It seems like a bit of a ridiculous notion to be holidaying in such unprecedented times. After all, we’re being told to “stay alert” as infection rates continue to spike in some regions.
Indeed, travelling abroad at the moment has its caveats. That said, it’s by no means stupid or impossible. Certainly, we shouldn’t be expecting everything to be brilliant and like normal, and we should also expect the situation to change rapidly. There is a massive risk factor involved and we’ve seen that with quarantine requirements being brought back in for the likes of France, Spain and Croatia. The glimmer of hope for a proper summer holiday in Spain is certainly still alive, but it requires you to put your life on hold for another two weeks afterwards. Most of us just don’t have that option unless we’re working from home.
However, I had my eye on a different country.
Norway has handled the pandemic exceptionally well. It locked down hard and early, and as a result, life is generally close to normal. However, one element of criticism, according to locals, is that borders were reopened again quickly. Up until several weeks ago, it was possible to enter the country from most areas of Europe, including France and Spain. In actuality, many new cases were imported from young people going on holiday to sunnier climes, rather than being community transmissions. Even with an average of around 50 cases daily (versus the UK’s 1000+) there has been a warning from leaders that restrictions could be imposed again, hard and fast.
As a result, having kept a watch on the incoming week’s new restrictions (from August 14th) I was pleased to see that UK residents didn’t have to quarantine on entry, though those from Poland, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Iceland and the Faroe Islands were facing 10 days of isolation. The race was now on to organise the trip, including nine nights of hotels, international and domestic flights, and an Interrail pass. The requirement to quarantine when travelling via the Netherlands had majorly affected prices for flights in a matter of hours, as KLM was the predominant source of affordable journeys to Norway via Amsterdam.
My options were suddenly very limited as the budget operator, Norwegian Air, saw its flights fill up straight away. I ended up settling for SAS on its’ London Heathrow-Oslo route at an eye-watering £247 one way, though this was booked just three days before travel. I was to return on Loganair’s Stavanger-Newcastle route which was massively more convenient, though still not exactly the budget option at £172. All in all, a return trip to Norway had cost £419. I then needed two more flights to get me around Norway. The first, from Bodø to Tromsø, came in at £147 for the 203 mile journey with SAS, which was actually the worst-value flight compared to the 750 miles that £247 got me on the International leg! Finally, it was down to Wideroe to get me from Tromsø to Bergen, a journey of 759 miles for just short of £153. So, all in all, flights came to £719 for the entire trip.
Hotels certainly varied. I was able to snag four nights total in the Citybox Hotels in Oslo and Bergen for short of £230, but was paying between £79 and £129 per night for different Scandic hotels in Lillehammer, Trondheim, Bodø and Stavanger. Certainly, the Bodø Havel hotel came in at the priciest with Stavanger being best for value. That said, this was Norway and I feel like on the hotels front I did pretty well considering that I was booking at short notice. I did get the feeling that prices had slumped compared to normal, so this made up slightly for the expensive flights.
Finally, it was down to the trains. It came to £37.95 for a single fare aboard the 05:26 Newcastle to London, and around £195 for an Interrail pass for six days. A call to the fabulous Entur call centre also saw me sort out seat reservations on the key trains of the trip, with it being around £8.50 to reserve a seat in the “Plus/Comfort” classes of the respective operators. I can heartily recommend a call to them for anyone planning on making reservations aboard services in Norway.
With everything sorted in the 48 hours preceding my departure, there was very little time to sit around and anticipate the adventure that awaited before I made my way to a very quiet Newcastle Central, donning my mask and preparing for a long journey ahead. LNER are operating on a reservation only basis at the moment, with seats being allocated to facilitate social distancing. Admittedly, I was a little baffled by the clusters of us sat around the carriage, as it didn’t seem to be quite as well-distanced at it could be. Naturally, I was sat near the bloke who didn’t know how to wear a mask properly and insisted on sitting in the aisle.
Kings’ Cross station was, frankly, eerie. I hung back to have a faff with my camera for a moment and suddenly found myself walking down an empty platform. Bafflingly too, ticket gates were in use but there was one left open at the side. Great revenue protection strategy there. Outside of the station, it was equally strange with just one or two people hanging around. Granted, it was a Saturday morning, but this was nowhere near normal.
