Roots Rails & Rambles Roots Rails & Rambles

Norway, June 2024

NORWAY, JUNE 4-14, 2024

Oslo – Flåm – Bergen - Trondheim - Bodø - Narvik - Stockholm

THIS TRIP IS NOW SOLD OUT, BUT WE ARE TAKING WAITING LIST NAMES -- WHO KNOWS? IF ENOUGH OF YOU WANT TO GO THIS YEAR, MAYBE WE'LL ADD ANOTHER TRIP! JUST E-MAIL SARAH@ROOTSONTHERAILS.COM WITH"NORWAY WAIT LIST " IN THE SUBJECT LINE.


Join us for our inaugural adventure to Norway!! Norway has everything we love: astoundingly beautiful scenery, a well-linked rail system, and did we mention….FJORDS??!!?? We’ve long wanted to visit this breathtaking land, and have designed an itinerary that gives us some great cities, some amazing train rides, a ferry route that features UNESCO World Heritage Site vistas – and all of this during the season of extended daylight, so we’ll have to force ourselves to sleep for fear of missing things.

THE ITINERARY

June 4: Arrive Oslo, overnight Oslo. We’ll gather in Norway’s capital city for a chance to meet our fellow travelers and do some exploring.

June 5: Oslo – Flåm. We’ll board the train for the first leg of our epic journey across the southern tip of Norway on what is considered one of the world’s most scenic journeys. In Myrdahl we’ll transfer to the legendary Flåmsbana train one of the world’s steepest stretches of line on normal tracks, renowned for its spectacular turning tunnels that wind in and out of the mountains. 18 of the 20 tunnels on the Flåm Railway were constructed by hand. We’ll overnight in Flåm.

June 6: Flåm – Bergen. This morning we’ll take the ferry down the Sognefjord – a five hour journey through what is arguably one of the most scenic fjords in Norway. We’ll end the day in the fabulous city of Bergen. Overnight Bergen

June 7: Bergen. A full day to explore this great coastal city with plenty of time to visit the historic wharf with all its colorful houses, take the funicular up to Mt. Floyen for some spectacular views, or strike out on your own adventure. Another night in Bergen

June 8: Bergen to Alesund. Today we board the ferry for our three day journey North along the coast. We’ll have comfortable staterooms, freshly prepared meals on board – an experience more like a cruise ship (without the gambling and cabaret shows).

June 9: On ferry. Today we get to the Geiranger Fjord, a UNESCO WORLD Heritage site with its steep mountainsides and dramatic waterfalls. Another night on board

June 10 – On ferry. Today we have an opportunity to stretch our legs in the historic city of Trondheim, which was founded over a thousand years ago. Nidaros Cathedral is the landmark of the city; it is Norway's national shrine and one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe. Our last night on board.

June 11 – Today we cross over the Arctic Circle! A full day of cruising past little fishing villages and glaciers. In the evening we arrive in Svolvaer, where we’ll disembark and spend the night.

June 12 – Svolvaer to Narvik. This morning we’ll head out in our chartered van for a scenic overland journey to Narvik, where we’ll have a little time to explore before we board the evening overnight train. We’ll head out into the night (which may well still be light) and shortly cross into Sweden and a stunning ride down the western shore of the Gulf of Bothnia. Overnight on board the train.

June 13 – Arrive Stockholm. Our arrival in Stockholm in the early morning gives us plenty of time to stash our bags at our hotel and head out for some exploring. Overnight in Stockholm

June 14 – Departure Day: For those who booked round trip air travel from Oslo, there is a direct train (about 5.5 hours) from Stockholm to Oslo. Multiple international flights depart from Stockholm as well.

PRICING
$4989.00 per person. Included in your trip fare:
  • 6 nights hotel accommodation, solo-occupancy (couples share)
  • 3 night in private accommodation on ferry
  • Guide services where we use them
  • Meals included for the three days onboard the ferry
Trip fare does not include:
  • Airfare to and from Norway (but we're happy to consult about best options)
  • gratuities for hotel staff, tour guides and drivers
TO PURCHASE
THEN
  • Within 30 days of deposit, pay your remaining balance of $4489 through our online store.
  • or Contact Sarah at sarah@rootsontherails.com or 802-258-1397 to set up a convenient interest-free monthly credit card draw.

Credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover) and checks accepted. Payment plans at no additional charge are happily accommodated. Payment plan must be agreed upon and set up within 30 days of sign-up. Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable. Liability release signature required.

TRAVEL INSURANCE ON UPCOMING TRIPS

Since the advent of Covid-19, and its impact upon travel, we feel purchasing travel insurance has gone from wise precaution to fiscal necessity. Going forward, we are strongly suggesting that all patrons must trip insurance that provides, at a minimum, coverage for the following:
  • Cancellation for Covid-19 illness
  • Trip Cancellation
  • Trip Interruption
  • Cancel for Medical Reasons
  • Medical Coverage for Covid-19 (often included under Emergency Medical Care)
  • Emergency medical care
  • Medical Evacuation
After doing extensive research, we feel a product such as AXA USA Assistance Silver or Nationwide Essential provides robust coverage for all those items at a very fair price. Both of those products (and many more) can be purchased through our affiliate, Squaremouth. Because travel insurance is such a highly personalized product, when you click on the link and are directed to the Squaremouth landing page and the "Compare and Buy Travel Insurance" calculator, you’ll have to enter your own demographic information – age, state of residence etc. -- after which you'll be presented with a number of options to consider. Among them will be the AXA and the Nationwide products. You are certainly not limited to those two products – we are merely outlining the elements of coverage that we are requiring going forward and a convenient way to access them. If you purchase the policy through that link to Squaremouth it does not cost you anything more than purchasing the product directly from the vendor, but we do receive a small commission. 

THE FINE PRINT

Our customers are extremely important to us, and when travel disruptions occur, we are committed to working with you to minimize the financial impact. In the event that you need to cancel a trip for whatever reason, we will work with you to try and find a buyer for the space you are needing to give up. Often this works out well for all: the person needing to cancel recovers most, if not all, of their investment, and a person who might have been on a waiting list gets to go on the trip - however, there are no guarantees.

We understand that the new realities of travel are such that we need to be more flexible than ever before. We are also an extremely small business with many fixed costs that can't always be recovered if a trip needs to be postponed or cancelled due to health and safety concerns. We will be completely transparent if a scheduled trip looks like it needs to be adjusted in any way that might impact your enjoyment of the experience. Please read through our cancellation policy carefully and feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Cancellation policy: Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable. Outside of deposit and credit card fees, full refund will be given up until 90 days prior to start of trip. 50% refund 60-89 days. No refund less than 60 days prior to start of trip. Reservations are fully transferable to another person.The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein.

Roots, Rails and Rambles shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Roots, Rails and Rambles acts only as agent. Roots, Rails and Rambles reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Roots, Rails and Rambles shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property.

Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Roots, Rails and Rambles reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time. Roots, Rails and Rambles management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone whom it considers incompatible with the best interests of its services or its guests.