By ANASTASIA KOULOURI
Norway On A Budget...
Norway is an ideal country for adventures and undoubtedly will satisfy even the most demanding traveler. It is considered a must for all travelers and for those who constantly seek new experiences. If you want to get closer with nature, surely Norway is for you.
Norway offers unique experiences that will shock you. You will have the opportunity to visit glaciers, sail in fjords surrounded by high mountains with waterfalls. You can also come close to whales and seals or experience the magical Aurora Borealis phenomenon. All of the above are some of the reasons that you should start thinking to visit Norway, but I assure you that there are many more that we will refer below.
For about 3 years, we looked for a low budget Norway trip plan but unfortunately it was impossible mainly due to the high prices of hotels and restaurants. Apart from a beautiful country, it is unfortunately extremely expensive and this is the main reason that most people miss such a trip.
“Norway is an ideal country for adventures and undoubtedly will satisfy even the most demanding traveler.”
Finally we made it!!!
This time, we did not give up our efforts and did an intensive cost research that will made our dream came true and the most important of all, on a low budget! We organise all our trips since day one completely by ourselves without the help of a travel agency, because we will strongly believe that nowadays, you can find easily everything you need on the internet and you have freedom to do whatever you want without restrictions that depend on others. One more reason is of course to save the money that the travel agency has to earn and maybe earn some extra days on our trip.
Of course there are reliable travel agencies offering well organised packages who help people who either has no knowledge on internet research or does not want to deal with all of them. The research for a trip is a time consuming process and requires patience, good organisation skills and taking decisions at the right moment. For us the journey begins from the moment we start searching for flight tickets, accommodation, plans for excursions and activities, good restaurants and also to plan our daily schedule.
Our Trip...
Below we will analyze the cost for our 15 day trip that took place from 1st until 15th of June. In our minds we had already a plan that we wanted to follow, and based on this we started the research. The purpose of this trip was to be able to visit as many points as possible in the western and southern part of Norway. During our trip we traveled 2.798 km in 14 days.
Flight Tickets
Everything starts with a flight ticket, so it is very important to find a cheap one but at the same time include at least a checked baggage in the price. The flight time depends on your starting destination (from Athens it takes about 4 hours).
For our flight from Athens to Oslo we chose Norwegian air, which is a low cost company but our flight includes 2 checked baggages per person and 1 hand luggage. Meal was not included but you can have various snacks with you so you do not have to pay for something during the flight.
For our return flight from Oslo to Athens we chose Aegean airlines, which included 1 checked baggage, 1 hand luggage per person and also meals included in the price. Aegean airlines is in our opinion on of the best companies out there and we are very proud that is a Greek airline company. The total cost of the flight tickets for our trip was 250 € per person .
Transportation
The best way to see Norway’s unparalleled beauty is undoubtedly by car. The main advantage of using a car is the flexibility and freedom it offers. On all our trips we rent a car and that way we are trying to see as many places as possible. For this trip we rent a car from Rentalcars.com which is the best car rental search engine by far and we were completely satisfied from their services.
The rental cost was 35 € per day, yes it’s not a very cheap price but we’re in Norway and believe us compared to others prices we found, it was extremely cheap. Fuel prices in Norway ranges in normal levels, due to the fact that norway is an expensive country. The cheapest price we found was 1.50 € and the highest was 1.65 € /lt.
On the internet you will find several pages, that according to the route plan that you will follow, it helps you calculate the cost (fuel, tolls, etc.), we do this on every trip and it is very accurate. We use Via Michelin for the cost calculation and Sygic for navigation.
Accommodation
If you want to see many things in Norway, you have to stay every night or two in a different place. You have the option of staying in hotels but the cost will go up dramatically in your journey.
A second choice much cheaper and the best in our opinion if you plan to stay many days in Norway are the traditional camping hytters. In these wooden houses you will find a complete house equipment so you don’t have to worry about anything. That was our choice and i have to say that it was the best decision we made on our trip. By making this choice we cut the accommodation cost in 1/3 instead of staying in a hotel. So with a quick calculation we saved over 1500 Euros just from our accommodation cost for 15 nights! All the wooden houses that we stayed were booked from Booking.com and we really felt like we had our own home in the countryside every day!
Prices vary from 30-60 € per day, depending on the cabin, season and location. This particular house for example costed 50 Euros for one night.
“We felt like we had our own home in the countryside.”
Food In Norway
The food issue in Norway is another big problem that needs your attention if you want to stay on a low budget. The problem is obviously the cost of eating out in a restaurant for example. If you would like to eat everyday in a restaurant in Norway we are sorry to say that but your low budget will be ruined! Restaurant prices in Norway are almost prohibitive for everyone.
For example an indicative price for a main dish is around 30-40 euros at least, so as you understand a dinner probably will cost you around 100-200 Euros depending on your preferences. Even fast food in Norway is not a cheap option, as a simple cheeseburger can cost you 15-20 €. This trip will give you the opportunity to unleash your talent in cooking! Sure and economical choice.
Supermarkets In Norway is not as expensive as we were afraid of. Beyond the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats that are extremely expensive i.e.( 15 Euros for 1 kg chicken breast) the rest of them were at normal prices. Our average daily food cost was around 40 € per day for 2 persons, that actually eat a lot of food, included a rich breakfast, lunch, snacks on the road and dinner.
The food choices is of course up to you, just have in mind quick and practical choices that will make your life easier and keeps you full for the whole day.
“Restaurant prices in Norway are almost prohibitive for everyone.”
Conclusion
To summarize our post about what you have to do if you want to go in Norway on a low budget, then we would say that you have to focus mainly on three key points to accomplish this.
1) Plan your trip early as soon as possible to find cheap flight tickets through Kiwi.com
2) Prefer to stay in the traditional wooden houses instead of luxury hotels through Booking.com
3) Avoid to eat everyday at restaurants, as this will ruin your low budget. You can cook easily in the cabins and save lots of money.
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