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Vega Island is in the Arctic Circle and is home to rare plants and animals

Thank you from GNI!Vega Island is in the Arctic Circle and is home to rare plants and animals as well as a shelter for fishermen. If you like adventures, then Vega Island is the place for you! To get to this island, you can use a ferry or a plane. Some travel agencies in Norway offer transportation to the island, such as car or bike rental. The island has lodging, so you can go and enjoy its beauty for a few days. Listed below are some popular activities on Vega Island:

  • Canoeing and Kayaking

For water sports enthusiasts, canoeing and kayaking is a must. You can rent a canoe to circumnavigate Vega Island. The route recommended is starting at Eidem Beach (south) and going towards Kirkoy (north). You can only do these water sports from May to August. 

  • Bird Watching

Vega Island has been designated by UNESCO as an UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage place. This is mainly because of the unique partnership between the people who live there and the Common Eider, which has been going on for centuries. The people there still collect down from these birds. Over 230 species of birds are found on the island, including the Eagle Owl, the White-billed Diver, and the Shoveler. 

  • Visit to the museum

Ærfuglmuseet (The E-house) has documentation of farms located in the city of Eider. In addition to The E-House, you also can visit the Risbakken Agricultural Museum (Gammelstuå), an agriculture museum. 

  • Hiking

This island is a great place to hike, with 18 hiking trails. Some of them are:

  • The Vegsteinfjellet trail is on the mountain with the same name. This hiking trail is easy, so you take your children. It takes about 40 minutes to explore. 
  • Kjulsveten is a medium difficulty hiking trail. It starts in Tømmeråsen and heads to Floa and Vika. It takes about 60 minutes to explore this track. 
  • Einesvika is located on the coast. It is easy, so you can take your children. It takes about 45 minutes to explore this hiking track. 
  • Sea Fishing

Vega Island is famous for the life of the fishermen, so fishing is a must activity when you visit. You can rent boats and fishing tackle. The good months for fishing are June to September. Cod, mackerel and coalfish are the most common fish, but if you are lucky, you can catch halibut and wolfish. 

Questions? Call our travel insurance specialist at 866-636-9100, toll free. Or call us here in our Phoenix, Arizona office at 480-633-9500. Our email address is . 

 

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Norway has some of the most amazing sights in the world

Thank you from GNI!Norway has some of the most amazing sights in the world. When traveling to Norway make sure you choose the right season, because Norway is known for having one of the longest snow seasons in Europe. Some good cities to visit in Norway are:

  • Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway. The Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park is a popular tourist destination, and is also known as Frognerparken. In the summer, many people have picnics, barbeque, or just walk, in the park. It has a collection of 212 sculptures. One of the famous statues is “The Monolith”, a stone carving with a height of 14 meters. If you enjoy skiing, then you must visit the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. It has a sky jump tower, sky jump museum, café and other attractions. 

  • Alta

Alta is a large city frequented by tourists. Alta has rock carvings protected by UNESCO. This rock carving tells the story of human life in prehistoric times. If you like cycling, Alta is a good place to do so. There are lots of cycling routes to choose from, including the Bodo-Kjerringoy route and the Steigen-Hamarøy route. Other tourist attractions in the city are the Northern Lights Alta Observatory and the Alta Canyon. 

  • Roros

Roros was appointed by UNESCO as a World Heritage City. The settlements there have some unique characteristics. If you visit, you should go to Vingelen village, a traditional mountain farm village to learn about farming and ranching. There is also a walking path around the village to enjoying the village’s natural beauty. If you visit during the summer, you can go hiking, fishing, and gardening. In the winter, you can ride a sled or visit a small area near Vingeland (Rørosmartnan) which is only open during the Christmas and snow season. The village usually holds a Christmas market, as well as some typical Christmas performances. 

  • Bergen

This city located in western Norway is the right place to see fjords and glaciers. The most famous fjord and glacier there are Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord. If you like history, you can visit the Viking Fortress, an important building from the kingdom of Norway in the 14th century. On Floyen Mountain, Troldhaugen Museum was built as a memorial for the Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg. 

Good Neighbor Insurance provides international travel insurance to those visiting Norway.  We also provide expat long term career insurance which you may view here at https://www.overseastripinsurance.com/.  Or call one of our professional insurance travel agents at 866-636-9100. Or you may email us at .

