Scandinavian Skedaddle

What this trip is: This is a 10 day group trip across the Scandinavian capitals, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, with a side quest to Bergen, the capital of the fjords. We will start the trip in Copenhagen, Denmark, traveling by train to Stockholm, Sweden and by plane to Bergen, Norway, before ending in Oslo, Norway. Our itinerary will include city walking tours, iconic train rides, and a fjord cruise. The target dates are July 11-20, 2025. The target group size is 8-10 people. The tour is designed for adults in their 20s to 40s, but the minimum age is 21. The price is $2200 + airfare and food. The registration deadline was February 6, 2025 and is officially closed.

Goal: The primary goal of this trip is to explore the culture and history of Scandinavia. The secondary goal is to have fun doing it. I cannot promise you that I won’t make any mistakes as a tour guide, but I can promise that I will be responsible to solve it. You can just relax and enjoy the ride! Along the way you can anticipate 600+ years of history, towering mountains, the longest daylight hours of your life, and don’t get me started on the cinnamon rolls.

Itinerary: Depart for Copenhagen, Denmark on July 11 and return home from Oslo, Norway on July 20. Along the way we will explore the capital cities of Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bergen, and Oslo, with scenic transfers by train, plane, and ferry between our destinations. Specific details, including optional tours and daily itinerary will be found here.

Note on the flight: You will be responsible to get yourself to Copenhagen, Denmark by July 12th and leave from Oslo, Norway, on July 20th.

Food: We will be doing our best to enjoy the variety of popular food that each destination has to offer. For this reason, I will not be able to guarantee food allergies or preferences can be accommodated for. Please let me know if this applies to you, but be aware that you may want to bring your own snacks along to ensure you have something you *can* eat at the time when you need to eat.

Difficulty Level: Moderate. We will not be summiting any mountains, but hiking will definitely be an option and we will be walking in cities, on concrete and up steps. Since we will be relying on public transportation to navigate and learning about our surroundings via walking tours, you can expect to walk at least (probably more) than 7 miles a day, every day.

For this reason, it is essential that:

1. You are physically active before the trip to reduce fatigue as much as possible

2. You pack appropriately.

3. Above all else, you must have a clean bill of health to travel.

General Safety: While each of our destinations are typically very safe, you still need to be aware of your surroundings and responsible for your belongings at all times. Furthermore, in order to navigate as a group, we will implement a buddy system and limit wandering off to agreed upon locations and times. For more information, you can read the US State Departments’ view on each country’s Safety, especially noting the tab under ‘safety and security’. 

What I expect from you: I expect that you are adults. For this reason (and my own legal liabilities) you must be at least 21 to join the trip. I am agreeing to coordinate but I’m not agreeing to be a chaperone or a maid. The trip is designed for adults in their 20s to 40s. I only require that you have the physical health needed to participate in the agreed upon itinerary. If you aren’t sure, please check with your doctor. I would love to have you join, but it is a goal of mine to not have to learn the in’s and out’s of any other country’s medical system. I ask that everyone is considerate and responsible, that you ask for help if you need it, chip in where you can, keep track of your own travel documents, and you don’t wander off without telling someone.

I always say that travel is a gift. It’s an incredible privilege and my hope is that we can all keep this in mind as we go. Gratitude and grace go a long way about half way through a trip when the wind is blowing and you don’t know where the nearest bathroom is and maybe your travel coordinator is scrambling to pull the group together. So, I am asking that you bring your gratitude and your flexibility because we’ll be growing together.

Luggage Policy: If you haven’t traveled much internationally you are going to be surprised by my next statement, but everyone will be allotted one carry on suitcase and one hand bag/backpack. First, because we will be traveling by public transportation, taxi, and train. Full sized luggage is incredibly inconvenient in these situations. Second, because historical buildings typically do not have elevators, and you do not want to be lugging a full sized suitcase up any narrow, winding stair cases. You will be very thankful for packing light, even if it means you have to decide what you will wear before you get there. In light of this, I will be reserving lodging with washing machines about half way through our trip, if you need to do any laundry.

