‘I want to be ready for a Swedish summer’
Jade Hunter-Hybert’s in-laws live in Sweden and she hasn’t seen them for over a year, so she’s keeping all her paperwork in order for when her family can be reunited.
“Swedish summers are so magical. It’s just how you imagine,” says illustrator Jade Hunter-Hybert from Eton. “Lake swimming, unspoiled forests, endless sunshine… it’s heaven.”
Västra Götaland on the west coast of Sweden is the destination Jade, 33, and her graphic designer husband Tom, 41, usually visit several times a year. “Tom’s parents, Kate and John, emigrated there about 15 years ago. The first time
I visited I fell in love with the breathtaking countryside,” she says. “We bought a small wooden cabin close to my in-laws six years ago and we visit whenever we can.”
But since the pandemic they’ve been unable to travel. “Our one-year-old son Oska was born in 2019 and he’s only been to Sweden once, so you can just imagine how much we’re itching to get back out there with him.”
Jade is looking forward to travel restrictions being lifted and recently renewed their passports, which had expired in March. Jade has applied for a GHIC for herself and Oska too. “We have had to use the Swedish health system in the past so it’s reassuring to know we can still get help there if we need it,” she says.
Currently pregnant with their second child, Jade knows they have to keep their travel plans flexible. “Until the government lifts the travel ban we won’t know whether we can visit Sweden before the baby arrives or whether we have to wait until afterwards,” she says.
Either way, she is ready to apply for a passport for the new baby – so it shouldn’t be too long before the new arrival can meet his or her grandparents. “We’ve already chosen the names so we won’t have to delay getting a birth certificate, which is one of the crucial documents you need when you get your child’s first passport.”
Tom is thinking about driving to
Sweden next time so they can take their dog, Poppy, on holiday with them. “I’ll fly with the children and Tom can take the dog overland in the car,” Jade says.
With the new baby arriving, she has left him to look into the logistics. “Happily he discovered he doesn’t need an international driver’s permit even though we cross so many borders. He’s already been in touch with the vet to check Poppy’s vaccinations are up to date and to replace her old pet passport with an Animal Health Certificate.
“It was easier than we thought to prepare – and it’ll all be worth it if come late summer the five of us are strolling through the forest on our way to Kate and John’s for a barbecue. Skål!”