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Norway is famous for its cultural diversity

Thank you from GNI!Norway is famous for its cultural diversity, and they have a wide range of festivals. Festivals in Norway are divided into two kinds, namely summer festivals and winter festivals. Below are some summer and winter festivals held there:

Summer Festivals

  • Viking Festival

This festival is held every June with cultural Viking performances. There is Viking music, arts and craft, and food. The Viking Festival is organized by the coastal communities in Karmøy. The festival takes place in Lofoten Island, Bergen and Stavanger. 

  • Norwegian Wood Rock Festival & Forde Festival

The festival is held every June in Oslo. It is a music festival featuring singers from around the world. Forde traditional festival is a festival that celebrates traditional Norwegian music. 

  • Wooden Boat Festival

This festival is held every August to celebrate Norway’s maritime culture. One can find many wooden souvenirs there. The festival takes place in many port cities, including the famous port Risør City, one of the cities that organizes the festival.

 Winter Festivals

  • Rorosmartnan

This festival has been held in Roros every year since 1854, and attracts 75,000 visitors annually. Many people gather in the streets of Roros to watch performances of traditional music and dance. 

  • Christmas Market

Christmas Market is usually held from late November to December in every city in Norway. One of the most famous Christmas markets is in the Folk Museum in Oslo. At this Christmas market you can shop for various Christmas needs, such as food, decorations, and clothes. 

  • Ice Climbing Festival and Drekkedagsnatta

The Ice Climbing Festival is held every February in Rjukan. This main attraction at the festival is a race to climb a wall of ice. Drekkedagsnatta is a festival held every December 22 in the village of Kongsberg. Drekkedagsnatta started in the 1600s when miners would descend to celebrate Christmas and march through the village. Now, the villages still march through the hills, carrying torches and singing, celebrating their mining ancestry. 

Good Neighbor Insurance provides international travel insurance to those visiting Norway.  We also provide expat long term career insurance which you may view here at www.overseastripinsurance.com.  Or call one of our professional insurance travel agents at 866-636-9100. Or you may email us at .

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Norway is one of the countries that have the unique phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun

Thank you from Good Neighbor Insurance!Norway is one of the countries that have the unique phenomenon known as the Midnight Sun. This phenomenon only occurs in a few countries, including Canada, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Russia. This phenomenon occurs because the sun appears for 24 hours and never sets. Norway is located in the Scandinavian Peninsula and is directly adjacent to the North Pole. At the North Pole itself, the midnight sun phenomenon occurs for 6 months. If you visit Norway in the summer, you can see this for yourself. In Norway, the phenomenon occurs in the months below: 

Longyerbyen (Spitzbergen): Apr 20 – Aug 20

North Cape (Nordkapp): May 14 – July 30

Hammerfest: May 16 – July 27

Tromsø, Hausberg: May 20 – July 22

Narvik, Hausberg: May 25 – July 18

Lofoten & Vesterålen: Late May – Mid July

Bodø: July 4 – July 30 

Norway has many other unique things besides the midnight sun. If you visit, you must see the Storseisundet Bridge, also known as the drunken bridge. It’s 850 feet long and was built in 2005. The bridge gets its nickname because it looks like it doesn’t go anywhere! In fact, because of this it has been used in advertisements and movies all over the world. The bridge is located on the west coast of Norway in the Atlantic, joining the Norwegian mainland and Averoy Island. The best time to visit this bridge is in the summer. 

Fjords are another natural beauty in Norway. The Norwegian Fjords are included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A fjord is sea that juts into the mountains, or a bay that has been formed by melting glaciers. Each fjord offers a unique and different natural beauty. You can choose a package tour to explore fjords. The most famous tour among tourists is the “Norway in a nutshell” tour, which you can book online by visiting: www.norwaynutshell.com. In addition to seeing fjords, the Polaria Museum is a good place to visit. This museum contains a diversity of flora and fauna, mostly from the North Pole. 

