legoland
- Legoland –to – North Sealand / Helsingør
- Visit Kronborg Castle
- Overnight at Hotel Skandia, Helsingør
Day 10, June 28:
- Copenhagen – to – Reykjavik
- Blue Lagoon
- Overnight at Reykjavik Marina Residence Apartments
Day 11, June 29:
- Gullfoss, Geysir & Þingvellir Tour
- Gullfoss Waterfall
- Geysir
- Pingbellir
- Overnight at Reykjavik Marina Residence Apartments.
Day 12, June 30:
- Horseback Riding Tour
- Overnight at Reykjavik Marina Residence Apartments.
Day 13, July 1:
- Reykjavik –to – Bergen
- Overnight at Ole Bull Apartments
Day 14, July 2:
- Explore Bergen
- Floibanen – funicular to top of Mt. Floien, picnic lunch, hike down
- Fish Market
- Rosenkrantz Tower & Hakons Hall
- Overnight at Ole Bull Apartments.
Day 15, July 3:
Day 16, July 4:
- Explore Flåm
- Hike up the valley
- Dinner & overnight at Flåmsbrygga Hotel
Day 17, July 5:
- Flåm –to – Oslo
- Overnight at Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania
Day 18 & 19, July 6 – Thursday, July 7:
- Explore Oslo
- Hop On/Hop Off bus
- Viking Ship museum
- Folk Museum
- Children’s Art Museum
- Kon-Tiki and Fram polar ship museums
- Vigeland Sculpture Park
- Karl Johans gate
- General Website for attractions with kids
- Overnight at Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania in Family Room
Day 20, July 8:
- Depart Oslo – to – Austin
Packing:
- Bryan before
- Bryan after
- Jerretta before
- Jerretta after
- Lincoln Before
- Lincoln after
- Lincoln backpack before
- Lincoln after backpack
Gear:
Luggage:
We’ll be using all carry-on wheeled luggage for our main bags. Nothing terribly fancy or special – just bags we already had. In addition to the wheeled bags, we will each be carrying a backpack, and I’ll have a purse as well. No purchases were made for this trip, but I will link you to the large backpack I usually end up carrying. It’s a great bag in general, and we loved it on the Australia & New Zealand trip.
eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible
I discovered packing cubes for the Australia and New Zealand trip, and still find them to be invaluable. We use them on all trips – big or small. In fact, I was able to fit Lincoln’s clothes in just a small and medium cube for this trip!
We use the eBags Packing Cubes – color coordinated by person – for clothes.
I purchased some new clear plastic packing cubes for toiletries since we are carrying on bags this time. I researched a few different ones, and this one seems to be the best. I used it recently on a domestic trip with no problems.
I also purchased these for non-liquid toiletries and gave one to Tip to use for her liquids.
I had a few smaller clear cubes I used for snacks last time and purchased one more that was slightly larger.
I’m using the same purse from our previous trip as it’s still going strong and fits my needs.
Electronics:
I purchased an iPad Air 2 with a keyboard case for blogging rather than lugging around my laptop. Fingers crossed it will serve me well!
Bryan has a Samsung Tablet, Tipton will be using her Nook and Lincoln will be using my Kindle Fire. We all have various versions of iPhones as well. We did put some movies on Bryan’s tablet in case we don’t have access to wifi or don’t have movies on some of the shorter flight legs.
We needed new adapters, so I found the Ceptics brand since they had 3-prong options. I also got a multi-plug unit since we’ve got so many items to charge. I am also taking an extension cord.
I took larger headphones on the Australia and New Zealand trip but wanted something smaller for this trip. So, I researched earbuds for HOURS! Hard to believe that’s possible, but I really did. Earbuds have been historically very difficult for me since I have TINY ears with SMALL ear canals. However, I found that with only a little more invested, I located a very nice pair for myself and a few others for the rest of the fam.
For Me: The Symphonized NRG
For Bryan: MEE Sport Fi M6
For Tipton: BestGot Earbuds
For Lincoln: UiiSii F108 Kids Headphones
I purchased a new bluetooth speaker, the UE Roll! It’s adorable, has great sound and is SMALL!!
I use velcro straps for binding up all of our cords. I like ColorYourLife ones so I can color code and write a device label on it. They had 20 multicolored ones for $8 when I ordered, but it looks like the options are limited now. There are other brands of the same thing that you can find though.
My mom is loaning us her GPS for the trip. We’ll be driving in Denmark so a GPS will be useful. Fortunately, my mom traveled to Scandinavia last fall and already had the maps downloaded. Win!
Sleep:
My mom sent us a new airplane pillow. It looks crazy but seems to be a great option. It’s called Trtl Pillow. I’ll leave an update after we put it to the test. The rest of us already had pillows from the previous trip. I’m taking the Therm-a-Rest Compressed Pillow .
I have a tendency towards insomnia, or at best, trouble sleeping – especially with light issues. So, I purchased myself, my first ever, sleep mask!
Games:
I’m taking a few games to entertain us on planes, trains or in hotel rooms.
- Travel Rummy
- Story Cubes
- Spot It
- Uno
- Loaded Questions
- Scratch Art for Lincoln
- Coloring Books & Markers for Lincoln
- Adult Coloring Books & Mini Color Pencils I found at Target several months ago. They have been a big hit wherever I’ve taken them. Plus, I find coloring to be soothing!
Both kids are taking journals for this trip. Tipton’s will be a continuation from her Australia and New Zealand journal.
I didn’t pack as much entertainment gear this trip as the kids spent most of the time watching movies on the long-haul legs. Plus, I’m really trying to get us on the “packing light” band wagon. This trip is a “next step” in that journey.
Snacks:
I feel compelled to point out that we eat healthy all.of.the.time. On vacation, I like to live on the edge, try new things, expand my palate, and yes, eat delicious treats. That includes having some insane junk on the plane that ordinarily I would scoff! The kids are beside themselves! Don’t worry – the sugar will be limited! I am packing healthy items and some meal replacement bars in case we can’t find GF options on the road or for emergency hangry situations! 1st rule of traveling with kids – be prepared to manage hangry! Here is what we decided on –
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Black Olives
- Pickles
- Grapes
- Apples
- Dried Apricots
- Cliff Protein Bars
- Beef Sticks
- Peanut Butter Crackers
- Seaweed Snacks
- Coconut Dates
- Sour & Regular Gummy Worms
- Suckers
- Gum
- Spree
- Big Hunk
We are also each taking a canteen for several reasons, but I think having a container we can close on the flight is helpful. I fill up at the gate and then take it back to the galley to fill up during the flight. We use a few different ones: Thermos Brand 24oz and 16oz and 12oz