Text and photo: Helena Bergström
Now we are out and about in Sweden with the camper. Wonderful! We also spent a night aboard the beautiful ship M/S Wilhelm Tham on the Göta Canal. It was a really nice experience, which we will tell you more about soon.
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Traveling by motorhome – freedom with responsibility
It's a fantastic freedom to travel by motorhome. Of course, it's also a freedom with responsibility. Are you allowed to stay overnight anywhere, anytime? Of course not!
As we have mentioned before, The right of public access does not apply to motor vehicles in Sweden. – but you are allowed to sleep in your vehicle if you follow parking rules and other local regulations – and show consideration. The latter is about being respectful of nature, not littering, not disturbing the surroundings and most often not take out camping furniture and the like.
In addition, it is smart and good to alternate free camping with camping sites and campsites, where you have good conditions for emptying and filling tanks, emptying garbage, connecting electricity, showering, washing clothes and much more.
Average price per night so far: 32 SEK/night
During this trip we have a limited budget, and we are therefore thinking about how much each overnight stay can cost. We are aiming for a maximum of 100 SEK/night on average – which means that some overnight stays may be more expensive, while others need to be free. We keep a diary of the costs and so far it has been very good: 32 SEK/night on average!
Nyköping, Oxelösund, Söderköping … Stockholm … and beyond!
Our first stop when we left Stockholm was Nyköping, and then we spent a night in Oxelosund. We then proceeded to Söderköping, for a cruise on the Göta Canal – the incredibly beautiful and charming ”Little Canal Trip”!
We will tell you more about this trip soon – it is a fantastic canal cruise that is perfect for those who want to do something special. You stay in a classic cabin on board, you eat in the fine dining room and you go on excursions… well, we will tell you more soon!
After the cruise, we had to return to Stockholm to pick up a package (a new battery for one of the electric bikes)… and then we were off and running again!
This week: Grateful for ...
This week has been harder than you might think (maybe it often is, haha) but it has also offered many fantastic moments. Not least the cruise on the Göta Canal, and we are incredibly grateful that we had the opportunity to do it. A memory for life indeed!
We are also grateful to be able to be out on the roads in the camper again. We love this life!
Your turn ... What are you grateful for this week?
The week ahead
We continue to drive the camper in Sweden. Since we had to turn back to Stockholm, we then took a different route, in the direction of Västerås and Arboga. We aim to discover Värmland and then drive towards Norway, but we are in no hurry …
Here at FREEDOMtravel you can expect reports about the cruise on the Göta Canal mixed with guest reports from Europe and more stories from our continued motorhome trip.
Did you miss the last Friday Blog? Read it We wish you a Happy Midsummer!
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Wonderful days at Elmia Caravan Motorhome
We are on our way! - Motorhome holidays in southern Europe await
When you think you're going to get "stuck" with your motorhome ... and you get free!
Everyday travelling and camping in a different way...
North through Italy - several nights of free camping
Friday blog: Lectures and party at Elmia Husvagn Husbil
English (UK) 
Svenska
Znogge says:
It was a good average price so far, you could say. I think some campsites have become very expensive in Sweden. The west coast is really expensive. We have just returned from a week in Lökken in Denmark. an excellent campsite at a good price despite a poor kronor exchange rate.
Wishing you a great weekend!
26 June 2026 - 9:39
Yvonne Johansson says:
Hi! We are going to Denmark and Lökken so I was wondering which campsite you thought was good? Were there no camping spots there?
29 June 2026 - 15:09
Eval8 says:
Then I look forward to reading more about Göta Canal.
Grateful for this week? Well, my wonderful dentist who agreed to take care of Yngsta's bad teeth, even though he's more than fully booked.
Happy Friday!
26 June 2026 - 9:45
bmlarsreseblogg says:
What a wonderful week you had with your camper and canal boat in a Summer Sweden that really showed itself from its best side. We celebrated a quiet midsummer on a nice camping site and then spent a few cozy but hectic days at a tennis tournament with the grandchildren.
Now we are enjoying the sun and sea out on the beautiful Hönö Klåva. Can you be anything but grateful?.
26 June 2026 - 10:08
Nils-Åke Hansson says:
We were probably in Söderköping on the same days. This time we weren't at the canal and there was no walk in town. We were actually at Rådhustorget and had coffee at a cafe in the old Hotel. Our destination was an 85th birthday party that my cousin threw. Have a nice time.
26 June 2026 - 11:41
JoY says:
You've done really well with 32:-/day, I always think it's a lot more. Looks nice with a trip on the canal with the sun on your face, it'll be fun to read about it.
I played my first round of golf after the knife injury in my finger and I also went on a slide with my grandson, which was a long time since I'd done that hahaha.
Have a nice weekend and have a nice continued journey. Hugs
26 June 2026 - 18:12
Jossu says:
You're more than sticking to your budget. And even trips that are on a tight budget can be really fantastic and memorable.
This week I am grateful for everything Kazakhstan has to offer. And almost as grateful to be home soon.
26 June 2026 - 20:12
BP says:
There I found the explanation – or almost at least, that you were going in the wrong direction if you were going to Värmland and Norway.
The daily price so far is ridiculously cheap. I'm guessing it will be significantly more expensive in Norway, where food and drinks are twice as expensive as in Sweden. It will be interesting to see your budget ;-)
26 June 2026 - 20:23
gillasvardag says:
We went on the Göta Canal once many years ago...the part that has the most locks,...and the aqueducts were awesome...I thought you were seeing it in your mind's eye...
Have a great time on your motorhome trip. I think it would be fun to have a vacation like that, but my husband doesn't think so. When he travels, he'll sleep in a hotel and eat a hearty breakfast at a standing table 😁
26 June 2026 - 23:25
KulTur i Natur says:
I sometimes wonder what it costs to live in a camper van. Operating costs, overnight stays and other things that are necessary. But 32:- was a really nice sum, interesting with some facts about camper life.
27 June 2026 - 7:04
Ditte says:
I understand that you appreciated your trip on the Göta Canal. We have our trips there in our memories and they will remain there. I realize that the budget to redo the entire trip between Stockholm and Gothenburg will not be there unless we take a deep dive into the finances. But maybe a one-day cruise with an overnight stay could be something. Sounds good with overnight stays at affordable prices. But as someone wrote, Norway is expensive. But I'm sure you can find parking spaces there too. (Don't know anything about the rules)
Grateful for? Having spent midsummer and a few more days by the sea on Gotland in my daughter's family's house. And that I quickly got an appointment with the orthopedist. So grateful for great healthcare.
27 June 2026 - 14:54
Marianne Cargus says:
Riding the Göta Canal has been a dream for years, I hope to make it a reality someday. Riding the boat one way and cycling back would be great. So now I look forward to your post about your ride there.
This free camping with a camper is really a responsibility, here on Öland I see campers in the "wrong place" far too often several nights in a row, even though the right of way applies, you are not allowed to camp for more than one night. It is so sad because they ruin things for those who take care of themselves and follow the rules and many people hate campers because of this.
Wishing you a nice continuation of your motorhome trip.
28 June 2026 - 12:17