Future Travel Trend: Go North

As temperatures soar, travelers are recommended to cool down in the Nordic countries

In August 2021, a new record temperature for continental Europe of 48.8°C (119.8°F) was set in Italy. In the years after, almost every summer has witnessed intense heatwaves across continental Europe.

2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe. In some places in the southern regions, it was at times impossible to be outside, as it’s simply too dangerous, especially if your health is fragile.

Last week, we met with a small travel agency, specialized in creating curated experiences for wealthy clients. We got to know each other over dinner in Portugal’s Douro Valley, and soon the conversation naturally turned to the high temperatures that plague the country:

“In fact, and this has never happened before, but we are beginning to see requests from clients to go north instead. Traditionally, Sweden is not a big tourist destination – people want to go to Italy, Spain, Portugal and the south of France, but with the current high temperatures, it’s not that it’s not pleasant, it’s actually not safe going there in July or August. So we have been exploring the Swedish market, though there is still much we don’t know about it, it’s very new to us.”

Not only is this part of the world new to this agency, it’s probably new to most people. During our conversation, they spoke with great insights about Argentina, Brazil, and Italy, places that are known for their natural beauty and interesting cultural sights. But Scandinavia? To an older generation, the Nordic countries are associated with mid century design – think Arne Jacobsen, Bruno Mathsson and Alvar Aalto – and social democracy. For the younger crowd, Zlatan and Spotify are probably top of mind. Nothing wrong with that, but not exactly the kind of stuff that dream holidays are made of.

This is about to change.

For thousands of years, Skåne, in the south of Sweden, had a more continental climate, and the farms here would supply the whole of Denmark with food and wine. Today, there are 30 active vineyards in Skåne, a number that goes up every year, as does the quality of the wine. At the same time, wine-makers in Italy, France, and Portugal have seen their harvests decrease due to unstable weather conditions, heat waves and climate changes in general.

Currently, many European estates are exploring the south of Sweden, looking for land to invest in. They are sure that in about a decade, the conditions here will be perfect for larger-scale wine production, perhaps even better than in places like Piemonte and Bourgogne.

If you have extra money to spend, buy a plot of land here and sell it in a few years, or become a wine-maker yourself.

If you don’t fancy going into the business of buying and selling land, come for a long weekend, get to know the sights, and discover the long sandy beaches and rich culinary traditions of this region.

No other countries, in any part of the world, have fought as many wars between them as Denmark and Sweden. Usually, the wars have been about who will have control over Skåne. This summer, why don’t you see for yourself what all the fighting has been about.