🚐 Denmark / Sweden Road Trip (Sam & Amanda – Spring)
18 April – 4 May • 2 adults + 4 kids • Combo-e Life
How to read this: Start with the boxes just below 👇 – that’s the “need to know”. All the detailed stuff (exact days, maps, nerdy cost breakdown) is hidden in expandable sections so you can open it only if/when your brain has capacity.
1. At a glance (the only bit you really need)
Big picture
Roughly 3 weeks, family road loop
We drive from the UK through Germany to your parents in Denmark, visit my side (Jutland), your sister in Odense, my family on Møn, then have a few chill days in Sweden (Ystad), then finish with a couple of days with your parents on Bornholm, and drive home via Germany.
🗓️ When
18 April → 4 May
Leaves after Memorial, back before things get summer-busy. Includes a couple of buffer days.
~17 days away
Mostly weekend driving
👨👩👦👦 Who & how
All 6 of us, in the EV
Combo-e Life, planned charging breaks (every ~2–2.5 hours), no 12-hour mega-death days.
EV-friendly route
Two overnight stops in Germany
💸 Money (core stuff)
~£1,642.50 total
≈ £274 per person.
Roughly £410/month for 4 months clears it before we go.
Bridges & ferries included
All charging included
Simple visual timeline (no details, just the flow)
UK → Osnabrück
18 Apr • Tunnel + hotel in Germany
Week in Jutland
19–26 Apr • Your parents, house bits
Odense & Møn
26–27 Apr • Thit & Leander + my family
Ystad (Sweden)
3 nights reset – beach / hot tub
Bornholm
2 nights with your parents
Germany → home
Ferry to Sassnitz, 1 more night, then UK
If that overall flow feels okay, we’re basically good. Everything below is just “optional extra detail” for when your brain wants to zoom in.
2. Quick checklist (are we happy?)
- Do these dates broadly work for us as a family?
- Are we okay with a ~3-week loop (17 days away) in April/May?
- Does the plan feel like enough “chill time” vs “family visits”?
- Is ~£274 per person for all the core travel comfortable enough?
- Does ~£410/month for 4 months feel manageable on the card?
If all of that gets a “yes” (or “yes-ish”), we’re in a really good place and can tweak details later (e.g. which Ystad house, how many days where).
3. Itinerary – only open if you want the detail
Outbound to Denmark & week in Jutland
18–26 April • 1 hotel + parents’ house
Day 1 – Fri 18 April • UK → France → Germany
- Afternoon Channel Tunnel: Folkestone → Calais.
- Drive to Osnabrück in Germany (about 6–7 hours of driving split with charging).
- Sleep: B&B Hotel Osnabrück (2 rooms).
Day 2 – Sat 19 April • Osnabrück → Jutland (Felborg area)
- Autobahn drive up into Denmark (about 4–5 hours driving).
- Top up the EV in northern Germany / southern Denmark on the way.
- Arrive: your parents’ place (Felborg area).
Days 3–8 – Sat 19 – Sat 26 April • Week at your parents
- House work, fixing bits, jobs, but also:
- Proper time with your parents and kids.
- We can deliberately schedule at least one “no work, just fun” day there.
- Cost for stay: £0 (family house).
Odense & Møn / Sjælland
26–27 April • Sister + my side of family
Day 8 – Sat 26 April • Felborg → Odense
- Shorter drive to Odense (around 2–3 hours).
- Stay: Thit & Leander’s place for one night.
Day 9 – Sun 27 April • Odense → Møn / south Sjælland
- Cross Storebælt Bridge (Funen → Sjælland).
- Visit my family near/on Møn (and maybe Møns Klint if we want a “wow” day).
- Stay: with family on Møn / south Sjælland for one night.
Sweden reset – Ystad (chill time)
Around 28–30 April • 3 nights
Days 10–12 – ~Mon 28 – Thu 30 April • Sjælland → Ystad
- Drive via Copenhagen and cross Øresund Bridge into Sweden.
- Head down to Ystad on the south coast (about 3–4 hours including bridges).
- Stay: 3 nights in a summer house / Airbnb near Ystad (we’ve budgeted £420).
- This is the “we actually breathe” phase – walks, beach, hot tub if we pick that kind of place.
Bornholm with your parents
30 April – 2 May • 2 nights
Day 13 – Thu 30 April • Ystad → Rønne
- Morning ferry: Ystad → Rønne (about 1h 20m).
- Drive to your parents on Bornholm.
- Stay: 2 nights (Thu–Sat) with your parents.
Day 15 – Sat 2 May • Rønne → Sassnitz → Wittenburg
- Morning ferry: Rønne → Sassnitz (about 3h 20m).
- Drive to Wittenburg (about 3 hours).
- Sleep: Apartment with kitchen and 2 bedrooms near Wittenburg.
Drive home via Germany & France
3–4 May • home by early 4 May
Day 16 – Sun 3 May • Wittenburg → Calais area
- Calmer Sunday driving – fewer lorries in Germany.
- Roughly 7–8 hours driving broken up with charging and food stops.
Day 17 – Mon 4 May • Back to the UK
- Late-night / very early Tunnel crossing back to Folkestone.
- Home, decompress, no giant plan that same day.
4. Money – quick view, then nerd view
Total for core stuff
£1,642.50
Includes Tunnel, both ferries, both bridges, both German nights, all EV charging, and 3 nights in Sweden.
Per person
≈ £274 each
2 adults + 4 kids.
This is just the “infrastructure” of the trip – not food or souvenirs.
Paying it off
≈ £410 / month × 4
If we start now and pay that each month, the card is clear before we even leave.
Full cost breakdown (if you want to see where it goes)
Tunnel, ferries, bridges, hotels, charging
| Item | Details | Cost (GBP) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Tunnel (return) | Folkestone ↔ Calais, family + EV | £234.00 | Outbound afternoon, return early hours |
| German hotel (outbound) | B&B Hotel Osnabrück (2 rooms, 1 night) | £150.00 | Breaks the first long day; EV-friendly area |
| German hotel (return) | Apartment near Wittenburg (2 bedrooms, kitchen) | £107.00 | After Bornholm → Germany ferry |
| Ystad accommodation | 3 nights in summer house / Airbnb | £420.00 | Reset phase – beach / chill / hot tub if we pick that kind |
| Ferry – Ystad → Rønne | Car + family | £50.00 | Based on current low-price (lavpris) fares |
| Ferry – Rønne → Sassnitz | Car + family | £109.00 | 3h 20m crossing via Bornholmslinjen |
| Bridges – Storebælt & Øresund | Optimised one-way costs (online/plate) | £72.50 |
Storebælt ~£23.50 (pay-by-plate) Øresund ~£49 (single online ticket) |
| EV charging (all countries) | Estimate for ~2,200 miles total | £500.00 | Based on ~£0.65/kWh avg fast charging |
| Total core trip cost (family of 6) | £1,642.50 | Excludes food, activities, and misc. spending | |
Card payment options (so it doesn’t feel scary)
Different monthly shapes
- Option A – Smooth 4-month plan
≈ £410 per month for 4 months (e.g. Jan, Feb, Mar, early Apr).
Card is basically clear before we go. - Option B – Softer start (5 months)
≈ £330 per month for 5 months if we spread it more. - Option C – Aggressive (3 months)
≈ £550 per month for 3 months if we want it gone quickly.
We can pick the one that feels safest, and adjust later if money/brain space changes.
5. One-sentence summary
This trip is: a 3-week family EV loop in April/May, where we see both sides of the family, have a proper reset in Sweden, and keep the core travel costs to about £274 per person – paid off calmly before we even leave.