Jaunted

New Airlines / Feel Air / Stockholm Travel / Oslo Travel / SAS Airlines / Bangkok Travel / Airline News / LCCs / Airlines / → All Tags

What Is FEEL Air and Why Are Their Tickets So Cheap?

Who wants to go to Stockholm, Sweden or Oslo, Norway for under $300 roundtrip? We'll be the first to raise our hand, and the start-up Scandinavian low-cost carrier Feel Air is hoping you will too, since they plan to launch direct flight between New York and Stockholm and Oslo, and also Bangkok to Stockholm and Oslo, in spring 2010.

Right now, the Feel Air website is skint on information, but there is this promising statement: "All the initial routes are set and approved, we will disclose the launch date and fares when ticket sales open later." A quick search through some Scandinavian press however reveals that the airline plans to fly two Airbus A330-200s on the routes, focusing heavily on the New York-JFK end of it (yippee!) and offering roundtrip, taxes-included fares starting from $260.

What the $260 will get you, after the jump.

more ›

Nobelicious / Scarlett Johansson / Michael Caine / Celeb Travel / → All Tags

ScarJo Fetes Peace Prize Winner

Got your tickets to the Nobel Peace Prize Concert tonight? Too bad! Emcee Scarlett Johansson, here rehearsing with Michael Caine probably won't miss you, though.

ScarJo, absent husband Ryan Reynolds, attended the committee banquet last night after rehearsing for the concert, which will feature Feist, Jason Mraz and Diana Ross among others. (Note: none of those people have won the Nobel Peace Prize.)

The actress was undoubtedly brought in to the Nobel Committee's circle to add some star wattage to the high-altruism, low-name-recognition ceremonies in Oslo. But to get to spend time with her former costar from "The Prestige" and masterclass actor Caine? We wouldn't pass that up either.

Don't forget if you're going to congratulate winner Martti Ahtisaari for his work mediating disuptes in Northern Ireland, Indonesia and Kosovo.

Related Stories:
· Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds Marry at British Columbia "Campground" [HC]
· Scarlett Johansson is Nobel Peace Prize Pretty [Just Jared]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]

Taxis / Tourists / Dumb Tourists / → All Tags

Dumb Tourist Travel: Norwegian Taxi Fare From Hell

We've done our fair share of ending up not exactly where we planned when traveling by bus or even taxi in foreign countries, but the Spanish couple who just spent a fortune on two long taxi rides in Norway have far exceeded our attempts.

Headed for Olden to re-join a cruise ship, the taxi driver misunderstood them--apparently--and took them to Halden instead, 380 miles away from their intended destination. They spent the night in a hotel there and only realized their mistake when no cruise-ship awaited them--and they taxied on to Olden. Round trip bill: €3,870 ($5,680) for a scenic trip between the northwest and the southeast of the country.

We wonder why the taxi driver didn't double check the destination, unless he deliberately tricked them; we also don't get why the Spanish couple didn't notice that the journey seemed to be taking a really, really long time. Then again, they were the cruising kind who usually just come ashore with a nametag, so perhaps their travel skills were lacking. In any case, they've given a couple of taxi drivers a big income boost.

Related Stories:
· $6,600 Cab Fare Lost In Translation [The Age]
· Norway Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Narisa]

Airports / Amy Winehouse / Drug Travel / Drugs / Crime / → All Tags

British Woman Arrested with Coke-Filled Wig, Isn't Amy Winehouse

A British woman, who amazingly isn't Amy Winehouse, was arrested at Trondheim Airport in Norway wearing a large wig:

Concealing 2.2 pounds of cocaine glued to her head.

The bewigged coke carrier was coming off a flight from Copenhagen and had the drugs glued so firmly to her head that she had to be hospitalized to de-stick the contraband from her real hair, a local newspaper said.

Before Amy and others with outrageous dos get too excited about the coke-cloaking potential of their beehives, they should take note that this drug mule's downfall came directly as a result of her unusual hair. According to the AP, customs agents stopped the woman because they "suspected that she was wearing a wig."

Related Stories:
· Norway Arrests Woman for Carrying Cocaine in Wig [AP]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Original photo: The Superficial]

Food Travel / Arctic Travel / → All Tags

Eating Kebabs at the Far End of the Earth

Got a craving for a good kebab but you're somewhere on an island in northern Scandinavia near the Arctic Circle? No problem. The world's most northerly kebab shop is waiting to serve you.

An Iranian man named Kazem Ariaiwand set up his kebab shop in an old military van, on the island of Spitsbergen. He had been trying to get refugee status to live in Norway but it was refused--but up as far as Spitsbergen, the Arctic middle of nowhere, you don't need a residence permit. (Most people aren't crazy enough to want to live there.)

Tourists exploring the Svalbard archipelago, which Spitsbergen is a part of, might be very pleased to see Kazem's kebab stand. The main alternatives are seal and whale, which most tourists are hoping to see swimming--rather than on their plates.

Related Stories:
· World's Most Northerly Kebab Shop [Ananova]
· Get Your Qualified Kebab Here [Jaunted]
· Arctic Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rita Willaert]

Active Travel / Snorkeling / → All Tags

Introducing the Norwegian Trout Safari

Bless those precious Scandinavians. Just when you think their grip on your heart has loosened and you're free to go about your business, they go and push a "troutsafari" on you, and you're back in the suction tunnel of love again.

