Visiting a place like an Up Norway guest should feel like an upgraded experience. We work with a carefully selected portfolio of experience providers throughout the country who we are proud to call partners; before we recommend places to stay and things to do, our team has been around; we have tried the activities we recommend, we get to know the people who will be our guests’ hosts, we cross check references and we document aspects from guide certifications and sustainability efforts.
We purchase from our partners at net rates and sell to our clients at market rates. Prices and commissions vary depending on partner, season, availability and time of booking. We also develop experiences together with our partners, which enables us to be able to offer experiences and benefits exclusive to Up Norway guests.
International Airfare
Most of our clients prefer to book their own international airfare. We can, however, help a client to book in- and outbound flights, if they prefer us to do so. Either way, we recommend our travellers secure a flight and understand those costs and details as early as possible. As time nears, options are likely to shrink, and prices usually increase.
Climate Investment through Chooose
An investment of USD 7 / the equivalent of NOK 70 is invested in a portfolio of forest preservation projects through Chooose for every guest who travels with us.
Just like an art curator curates various artworks into one collection or show, a travel curator is basically an expert in selecting and pulling together experiences into a seamless journey that suits the individual traveller. Our ability to create experiences that intuit and understand our clients particular needs and interests, is quintessential. Our journeys are created by a combination of our skill, education and our connections to sources and partners. The point here is that everything we do is recommended with our specific travellers in mind. We bring creative ideas and wonderful possibilities to life just for them.
All of this takes time. Days, hours, and sometimes months go into discovering places and activities special enough for our clients, but unlikely to attract crowds of tourists. In doing so, we’ve gathered a team highly motivated to serve and succeed. While we streamline the travel process from start to finish, it is the ferreting out of the unique, the intuition to craft a perfect experience for a treasured client, and the commitment to do it all in ways that nurture our planet, to form a healthy culture, that make us as special as we are. That quality carries a cost.
Choosing to work with small and independent lodges and activity providers, guide companies and farms means accepting that bookings cannot necessarily be made online and get confirmed at an instance. When we request experiences that cannot be chosen off a standardised list, it requires both spoken and written conversation. Even though working with technology is an integral part of our routines, making enquiries and confirming booking requests is the most time consuming part of creating our journeys. That time is valuable. This is why we charge a trip-design fee before we begin this process.
Trip-Design Fee and Payment Plan
When a prospective client contacts us, they’ll fill in a short on-line profile which helps us understand their interests and preferences. From this, we’ll begin to create a crafted custom journey that meets their needs or their dreams. For those who wish for journeys that require a lot of logistics, we can also set up a call. Their agreement will be accompanied by the payment of a trip design fee covering our time and expertise. This fee is non-refundable, however, the final bill will show it credited towards the journey.
The trip-design fee is NOK 3500,- for journeys of less than 10 days, and NOK 6000,- for journeys longer than 10 days. For groups of more than eight guests, and last minute bookings made less than 45 days until desired arrival, the trip-design fee is NOK 9000,-
For peak season bookings, the trip design fee may be higher. This fee is credited to the final bill and non-refundable, should the trip not be booked through Up Norway.
From there, we’ll begin to put the pieces of the journey together, confirm availability and prices. We’ll then present the proposed journey to the client, and ask for confirmation through the settlement of a 25% deposit + cost of elements which require pre-payment such as for example flights. Upon receipt of deposit and feedback on any changes the client may like, we will finalise all bookings and prepare a digital itinerary, with every bit of the journey included in one place. The full balance of the trip is due 45 days prior to the scheduled departure. And we have a number of plans in place for postponements or cancellations. They can be reviewed in the Terms.
We’re reachable through the entire process, from planning to enjoying the trip, to managing challenges along the way, if any. Shortly before clients’ arrivals, we’ll follow up with information about potential ongoing events during their journeys, assist with restaurant reservations and suggest add ons that may not have been available at the time of booking. We reconfirm every aspect of their trip to ensure a seamless journey. Our clients can easily reach us through chat in their digital itinerary application while travelling if in need of assistance - or we can reach them - for example if a change is required due to weather or any other reason.
When our clients purchase an Up Norway journey, they can rest assured they’re not just paying for elements they could have easily booked and put together on their own. They’re paying for a passionate and dedicated team who’s goal as travel curators is to enrich and inspire them to make incremental or larger positive changes in their own lives, the lives of the people around them and on the planet we live on.
Economic Nutrition
Our handpicked partners and vendors, quality assured providers of accommodation, activities, meal experiences and transportation, receive the lion’s share of our fees.
Norway may have high taxes, but also has high wages – a reassuringly high-cost model in fact.
Our cost of operations consists of three main categories: Technology, Team (employees, rent etc.) and Marketing.
A sustainable business is also measured in sound economic health. Running a company without a surplus would prevent us from achieving our higher purpose of moving forward to consistently raising the bar on creating outstanding experiences for our travelers.
Taking in the natural beauty that Norway has to offer, Up Norway can offer you a smörgåsbord of truly unique hiking experiences. Learn more about Norwegian Luxury - Luxury our way.
Sondre Sommerfelt in collaboration with Up Norway
A cosmopolitan travel writer
