-If you're in Sweden in late June, take a train up to Kiruna to see the midnight sun. A drive to Narvik in Norway is well worth it for the amazing scenery, too, if you rent a car.

-If you're going to Uluru in Australia, do the short hike at Kata Tjuta nearby; I found it to be even more impressive than the main attraction. It's also much less well-known and if you time it right, you'll have the whole place to yourself.

-When you're in Sweden, take the commuter train (pendeltåg) from Malmö to Ystad and head to the book cafe, where you can pick out a book from their collection and read while having a cup of tea.