St Pancras was somewhat of a ghost-town with the Eurostar terminal being graced only by a few brave souls, considering that any destination on their network was subject to a 14-day quarantine on return. It was a stark contrast to the days of turning up later than I’d have liked, getting itchy feet as the queue didn’t seem to be moving quite quickly enough. This morning, there were more staff than passengers. Indeed, many of the shops in the precinct linking Eurostar to the Thameslink platforms were either closed or deserted. There wasn’t even the echo of the customary piano jingling, only a silence intertwined with the gentle shuffling of footsteps across the concourse.
My destination was New Malden (well, I initially tried an Asda in Roehampton) this morning, as I needed to get myself a new MicroSD card and I figured that a “big” supermarket would be my best bet. In my keenness to avoid the tube, I travelled via Thameslink and SWR to Putney via London Bridge and Waterloo East/Main, before catching the bus to Roehampton, and another to New Malden after I realised that Asda was somewhat bare. The trains were pretty peaceful in general, with there being an evident lack of patronage, and the buses never been beyond the level of full that would compromise distancing. My only qualm was when I returned from New Malden to Wimbledon and everyone did their usual thing of ramming into the last carriage at Wimbledon. Old habits clearly die hard.
Once I’d got myself across to Paddington and aboard the train to Heathrow Terminal 2/3 (amusingly devoid of social distancing and covid related signage, a sign that these trains weren’t actually meant to be in service anymore!) it was certainly the strangest experience I’ve ever had in an airport. I found myself exiting the train with just two others and negotiating the various escalators and stairs around the underbelly of the terminal predominantly in solitude. The travelators leading to the station are usually packed at this time of year, but there I was sauntering along swinging my GoPro around like a moron, bothering nobody.
On entering the terminal, there were masks provided as well as an alcohol wash for your hands. Other than that though, it was mostly just like a quiet day at the airport. Other than masks and needing to stay apart, all felt pretty similar. Security was exactly the same (though staff were just a little bit curt) and I had a wander around before settling on a cocktail and salad in one of Heston’s cafes. Patrons were asked to leave their details for track and trace, but there was no real need to queue for much longer than a couple of minutes and the dining experience was pretty much as usual. The only thing missing from Heathrow in general were the throngs of passengers. Everyone was fairly calm and subdued, with most choosing to find themselves a seat in some of the now seldom-used gate areas.
Anyways, onto the flight. Despite the pretty subdued atmosphere in the terminal, the flight was pretty full. Everyone was handed an alcohol wipe from the crew as we boarded, and I made my way right up to the back of the aircraft to settle myself in. Amusingly, this resulted in me having the rows behind, adjacent and in front empty, as everyone was bunched up further forwards. There was no actual service to speak of due to the pandemic, but staff were friendly and made their way around regularly. There was universal compliance with the need to wear a mask, and the atmosphere on board was good too. In general, the SAS product is certainly a step-up from budget carriers with some pretty decent legroom, WiFi available for purchase and USB charging for all passengers.
On arrival in Norway, I’d prepared myself for some sort of deep interrogation into my travel plans and where I’d come from. Indeed, some folk in front were being asked what they planned to do in the country. So, you can imagine my shock when I handed over my passport only to have to slid back through with a mere “okay thanks”. Where was the drama? At the time, the UK was only a “yellow” country so there was no need to quarantine, and I was free to buy myself a ticket for the Flytoget train into Oslo.
It was strange jumping on a train and realising that I didn’t need to wear a mask anymore. In Norway, it’s merely down to discretion and most travellers just don’t see the need. That said, those wearing masks was generally higher within the big cities, and I would occasionally also mask up if I found myself on a busier train where distancing wasn’t possible. After a pretty swift trip into Oslo Sentralstasjon, I made my way into a supermarket where it was clear that it was essentially business-as-usual, save for the screens up at the tills and signs reminding you to Hold Avstand! This was certainly going to take a day or so to get used to again.
I spent my Sunday exploring the outer reaches of the Metro network up to Frognerseteren (lots of places to hike!) and Sognsvann (very Cragside-esque lake to walk around) before getting out on the ferries to the islands. It was certainly one heck of a mental health boost, all other things aside. There I was, stood at the back of a boat in the sunshine, feeling the breeze on my face as I hopped off and explored these wee rural pockets in a bustling Scandinavian. The area around Aker Brygge, where the ferry terminal was located, was full of life. Restaurants, while subject to similar rules as in the UK, were doing a roaring trade. Friends were sat together laughing. Families were enjoying a day out. It hit me that not every country had bumbled through their pandemic response and ended up subject to lingering restriction.
