EER147: A Road Trip in Norway with Kids — Norway Road Trip Tips

Share:

Listens: 0

Epic Education Radio: Family Travel Podcast

Society & Culture


If you think the idea of a road trip in Norway with kids sounds interesting, then this is the episode for you. Today we talk about an incredible Norway road trip and some of the fun things to do in Norway. A Road Trip in Norway with Kids We've driven/ridden in many places around the world, but we've never taken a road trip in Norway with kids. Yet after talking to this week's guest, it's now on my list. Today we talk again with Jeff Bogle from the Out With the Kids blog. The first time we spoke, it was all about cruises. This week is a very different topic: driving in Norway and a pretty incredible road trip through Norway.   ::: Like what you’re hearing? Then please subscribe, rate & review Epic Education Radio. We would be extremely grateful! iTunes is a search engine as well, and so when you rate and review us, you help others find us. Thank you! ::: IN THIS EPISODE 10:20 Intro to Jeff 11:52 Norway Road Trips — Why Norway? 17:14 Skipped Oslo and Drove West 22:03 Bergen Norway 26:10 The Only Disappointment 31:23 Food in Norway 35:41 Book Towns in Norway 39:24 Alesund Norway 42:14 Trondheim Norway   ABOUT Names: Family blogger & Iris Award-winning photographer Jeff Bogle, his wife, and teen/tween daughters Hold passports from: USA Type of travel: Short-term travel, family cruises for kids, road trips A few places they’ve been: 20+ countries and counting, including Turkey, Greece, the UK/Ireland, Spain, and France.   LINKS & RESOURCES My first conversation with Jeff was about cruises Jeff tells us what to avoid in Norway A little more on the disappointing rail and cruise in Flåm   FIND THEM ON Out With The Kids (aka OWTK) | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest The Bogle's Norway Road Trip Dreamed up and planned while traveling in Ireland, the Bogle's adventure started with flights to the Oslo airport. From there, they skipped Oslo entirely and instead drove west. From here their Norway road trip took them to Bergen, Alesund, Trondheim and other fascinating places. "It’s the prettiest place we’ve ever been, full stop," he says, "Top to bottom.” That's a pretty large claim for Jeff, who travels a lot — both with his family and on his own. Then again, many of the scenes they encountered sound magical. For example, during this road trip in Norway, they saw crystal-clear fjords and snow-capped mountains. And they sat in wooden hot tubs on a deck overlooking it all. During his road trip in Norway, Jeff describes a scene where they watched snowflakes "as big as a baby's fist." These flakes dropped so slowly that they could even make out the patterns on them as they fell. Driving in Norway: Norway Road Trip Tips According to Jeff's experience, driving is Norway is easy. Even with loads of snow, the roads are clear and easy to follow. That said, he explains that just about any road trip in Norway will involve lots of tunnels. In fact, one of the longest tunnels in the world (that's not underwater) is in Norway: 25 kilometers long. Some tunnels even have roundabouts, rest stops and forks in the road. If you're claustrophobic and taking a road trip in Norway, this may be something to consider. A road trip in Norway will also likely involve car ferries — especially in the west of the country. With so many fjords and other bodies of water, travel in Norway requires some time to cross to the other side. They had one close call during their trip, actually — because of a flight delay, they had to rush to reach one car ferry. The last ferry of the day left just 15minutres after they reached if after a long drive. Food in Norway: Norway Travel Tips Jeff and family had some fantastic food during their road trip in Norway. There was still plenty of snow on the ground when they were there. Yet his vegetarian daughters were still able to find enough to eat, including (their surprise and delight) avocados! Jeff also saw lots of fish and wild game on menus, as well. One of his favorite meals of the trip was a halibut pulled right out of the fjord in they had taken a boat ride on. He also had an amazing Italian meal in Bergen at a place called Olivia's. So much so that I'll put a link to it in the show notes here. Like Iceland, Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, food in Norway isn't cheap. If you take a road trip in Norway, prepare yourself for sticker shock. That said, Jeff talks about that it wasn't as bad as expected. Sure, there were some $100 breakfasts. Then again, that meal at Olivia's — one he claimed to be vaulted into the top 5 of his life — was approximately USD $90 for his family of four. Book Towns in Norway: Norway Travel Tips Books? The Bogles are fans. Both of Jeff's daughters are huge readers and Jeff and his wife both love the printed page as well. That's why for their Norway road trip itinerary they stopped in Fjærland. It's here that many old buildings are taken over by used books. Thousands and thousands of them. Unfortunately, their side trip to Fjærland didn't go as planned. More on that in the episode. They had better luck later when they reached Trondheim. They found a great "book barn" cafe, where they snacked while being surrounded by books. Once they walked outside, they realized that they were standing at the city's most picturesque wharf. The Only Disappointment of their Road Trip in Norway Jeff and family had an amazing time. In fact, they're already planning a return trip. That said, there were a few minor let downs during their road trip in Norway. For example, in Flåm, they took a very well-known (and very expensive) train ride that is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. That may be true, but because of the multiple tunnels, it was hard to capture it on camera. A fjord cruise in the same area was similarly disappointing. Not terrible, he says, but not worth the price and time required. Jeff describes it best in the podcast itself. More on Their Road Trip in Norway These are just a few of the things Jeff tells me about their road trip in Norway. Listen in as he describes snowy sunsets, Norwegian soccer stadiums, and looking for the northern lights. Have you taken a road trip in Norway? Do you have any advice for someone wanting to take a road trip in Norway? Tell us all about it in the comments below! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you,  we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book room or car for your Norway road trip using these links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help you make the most of your road trip in Norway. If you've taken a Norway road trip and are willing to talk about it and about driving in Norway, get in touch! Full-on family travel fundamentals. Epic Education Radio is interviews, stories, and advice for people who decide to make travel a priority in their family's life...and for those who want to. Tune in each week to hear stories and advice from new traveling families, and hear how they've handled various family travel-related issues like education, socialization, working, budgeting, accommodation, road-parenting, safety, technology and more. We talk gear, websites, apps and other resources for traveling & nomadic families, and answer questions from those who would like to do something similar.