Norway also has a unique city called Lofoten, also known by the name An Arctic Paradise. Lofoten is famous for its incredible natural beauty. Lofoten is located in northern Norway. Lofoten has a beautiful ocean and coral reef. The city has a diverse wildlife, with millions of sea birds such as albatrosses, cormorant and puffin. Other animal species include otters, deer and seals. Because of Lofoten’s unique weather, it has becomes the largest producer of cod fish in the world. For centuries, Norway has been the largest cod fish export to Europe. Lofoten is known as the city that is unique because it is located in the northernmost place in the world, and has an average temperature above zero degrees annually. In January the average temperature is -1.5°C, while in the summer months has a temperature of 13°C for 24 hours throughout the day. 

In addition to Lofoten, northern Norway has some other unique cities. One is the small town of Bodo city, which offers a blend between natural beauty and a small modern town. 

Good Neighbor Insurance at www.overseastripinsurance.com provides travel medical insurance for those visiting Norway and anywhere outside of the U.S. You may see all of our travel insurance plans on our corporate web site at www.gninsurance.com. 

If you have questions please call us. You may reach us by connecting with our specialist toll free at 866-636-9100 or here at 480-633-9500 or email us at . Our Phoenix Metro office is open from 8a to 5p each work day. Our specialists are not only extremely knowledgeable in international medical cover but most of us have lived and/or traveled outside the U.S. many times. We understand what it is like to be an expat or to visit a new country for the first time! 

We are here anytime you need us. Have a wonderful and safe travels!

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Norway is one of the best places to hike in the world!

Thank you from Good Neighbor Insurance!Norway is one of the best places to hike in the world! Hiking is a sport enjoyed by most of the nature lovers. There are many places around the world that offer some beautiful hikes, including Norway. Some of the best trails to hike in Norway are:

  • Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)

Pulpit Rock is one of the famous tourist attractions in Norway; it’s located in Forsand, Ryfylke, in Western Norway. Pulpit Rock is a mountain plateau 604 meters above sea level. Here you can go hiking, climbing, and mountaineering. The hike is about two hours long and begins at the mountain lodge, Preikestolen Fjellstue. This area also offers accommodations for travelers, such as public toilets, parking, and other facilities. The best time to hike at Pulpit Rock is from April to October. The hike is not recommended during winter due to little daylight and icy conditions. You can reach Pulpit Rock by car, ferry, or bus. 

  • Jotunheimen

Jotunheimen is also called “The Home of the Giants.” It is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km2 located in southern Norway. The highest mountains in Norway are found here, including Galdhopiggen, the highest mountain, which stands 2,469 m tall. Jotunheimen is a very popular place for climbers and hikers. The Jotunheimen National Park is found here. The park is characterized by high mountains, glaciers and deep lakes. The best time to hike in Jotunheimen is from the middle of July until the middle of August. Hiking is allowed in June and September, sometimes even early October, depending on the weather conditions and the amount of snow. The Jotunheimen area does have some small hotels and can be reached by bus or train. 

  • Hardangervidda

Hardangervidda is the largest mountain plateau in Europe, and is located in the Hardanger region of western Norway. Most of the plateau is part of Hardangervidda National Park. Popular outdoor activities in this area are camping and fishing in the calm, clear mountain lakes. There are several hiking routes to choose from, including Kinsarvik to Stavali (Husedalen), Hjølmo to Hadlaskard (Veigdalen), and Tuva to Heinseter. Another popular activity is cycling. One of the most popular cycling routes is Rallarvegen. This route is almost 100 kilometers long, and goes across spectacular high mountains with scenic views. You can reach Hardangervidda by car, train or bus. 

  • Hemsedal

Hemsedal is a small town located between Oslo and Bergen in southern Norway. This town is surrounded by high mountains and rivers. Hemsedal is popular for its large alpine skiing area, which is the second largest in Norway. But it is not just great place for skiing in the winter; it’s also a great place in the summer. There are many outdoor activities to do here, such as horseback riding, hiking, biking, fishing, and even swimming. It has good trails for both beginners and advanced hikers. The hiking season starts in early June and goes until the beginning of October. You can reach Hemsedal by plane, car, train or bus. 

Good Neighbor Insurance at www.overseastripinsurance.com provides travel medical insurance for those visiting Norway and anywhere outside of the U.S.   Questions?  Call our specialist toll free at 866-636-9100 or here at 480-633-9500 or email us at .

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