I have spent the weekend considering flying to northern Sweden tomorrow to see the aurora borealis. I live in the US. I have never to Europe or anywhere else outside of mainland North America.
The things I've thought of to take into account:
- a lot of very warm clothing given the climate I would be heading for.
- I'll have to exchange my money somehow, somewhere.
- Not sure if my US Visa debit card works in Sweden, but by all accounts it should. I plan on checking with my bank in the morning.
- My Verizon phone won't work. I'll need to get a disposable phone there.
- Need to find hostels or couch surf.
This is everything that's come to mind so far. I'm wondering what other things I might need to know or keep in mind when attempting a visit to a foreign country with no planning like this. If anyone has any Sweden-specific advice, that would be nice, too.
Note: I know it's always better to plan way ahead, but that's exactly the point of this question....under current circumstances it's not possible and if I don't go now I won't be able to again for quite some time. I'm asking precisely for advice about an unplanned trip.