Charlotte DeWitt

Charlotte DeWitt

Charlotte DeWitt is an international events architect who has produced over 150 festivals, events, and conferences. A native Bostonian and graduate of Drake University, U.S.A., she has lectured and consulted in 30 countries throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the Middle East. She has written extensively on festivals and events as catalysts for cultural tourism and world understanding.

Charlotte lived in Sweden for ten years and was President of The American Club of Sweden. She was also First Vice President of the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO), the largest international network of independent associations representing private American citizens overseas, with special consultative status to the United Nations.

Charlotte's cultural tip

A beautifully untouched country with deep reverence for the environment and respect for each person’s right to the basics—education, maternity leave with pay, childcare, universal health care, protected employment, and a social safety net, Sweden also has its hidden side that is revealed only over time—modesty, loyalty, and a quiet respect for individual privacy. While English is universally spoken, the true secrets of enjoying this unique country are found in this book’s tips on cultural communication and the values Swedes hold dear.

Memorable travel experience

A cruise through the Swedish archipelago’s 22,000 islands in the Baltic Sea off Sweden’s west coast is precious. The purity of the ocean waters, the pristine landscape perfectly respected by those who visit, and the utter, utter silence and peaceful solitude—so quiet that you can hear the wind going through the wings of birds as they fly overhead—this is nature at its most spectacular. At the height of Midsummer, sunsets soon turn to sunrises, with barely 3-4 hours of darkness at most. Some islands have wild deer and rams with curly horns standing guard at the top of a rocky precipice. You could be in any century after the Ice Age swept the barren rocks clean—truly heaven on earth, and hopefully, a well-kept secret.

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Culture Smart! guide(s):

Sweden