Getting Around Umeå

So thanks to my insightful last post, you've got yourself to Umeå and saved yourself a little bit of money as well!  Now that you're here, the next thing you could ask is, how do you get around Umeå?  Surprisingly... I have the answer :)

A Bike!  You can get to almost anywhere in Umeå once you have a bicycle as there are literally more bicycle paths than there are roads!  People are also known to get very attached to the bikes in Umeå.  This is my friend, Neisha, with her bike aka "Finbar".

There are many places you can get a bicycle in Umeå.  There are several second hand bike shops downtown but my advice is to try buy one off another student as the shops can be very expensive.  The best thing to do is to keep asking people, as somebody always knows somebody selling a bike!  Also you can try the website Blocket.se as a lot of people will post their bike for sale on this website.

Also the City of Umeå usually have a bicycle sale at the start of the semester so keep your eyes open for this!

Also a lot of people are wary of cycling once the snow arrives, but from experience once you take your time you will be fine!  The city officials are very good at keeping the bicycle paths clear even during the heavy snow falls!

However, as much as many of us rely on our bikes, there are times when you will need to get a bus!  All buses in Umeå go directly into the city centre which is very useful.  What can be a bit of pain however is that they do not accept cash on the city buses.  I highly recommend buying a rechargeable bus card as it can work out a lot cheaper than paying per trip!  And make sure you mention your age when buying the card as discounts are available depending on how young you are!  The website for buses within Umeå is Tabussen.nu.  Here you can find timetables for all the buses in Umeå including the airport bus (but don't worry about this upon arrival as it will depart whenever a flight arrives).

Oh you can also walk as well obviously... I just don't have the patience for that!

Brian

Getting to Umeå

Being honest, the first time I came to Umeå, I hadn't a clue what I was doing.  I knew SAS flew to Umeå so I went to there website, chose from "Dublin" to "Umeå" and went with the selection it came up with... this cost me over 320 euro.  When I fly back in August, my flights will cost me 125 euro, still flying with SAS; only this time I know what i'm doing!  So here is a little bit of advice...

Whatever you do, do not book flights directly from your home destination to Umeå.  Always book your flights to Stockholm first.  The reason being is that once you fly into Stockholm, then you can get a student fare from Stockholm to Umeå.  You have the choice of getting to Umeå from Stockholm via plane, train or bus. Personally I think you're crazy if you go for any other option than via plane as most options cost the same.  Just make sure you choose the "Student" fare when you go to any of the airline websites.  On last check those flying from Stockholm are: SAS, Malmo Aviation and Norwegian.

I know for many Europeans, an option to fly into Stockholm may be with an airline from my own nation, Ryanair.  However unless the difference in flights is HUGE (and yes the huge deserves capitals) then I would advise against flying with Ryanair for your flight over.  There are two reasons why.  Firstly, luggage! Ryanair will only allow you fly with 15kg.  If you can manage to move a semesters worth of clothes and belongings in 15kg, then fair play to you!  Most other airline will allow you 20kg and my experience with SAS is that they will usually allow you a few kilograms over if you smile and explain that you are moving to Sweden for the year!  Secondly, if you get a Ryanair flight, you will arrive at Skavsta or Vasteras airport which are both around 60-80 minutes outside Stockholm.  So you must get a bus to Stockholm centre and then either the train or another bus to Arlanda or Bromma airport, which are the two airports that fly to Umeå.  So whatever money you may save might be lost on all the transfers and paying for extra baggage!

I'd love to say my experiences travelling to Umeå have always been pleasant but unfortunately not.  The last time I flew to Sweden I was stuck on the runway of Dublin's airport for 8 hours... That't me above, keeping the spirits up :)

Hopefully you'll have a more pleasant journey if you are coming to Umeå!

Brian

The Buddy Programme

Well first off, hello again!  My apologies to those that have been frantically clicking their refresh button on their browser over the last couple of weeks waiting for an update!  I'm now back from my holidays so expect plenty more updates about the life and times of Brian in Umeå.

As promised the next thing I wanted to talk about was the Buddy Programme at Umeå University.

So you've arrived in Northen Sweden in a town that you've been pronouncing Ume-aaa only to find out its pronounced Ume-ooo.  You may have traveled on your own or with a few of your fellow country men/women;  but one thing is for sure you're going to feel a little bit lost.  Even if you've read all the information available to you; you know that Umeå is called the City of Birches, you know the exact gender ratio of the university (62% female / 38% male for those playing along at home)... it's still very strange arriving in a new country.

And this is where the Buddy Programme plays such an important role.  It mixes international students from different countries with Swedish students in different groups.  An average there is around about 15-20 students in each group with about 6-7 of them being Swedes.  The students themselves organise events and activities to get the new students more integrated into student life in Sweden.  Also the Programme organises "International Pubs" which happen once every couple of months.  These can be quite the event and usually end up with a few quite interesting stories to tell the next morning!

This picture is taken from the "Snow Games" that was organised at the start of the second semester.  There's nothing like some snow football or snow rugby to help you get to know your fellow students!

My advice to you now is to go register for the buddy programme.  The last day to do so is August 20th and you will really regret if you don't.

So click on the link below and follow the instructions to sign up, there is a link on the right hand side to do this:

http://www.umu.se/english/education/student-support/buddy-programme

Till next time,

Brian