The past year at freedomtravel – behind the scenes

Writer: Helena Bergström

Another year with FREEDOMtravel has come to an end. We have travelled a lot this year, but we haven't just travelled, we have also worked in many different ways. Looking back, we realise that a lot has happened during the year...

A year in review

Not long ago, we reported on trips of the year 2025 – no fewer than 12 countries, in fact. But as I said, we also work, pretty much all the time. It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding year, albeit challenging at times.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to all our wonderful readers and friends, and to all our fantastic partners! Today, we offer a brief summary of everything that has happened, along with some reflections.

Highlights of the year

What have been the highlights of FREEDOMtravel this year? The pace has been intense and a lot has happened...

Opening of a travel agency

At the end of March, we opened the travel agency. FREEDOM Xplore. A lot of work went into the launch, so it was really exciting. There will be a lot of work ahead to further develop the service, but at least we're up and running now! You can book trips and there is telephone support available!

Lectures

We have given lectures at two trade fairs this year. We talked about picturesque towns in Germany at Stockholm Caravan Motorhome 2025 and about travelling by motorhome in Europe, France, Corsica and Sardinia at Elmia Caravan Motorhome 2025.

Award ceremony: Destination of the Year

At the Elmia trade fair, we usually give out awards to Destination Sweden and Europe of the Year for motorhome travellers. This year, the awards went to Öland (voted for by readers) and Colmar in France (chosen by us).

Tourist ambassadors for Uzbekistan

In August, we were appointed as the official tourism ambassadors for Uzbekistan. It is a great honour, and also enjoyable, as we believe this is a fantastic country to explore as a tourist.

Fairs and events

Trade fairs and events are also important for us to keep up with the latest news and maintain contacts in the industry. We managed to Grand Travel Award 2025, Tumbomässan 2025 and trade fair Travel News Market 2025. And a host of events focusing on everything from Estonia and Japan to Indian whisky and Piedmont wines.

Collaborations

We have had many, many collaborations during the year. For example, we collaborate with Your Brand Travel on the travel agency, with Pufz on online shop, with Peter's brother Micke regarding advertising sales, with all the different companies that advertise (motorhome companies, shipping companies, trade fairs, etc.) and with PR firms and tourist agencies in connection with press trips (Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Slovakia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, etc.).

Writers at freedomtravel.se

We also collaborate with all the writers who occasionally contribute excellent articles to freedomtravel.se. We have gained several new writers this year, and now have a total of almost 30 external writers. Most of the articles during the year were written by Anna Nilsson Spets and Jonathan Gharbi de Maré.

Development of freedomtravel.se

We almost always have development projects underway at FREEDOMtravel.se. Some things we do on our own, such as changing the names of recurring categories such as Travel news and Friday blog.

If we need to rebuild things (code), we hire a web developer who is extremely talented and has worked with us for a long time. Earlier this year, he created the red menu and the subpage. Food and drink. Right now, we are working together on an exciting new project, but it's not ready yet...

FREEDOMtravel.se – most read, popular and trending

With the help of Google Analytics, we can see what is read most on freedomtravel.se.

Most read articles

The most read articles on freedomtravel.se from 2025 focus either on motorhome life and camping or on travel destinations in Europe. These articles have received extra traffic because they have been shared on Facebook, for example, or because they have been shared in the Google Discovery feed. It is clear that these are topics that have engaged readers in one way or another.

1. The Swedes haven't found it yet – this gem is just a ferry ride away
2. The cold came and everything in the motorhome froze solid. – that's how we finally solved it
3. Weekend cities in Europe – 10 cities to visit this autumn
4. Equipment in the motorhome – we have fixed, decorated and remodelled
5. Trends in the camping world in 2025 – directly from Elmia Caravans and Motorhomes

Most popular topics

If we look at topics rather than individual articles, we can see that the following destinations and topics are popular to read about. Please note that the summary below is based on a rough estimate from Google Analytics, where we can see how many times different articles have been read.

• Destinations in Sweden: Öland, Skåne, Uppland/Stockholm
• Destinations abroad: Germany, Italy, Greece
• Subject areas: Destinations, motorhome life/camping, food
• Ways of travelling: Motorhome trips, weekend trips, air travel
• Type of content: Destination guides, top lists, personal stories

Trends

What have readers been most curious about this year? Are there any noticeable trends? It may not be easy to answer, but based on reactions on social media, comments and emails, our experience is that there has been considerable interest in the following topics during the year:

• Nearby destinations – Many people read about, search for and ask about destinations in Sweden and European destinations that are within easy reach.
• Hidden gems When we write about unexpectedly interesting gems that are relatively easy to access, we often receive positive comments.
• Motorhome life/camping – Perhaps not a ”trend,” but a lasting interest. We are noticing continued strong interest in everything related to motorhome life, including equipment, technical solutions, and more.
• Personal experiences – We notice that personal experiences and stories are appreciated more than ever, perhaps linked to the increased availability of AI-generated information.
• Unique experiences – Slightly different experiences, both near and far, also spark interest.

READ MORE: Is it even possible to run a digital travel magazine today?

Social media – most popular

You can find FREEDOMtravel at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. If we look at which content has been most popular during the year, we can see that the following content is most popular:

• Pictures where we are both in
• Pictures with Peter in them (pictures with just me, Helena, in them are so much worse, haha ...)
• Pictures featuring the motorhome
• Exotic destinations (Uzbekistan, Southern Europe, Tunisia)

Behind the scenes at Freedomtravel

So, how has the year been and how has the work with FREEDOMtravel been? It has been great fun, but also very, very intense. Many people see that we are often out on exciting trips, and that is very true, but it is very rarely a holiday.

In addition to creating content for the website and social media, we are also constantly working on everything else: travel agency, online shop, collaborations, advertising, sponsored articles, preparing lectures, developing the website, and so on.

One lesson learned is perhaps that we should become better at prioritising, but the fact is that this is not always so easy. We are working on it!

Looking ahead – what does next year hold?

So what can we expect next year? The fact is that we already have most of next year's trips half-planned. We can promise you that there will be lots of exciting destinations. We'll be back with more information at the beginning of next year!

You can continue to expect interesting reading about various destinations and experiences, both near and far, and there will also be some news on the site. Stay tuned and we'll tell you more soon!

Thank you – and a few questions

Many thanks to those of you who visit us here from time to time – it means a lot to us! If you have the time and inclination, we would also appreciate it if you could answer the following questions:

• How did you find us? (E.g. via newsletter, Facebook, Google, your own blog, etc.)
• What kind of post/report did you like best this year?
• What would you like to read more about next year?