Note: Some people in my past groups have opted to carry large backpacks rather than pull a suitcase around. So far, every single one of those people have regretted it, mainly because this results in you carrying that backpack in the summer heat, for an hour or more, depending on the commuting situation. For this reason, I do not recommend it. What I do recommend, is a suitcase with spinning wheels.

Additionally, I recommend that everyone pack a ‘daypack’ sized back pack or crossbody to use for carrying water, clothing layers, etc. A drawstring backpack, while handy, will not be comfortable for all day wear.

Cost

$2200 plus airfare, food, and souvenirs. Should this change, you will be given adequate warning.

What Is Included

Trip Planning Fee: Itinerary formation and distribution, tour management, hotel, tour, and transportation bookings, day of problem solving, daily restaurant selections, and navigation.

Transportation between cities: Anything that can be booked in advance, including airport transfers from the airport to hotels and trains and flights between cities (i.e. Copenhagen to Stockholm). Spontaneous taxis, public transportation within cities, etc, are not included in the trip price as they are difficult to calculate in advance.

Accommodations: We will be staying in double occupancy hotel rooms, allowing for you to share a room, but not a bed. If you are traveling with someone who you would be willing to share a bed with, let me know and I will calculate a discount for you. If you are wanting your own room, that is an option for a fee as well. About half of our hotels will include breakfast.

Tours: Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park Entrance Ticket, Copenhagen Bike Tour, Stockholm Walking Tour, Stockholm Royal Palace Entrance Tickets, Bergen Walking Tour, Bergen Funicular, and Sognefjord in a Nutshell™ fjord cruise and train rides. You can find more details here.

What Is Not Included:

Specific Transportation: Your international flights and within city public transportation. It is impossible for me to guess how much tickets will cost from each of your homes, or to calculate how many bus rides we will be taking, so I am not able to include that in the price.  However, I am happy to help you with booking, if you have any questions, and will be helping you purchase public transit tickets upon arrival.

Meals and food: Some of our hotels will include breakfasts, but not all. The remaining breakfasts, lunches, dinners, coffee shop stops, Danishes, etc are not included in the price. This is to allow you maximum control over your food budget and preferences. The internet recommends budgeting an additional $45-$65 a day to cover this cost, although I would keep in mind the rising price of food. I am not opposed to getting groceries for breakfast some days, or packing lunches, if the group wants to cut some corners.

Sim cards: The easiest thing most people do is pay their phone company for international calls during their trip. I recommend doing this, especially since we will be in more than one country, and buying sim cards for each country can be a hassle.

Souvenirs. 

Optional Tours: specifically a ride ticket at Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park and any other activities you decide to add as we go.

Travel insurance (including health insurance). Given the events of 2020, I do recommend travel insurance. I have found World Nomad’s Travel Insurance to be reasonable in the past, although I haven’t needed to file any claims yet.

Sign Up

You can sign up by following this link SIGN UP and completing the trip application. 

The Payment Plan

If you have read all the way to the bottom of this page, I’m assuming you are pretty interested in this trip. Hooray! If you are ‘in’ and ready to make it official here’s the plan:

1. Follow the link to Sign up and confirm your spot.  
2. The registration deadline is February 1, 2025 and the registration fee is in the form of a $100 non refundable deposit that will go towards the cost of your trip. If, for some reason, I need to cancel the trip, I will refund the money to you, no cost.
3. You may choose the pay the entirety of your debt at the time of registration or in installments, half by February 1 and the remainder by March 1.
4. Pack your bags because…
5. Summer 2025, we will head out on the adventure of a lifetime!

NOTE: Payments are accepted via paypal, cashapp and venmo. I will share my accounts to receive payment when you sign up. This trip is non refundable and any travel insurances that you wish to purchase will be additional costs to you. Prices are subject to change, with adequate notification to participants.

There! That’s the whole thing!

If you have any questions, email me at: tripsbycamille@gmail.com or contact on my socials. 

Sign up here!