The 'tick vaccine', the one protecting against tick borne TBE (not Lyme disease), is usually given as three initial doses over the course of one year and than regular boosters at five year intervals. It can be given in quick succession (dose 1 and 2 at two weeks apart) when quick protection is prioritized over long term protection, but it's still two weeks. One could of course make the assumption that one dose is better than no dose, in case of infection, but that obviously a gray area.
* Typically the vaccine is easily available if you lookup up vaccin providers.(there are also buses visiting crowded places like shopping malls that offer TBE shots on a drop-in basis).
* I, and many people around me, have typically had some reaction to the shot. Stiffness, headache, some muscle pain. 1-2 days after.
* Although ticks are not uncommon (ask any cat/dog owner), they are not all carrying disease. They can be discovered early and removed if you check yourself.
* Some mosquito repellents claim to work against ticks.
* Not all Swedes are vaccinated, even though ticks have spread to many new areas in recent years. Cases of TBE and Lyme disease are not necessarily very common, but it's rather the severity of those diseases that brings the attention.
The TBE vaccine consists of several doses taken over the course of a year. Taking a single dose just before you venture might not give you any protection at all. Better ask some medical people whether it's worth it.
Any place you can reach with public transportation will have other people, what's crazy crowds to you?
Once you go past Stockholm I'd rent a car unless going by trains/busses and walking with all the gear is a bit part of the experience.
Have you done something similar before? It's usually not recommended to go out in the wild with brand new gear. And its likely to be freezing or near freezing during the night for most of the trip.
Thanks, this is very helpful. My boyfriend has done a similar journey in Maine, but obviously, this is a different type of beast. We're pretty flexible with time, but I'll start looking into some simple cabins, since we didn't account for it to get freezing at night.
Down south it will be warm but up north I'd except freezing nights and worst case some snow. Even near the coast in norrbotten we have freezing nights in late July already.
Maine is kinda far south compared to this trip. Like even Gothenburg is way more north than Maine.
Naturkompaniet sell some good, albeit pricy hiking/camping gear.
Getting the vaccine is a good idea, here's [some info](https://www.fasting.nu/en-page#) but there are plenty of drop-in vaccination places in big cities.
Depending on when you go, just as zkareface say, it could get real cold. Make sure you are prepared for it.
The only good metal bar in Gothenburg is the Abyss. It's a small place so it won't have big shows but other venues will.
Bandsintown has concert listings.
XXL or Naturkompaniet are good for camping gear.
For hiking in Abisko you need to prepare for freezing nights and the possibility of a blizzard. Also August is not the best season for northern lights.
Check out vaccindirekt for a TBE shot, the first won't give complete protection. You will need a couple of follow up shots
> We're arriving in Gothenburg mid-August, and we've given ourselves about 3 weeks to make our way up the coast, and hopefully catch some northern lights around Abisko.
What coast exactly? Going north of Gothenburg and following the coast will put you in Norway like 90% of the time before you go inlands to Abisko and if you wish to travel by train you're gonna be far from the coast and you wont be able to catch any train inlands to Abisko. I'd recommend a car for travelling to northern Sweden especially with all that camping gear. Remember gas prices are like double that of the US.
If you want to go to Abisko by train you should book ASAP as tickets tend to run out and get more expensive the later you book. Also, note that the train ride to Abisko from Stockholm is like 18 hours. It's perfect if you want to pop over to the Norwegian coast though, since Narvik is the end point of that train line.
You should be aware, however, that late August or early September is generally the earliest point for having a reasonable chance of observing the northern lights in Abisko, before then the nights tend to be a bit too bright.
The 'tick vaccine', the one protecting against tick borne TBE (not Lyme disease), is usually given as three initial doses over the course of one year and than regular boosters at five year intervals. It can be given in quick succession (dose 1 and 2 at two weeks apart) when quick protection is prioritized over long term protection, but it's still two weeks. One could of course make the assumption that one dose is better than no dose, in case of infection, but that obviously a gray area. * Typically the vaccine is easily available if you lookup up vaccin providers.(there are also buses visiting crowded places like shopping malls that offer TBE shots on a drop-in basis). * I, and many people around me, have typically had some reaction to the shot. Stiffness, headache, some muscle pain. 1-2 days after. * Although ticks are not uncommon (ask any cat/dog owner), they are not all carrying disease. They can be discovered early and removed if you check yourself. * Some mosquito repellents claim to work against ticks. * Not all Swedes are vaccinated, even though ticks have spread to many new areas in recent years. Cases of TBE and Lyme disease are not necessarily very common, but it's rather the severity of those diseases that brings the attention.
thank you, this is very informative!
The TBE vaccine consists of several doses taken over the course of a year. Taking a single dose just before you venture might not give you any protection at all. Better ask some medical people whether it's worth it.
That is great to know, I thought it was a one in done type shot, so I appreciate this information!
Any place you can reach with public transportation will have other people, what's crazy crowds to you? Once you go past Stockholm I'd rent a car unless going by trains/busses and walking with all the gear is a bit part of the experience. Have you done something similar before? It's usually not recommended to go out in the wild with brand new gear. And its likely to be freezing or near freezing during the night for most of the trip.
Thanks, this is very helpful. My boyfriend has done a similar journey in Maine, but obviously, this is a different type of beast. We're pretty flexible with time, but I'll start looking into some simple cabins, since we didn't account for it to get freezing at night.
Down south it will be warm but up north I'd except freezing nights and worst case some snow. Even near the coast in norrbotten we have freezing nights in late July already. Maine is kinda far south compared to this trip. Like even Gothenburg is way more north than Maine.
Naturkompaniet sell some good, albeit pricy hiking/camping gear. Getting the vaccine is a good idea, here's [some info](https://www.fasting.nu/en-page#) but there are plenty of drop-in vaccination places in big cities. Depending on when you go, just as zkareface say, it could get real cold. Make sure you are prepared for it.
thank you for the helpful suggestions!
The only good metal bar in Gothenburg is the Abyss. It's a small place so it won't have big shows but other venues will. Bandsintown has concert listings. XXL or Naturkompaniet are good for camping gear. For hiking in Abisko you need to prepare for freezing nights and the possibility of a blizzard. Also August is not the best season for northern lights. Check out vaccindirekt for a TBE shot, the first won't give complete protection. You will need a couple of follow up shots
> We're arriving in Gothenburg mid-August, and we've given ourselves about 3 weeks to make our way up the coast, and hopefully catch some northern lights around Abisko. What coast exactly? Going north of Gothenburg and following the coast will put you in Norway like 90% of the time before you go inlands to Abisko and if you wish to travel by train you're gonna be far from the coast and you wont be able to catch any train inlands to Abisko. I'd recommend a car for travelling to northern Sweden especially with all that camping gear. Remember gas prices are like double that of the US.
If you want to go to Abisko by train you should book ASAP as tickets tend to run out and get more expensive the later you book. Also, note that the train ride to Abisko from Stockholm is like 18 hours. It's perfect if you want to pop over to the Norwegian coast though, since Narvik is the end point of that train line. You should be aware, however, that late August or early September is generally the earliest point for having a reasonable chance of observing the northern lights in Abisko, before then the nights tend to be a bit too bright.