Europe

Do You Need a One Year Old License to Drive in Europe?

I have rented cars worldwide to drive around and experience the top attractions in numerous countries. From Italy, Belgium, and Iceland in Europe, South Korea in Asia, Mauritius and the Seychelles in Africa, I’ve had the pleasure of taking a car out in a new country on many occasions.

On a trip to Italy (for my third rental there), a unique line item in my car rental contract caught my eye and gave me a moment of concern: “The driver license must have been issued by authorized authorities at least 1 year(s) before the date of the commencement of the rental.”

While I have been driving for 20+ years, I had one problem- my license was recently renewed and did not show its original issue date. All things being equal, it looked like my license was issued just three months before.

Cue panic.

Ultimately, this small detail ended up being a non-issue, and my car was rented to me without question. In this one, I wanted to break down why this one exists and what documents you may want to have with you to protect yourself in the unlikely event that you are questioned.

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Choosing Where to Stay in Stockholm – Old Town or Not?

If you are planning a trip to Sweden, odds are good you’ll spend some time in the country’s capital city, Stockholm.

While it would be easy to say you should spend three or four days in this gorgeous city, the immediate question that should follow is “where do I stay?”. But picking where to stay in Stockholm is tricky because the city is sprawled out over not one, not two, but 14 islands.

In this instance, our first instinct was to stay in Old Town Stockholm on Stadsholmen Island. Historic buildings, a central location, and museums we wanted to visit made this island sound quite appealing. But when it comes to getting the most out of the city, especially when it comes to having accessibility to delicious coffee shops, bars, and restaurants, you may have reason to pause.

Other islands and neighborhoods in Stockholm may be worthy spots to consider instead!

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The Vasa Museum is One of the World’s Coolest Museums

When we told friends we would be visiting Stockholm, one recommendation came up time and time again- go to the Vasa Museum. 

In fact, many of those recommendations were followed up with the claim that “it is the coolest museum I’ve ever seen.” The claim seemed a bit surprising as these were coming from fellow travel bloggers who have seen their fair share of epic museums and attractions. A museum dedicated to a shipwreck is one of the best museums on the planet? We were interested.

After visiting, we can safely say they were right.

To put it bluntly, the museum dedicated to the Vasa shipwreck is not only one of the finest museums we have visited but also one of the most fascinating stories of naval history the world has ever seen.

You must visit this one when in Stockholm.

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9 of the Best Stockholm Restaurants, Bakeries, and Cafes

If you’re like us, you may not have given Swedish food much thought before. Sure, they have great ingredients like seafood and reindeer to work with, but we didn’t go to Sweden expecting to try so many new flavors and dishes and have our minds blown. Perhaps this was on us, or maybe it is just poor coverage of Sweden’s rich food scene globally, but either way, we left with our minds blown on all things Swedish cuisine!

We found interesting and delicious food everywhere we went from tiny eclectic bars in hipster neighborhoods to traditional-leaning spots in tourist-heavy Old Town. So in this one, we wanted to share some of our favorite coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants in Stockholm!

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