Swedish doctors now prescribe travel as a medical well-being plan. This new initiative has formalised what us travellers have long felt: that travelling is good for you.
The Swedish Prescription program is a development that signals an emerging direction where travel is being reframed as a contributor to mental and physical health.
Led by Visit Sweden and supported by healthcare professionals, the campaign is grounded in research linking time outdoors and cultural immersion with reduced stress, improved mood and stronger social connection.
Doctors can now recommend travel experiences such as walks and activities that allow cultural engagement as part of preventive health strategies.
(visitsweden.com/the-swedish-
While Sweden is the first country to frame travel as an official health intervention, the approach reflects a wider shift toward travel aligning more closely with wellbeing outcomes, a direction already visible in the active-travel sector.
Cabin by a lake in Sweden, credit UTracks
Australian active-travel specialist UTracks offers walking and cycling holidays in Europe and sees the Swedish initiative as a natural evolution of this conversation.
“This program recognises that travel can play a small but real role in peoples wellbeing,” says Kate Baker, General Manager at UTracks.
“For years, travellers have told us how their walking, or cycling holiday has made them feel better, both physically and mentally. The Swedish Prescription places that idea within an offical health context. While it isn’t a new observation, it is great to see it becoming part of the wider wellbeing conversation, acknowledging that active travel has genuine recognised benefits.”
UTracks offers a range of walking and cycling itineraries in Sweden that are just the medicine for travellers seeking balance and wellbeing.
Sweden Cycling Tours & Walking Holidays
Beyond Stockholm’s storybook streets lies a country of forests, lakes and quiet coastal trails waiting to be explored.
Travellers can walk or cycle through the Royal National City Park, the world’s first urban national park; discover Sweden’s 24,000-island archipelago by bike; or hike through the pine forests and castle-studded landscapes of Sörmland.
Some UTrack options:
- Sweden: Archipelago Cycle: A self-guided six-day island-hopping ride through Stockholm’s southern archipelago.
- Sweden: Land of Lakes and Castles: A six-day moderate-grade cycle through grand estates, forests, sparkling lakes, and castles. Great for families.
- Sweden: Baltic Coastal Walk: An eight-day self-guided hike exploring Sweden’s stunning Baltic coast.
- Sweden: Island Hopping Walk : A seven-day walk between the islands of the Sörmland and Stockholm archipelago.
- Highlights of the Sörmland Trail: A week-long self-guided walk through one of Sweden’s longest and most scenic trails.
For travellers seeking a restorative experience, Sweden offers gentle terrain, fresh air and an approach to living that values balance, beauty and time outdoors, qualities now officially recognised for their wellbeing benefits.
https://www.utracks.com/
Swedish Castle, credit; UTracks