In general, on trams and buses, the key difference was that tickets weren’t available on board and the driver’s area was well-cordoned to ensure that he had sufficient social distancing in place. My best advice in this instance is to take advantage of all of the different mobile apps available for buying tickets in the different cities, or to use a machine before boarding (available in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger).
The next day, my Interrail pass began, and I made my way out of the city to Åndalsnes in search of some proper scenery. I found myself aboard the 08:02 departure to Trondheim, operated by SJ NORD, a division of the Swedish national rail operator, across from an older German couple. Somehow, I managed to get conversation going in German (they didn’t really speak English) and the first thing that gets brought up when I say I’m English is “och, korona!” and various comments on Boris Johnson. It was clear that the UK’s reputation in Europe had been slightly tainted by its’ pandemic response, though then again I was informed that Germany was just great despite its increasing case numbers, so maybe we’ll take that all with just a pinch of salt.
I was genuinely surprised to receive a full complimentary service aboard NORD, with sandwiches, a yoghurt and drinks being handed out to everyone in the “Comfort” carriage. However, all aisle seats were blocked off meaning that the train was running at half capacity, causing most long-distance services across Norway to be prone to selling out in advance of departure. This service in particular had seats remaining only in the comfort class when I booked reservations the previous evening. Other than that though, the atmosphere on board was good and it was a nice swift change onto the Åndalsnes train at Dombås. This one was a lot busier and I found myself sat with people, which was something I hadn’t experienced since the whole pandemic had started. This had me a little anxious, though I told myself that this was a different country and that the situation was different. In the end, no harm was done.
The next notable difference was when I was staying in Lillehammer at the Scandic and noted all of the signage about a “COVID-secure” breakfast. Having experienced the hilariously feeble attempt at hotel breakfast in the UK post-pandemic (instant porridge in a bag is not a breakfast!) I was wondering what form this would take. It turned out that it was basically things being covered where possible, and an encouragement to space yourselves out. In essence, it was just a reminder to not be stupid, and it worked for the most part with everyone giving each other sufficient wiggle room.
I feel like the final point to touch on was the impact that COVID-19 had on drinking in Norway. Opening hours in some bars had been altered and there was, as far as I could tell, a blanket ban on bars selling alcohol after midnight. The result was that most establishments were quite calm and the bars I visited in Tromsø and Stavanger felt very pleasant indeed. There wasn’t the same level of distancing in place, but equally nobody was getting ratarsed and staggering about. Not that it was particularly affordable to do so, as I managed to spend £41 on the equivalent to three pints in Tromsø!
So, what is it like to take a holiday during a pandemic? Certainly, my choice of country isn’t one that everyone can afford on a whim (and I wouldn’t be able to afford it in normal circumstances) nor is it even possible at the time of writing. In fact, when I arrived at my hotel in Trondheim I was told that the UK was now a red country and asked about where I’d travelled from (it wasn’t at the time) but in fact it was to become a red country from August 22nd. Hence, as a traveller from the UK, you must now quarantine for 10 days on arrival in Norway.
Personally though, I found it to be a breath of fresh air. It was a taste of normality. I absolutely adore the country and its people (more to come on that in a future post) and I would not hesitate to return once I’m able to. Would I recommend taking a holiday now? Well, it depends on your attitude to risk and where you’re going. I picked a country with very low case figures and generally didn’t meet up with others. You cannot go to any country with the expectation that you can kick back and let your guard down. If you really fancy yourself a break, and are willing to quarantine on your return in the case of guidance changing, and are fully prepared for a changing situation at your destination, then feel free to take advantage of potentially lower prices. Just know that there is absolutely no cover from insurers as a general rule, unless you actually become sick.
If you are in any way vulnerable to infection or are in one of the “high-risk” groups, please don’t unnecessarily subject yourself to danger. Equally, if you’re younger, don’t think you’re invincible and behave like a prat. If your idea of a holiday right now is a change of scenery and a chance to explore on your own or with your family, then great, go for it. If you need a party and lots of entertainment, maybe don’t.
The Lone Bon Voyager 