On a shoestring budget
We've all been there and quite honestly often times still are: youthfully poor but nonetheless adventurous. This can of course become a problem, but it shouldn't keep you from experiencing a city, a place or the people there. Me and my dog Melville will do our best to demonstrate the joy of no-dough in the city.
Stockholm can definitely be done on a shoestring budget, and the wonderful memories, the people you'll meet, the things you'll see and the music you'll hear will be worth more than any Tiffany diamond.
This information is for the dreamers and the romantics. The couples with no place to stay and 24 hours to kill, the heartbroken guys who need to find a meaning with life after love and all those joyous young people who know happiness when they see it. Cheers to the subtle beauty that stands out, and the giant things that will capture your imagination and make you remember that the very best things in life are free, or at least almost.
May the city envelope you with fluffy pillows and fill your travel journal with happy memories.
Where to go and what to do
On foot
Why not take in the city by way of feet?
On wheels
The fastest ways of getting around without going bust.
Cheap eats
Everyone has to eat don't they?
Cheap sleeps
The place to lay your head when you're just too tired to do anything else.
Night life
The night life doesn't have to cost much, or anything.
Shopping
Well of course shopping means spending money but it doesn't have to be that much.
Outdoor stuff
The city has tons of fun, free and imaginative activities just for you.
When frozen and cold
The places of refuge.
Bathrooms
Why spend money to use a McD's bathroom when there are 5 star ones that are free?
Photo: Emilia Hermanrud
Other general stuff
Where to store your stuff:
Well getting rid of that
heavy backpack might be a smart move if you'll be taking the city in on foot or
want to have any sort of social fun. Most hotels and hostels offer storage
before/after checkout but if you're not booked into a hotel, or for some other
reason don't have a place to store your gear, then storing your stuff at the
Central Station (in the center of town) might very well be a viable option.
Check with information upon arrival, if the storage lockers are all filled up
they'll point you in the direction of someplace that can accommodate you.
Calling home:
Yes indeed, you CAN actually call home,
free of charge, without calling collect from Sweden. It is a bit of a hassle
though, and you have to plan in advance, and you have to know a little bit
about computers, but if you're broke you're broke. The magic word is
SKYPE. Skype
works sort of like AOL, ICQ or MSN, with the difference that you can 'call'
people. Check out the link above to read up on it.
After reading that info you'll be aware of the fact that Skype calls from one computer to another, and that you need access to the program to use it. The next step is getting someone on the town with a laptop to let you use it. Your best bet there is to head to the University (subway station Universitetet) and ask around. Kids are always sitting there with their laptops, using the wireless internet around campus. The people with laptops there are usually pretty into computers too, so they'll know about Skype (or you can teach them!). It might be a good way to hook up with people who know the city as well.
Backpacking links:
Lonely Planet
Eurotrip
Others just like you:
www.wayn.com
www.travellerspoint.com