Blog

It has been too long since I traveled somewhere new – or traveled anywhere at all really. When my oldest daughter was 10, I took her to visit her birth city and it was a wonderful adventure for the two of us. When my younger daughter turned 10, it didn’t seem fair that she would miss out on that experience just because she was born in Seattle. So I asked her where she wanted to go, and she picked Norway.

Why Norway?

Good question, and the best answer is “Why not Norway?” I think it has something to do with her English teacher being from Norway, and having a friend on her soccer team (her teacher’s daughter) who talks about visiting her grandparents in Norway. She also has friends who have lived in France, and I don’t know why she didn’t pick that country, but it might have had something to do with me.

You might have noticed that I am rather fond of the Icelandic sagas. My daughter certainly has. It was only after many trips to Iceland that I read Egil’s Saga for the fourth or fifth time and realized – all the action takes place in Norway. Everybody else thinks of Norway when they think of vikings. I’m finally there with them.

When Norway?

Being an airfare ninja, I was already stalking fares to Norway when we decided to go. I’m not opposed to missing school for travel, but spring break seemed like a good time to target. Much earlier in the year conflicts with (already paid for) ski season at home. In Norway it’s still too dark and cold. Tourist season starts to ramp up in May, and the prices skyrocket accordingly. April seemed to be where lower prices and (slightly) warmer temperatures intersect.

After setting up alerts on Hopper and Skyscanner and obsessively tweaking search parameters on Google Flights, I ended up with a fare through British Airways. We are flying through Heathrow on the way to Oslo, and through Helsinki and Chicago on the way back. That return trip is going to be a nightmare. But there wasn’t anything better within several hundred dollars of the fare we got. What we got was two tickets in basic economy for a total of $716. I redeemed $700 worth of points on my travel rewards credit card. So far, I’m out $16 for this trip. That’s good, because Norway is expensive once you get there.

Did You Say Basic Economy?

Yeah, I did. Since the last time I traveled internationally, Basic Economy has infiltrated the international flights and I’m not happy about it. It is hard to compare fares when every airline charges a different amount for baggage, and it’s hard to travel without baggage when you have kids and your destination is a cold climate. But I’m going to try. Two carry-on suitcases and two “personal item” bags might be enough to hold everything. After all, my daughter’s clothes are still very small, and I don’t really want to drag a full-size suitcase all over the country when we’re traveling by train.

When we get closer to our travel dates, I’ll do a test pack and see if it’s possible. I might end up paying extra for a suitcase the day before we leave. But I hope not because British Airways is one of three carriers operating flights on this itinerary, and I wouldn’t be surprised if all three of them ended up charging us a baggage fee. The suitcase could end up with a more expensive ticket than mine.

Research

Now comes the fun part – figuring out what we’re going to see when we’re there. I’ve already spent many hours on the excellent NSB website studying train schedules. And of course I’ve read the Lonely Planet and Insight Guides Norway books cover to cover.

Most travel websites seem to assume that if you are going to Norway, you are either taking a summer road trip or you are going skiing. Most of them assume you are doing both of those things without kids. A couple of blogs have been helpful so far, though.

The Fairytale Traveler took almost the same trip I’m planning – spring break with just mom and a grade schooler.

Heart My Backpack saved me from booking an expensive Norway in a Nutshell Tour by describing how to DIY the same trip for half the cost. She also has some helpful lodging and city guides.

Wandertooth took a rail-based trip and compared Eurail passes and Minipris tickets. I’m still exploring the rest of their Norway posts.