A company in Norway is luring summer tourists to the ski town of Hemsedal, about 140 miles northwest of Oslo, with snorkeling expeditions in the Hemsil River. It's there, underwater, that you'll find some grade-A trout, the pride of its country! Seriously, they love trout in Norway.

Once you're done snorkeling, you can go dry off at the Skarsnuten Hotel, or simply head onwards...we read the town's otherwise a little sleepy, especially if you're a non-skier.

Related Stories:
· Troutsafari in Hemsil, Hemsedal [Norske Opplevelser]

Arctic Travel / Islands / Winter Travel / → All Tags

Svalbard Prepping for Fun in the Sun

Last summer, we tracked down Svalbard, Norway, "The North Pole's nearest neighbor." But you've probably been putting your trip north of the Arctic Circle off, since there's literally no sunlight up there all winter long. But that'll change on March 8, when the sun will rise over the islands for the first time since October.

Glacier tours and cruises are the things to do around Svalbard. Arctic Adventures can hook you up with a trip into the wild. You can do a bit of movie set travel too, as "The Golden Compass" was filmed around the islands.

Svalbard is also home to that doomsday seed vault that's been all over the news lately. It's not exactly a tourist destination, but we've embedded a map with its coordinates after the jump, if you wanna check it out.

more ›

Scandinavia Travel / Culture / → All Tags

Norway Has a Capital of Culture, Too

Liverpool has really captured the early headlines as the 2008 Capital of Culture, but we shouldn't forget that there are two. Little-known Stavanger in Norway deserves some attention this year, too.

There are lots of reasons to visit Stavanger: It's full of wooden houses (and they're cute, too), it's rich (as a center for the oil industry--there's even an oil museum), there are lakes and fjords nearby and it's home to the oldest cathedral in Norway.

This year as part of the Capital of Culture reign, Stavanger is focusing on getting its citizens involved in cultural activities. This means that rather than the flashy Beatles-inspired shows of Liverpool, Stavanger has chosen the theme of an "Open Port" and will promote artist residencies that give opportunities for visitors and locals alike to connect personally with the arts. But they still had a big fireworks extravaganza to open the celebrations.

Interestingly, this might be the last Norwegian city that achieves the European Capital of Culture status: From now on, the capitals will be selected from European Union members. Norway's gone it alone and created a northern non-EU outpost, which will mean its cities are outcast from cultural capital chances. Oops.

Related Stories:
· Stavanger 2008 [Official Site]
· Welcome to the Other Capital of Culture [BBC]
· Liverpool's Big Year of Culture [Jaunted]

[Photo: Lord Strobey]

Ski-Areas-Near-Airports / Skiing / Ski Travel / Ski Resorts / Winter Travel / Active Travel / OSL / → All Tags

Easy-to-Reach Skiing: Lillehammer, Norway

We really like skiing and boarding. But that doesn't mean we want to spend our whole vacation just getting to the mountain. Our Ski Areas Near Airports Map will help you maximize your time on the slopes.

Even though it spends months without much daylight, Lillehammer still manages to draw tourists to its slopes every year. Guess that's what happens when you've hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Located less than two hours from Oslo's airport, Lillehammer is the ideal spot for skiers who want slopes more challenging than you usually find in cross-country-loving Norway. Lillehammer's old Olympic complexes give you downhill and has other winter sports, too.

Hafjell Alpine Centre is the largest alpine ski network left from the town's Olympic days, with 30 trails and 15 lifts. Though smaller in size, Sjusjøen Skisenter is the town's newest resort, having opened up in December 2003. Be forewarned: While Hafjell attracts serious skiiers of all ages, Sjusjøen is family-friendly, and we know what that means: too many bunny slopes.

For hardcore cross country trails, start at Birkebeiner Skistadion, the starting point for the sports '94 Olympic races. Want to go all out? Set up a biathlon at Birkebeiner's year-round facility. Get a group together and shoot it out with teams, relay exchanges and even penalties. Just be sure to leave your own gun at home.

Related Links:
· Lillehammer Tourism [Official site]
· Ski Areas Near Airports Map [Jaunted]
· Skiing coverage [Jaunted]
· Norway coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Forcery]

Movie Set Travel / Active Travel / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass, the new fantasy flick based on Philip Pullman's novel, Northern Lights takes place in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean sandwiched between Norway and the North Pole. Not only did the film give Nicole Kidman a chance to utilize her over-Botoxed ice queen persona, but it gives the chain of islands, now in an almost constant state of twilight, its day in the sun.

For every outlandish, fictional inhabitant, Svalbard has a more realistic counterpart. While the real polar bears wear less bronze armor than the ones in the film, they still wander the tundra in search of warm meat, which is why it's mandatory to travel the wilderness with an armed guide.

About 3,000 bears--one of the densest populations of polars in the world--live near Svalbard, up from 1,000 in 1973, when hunting them was banned. Also on the agenda are outdoor activities, like dog sledding and hot air ballooning, that give the whole "lost in a frozen land of wonder and mystery" feel.

Related Stories:
· Northern Exposure In The Arctic [Telegraph]
· Svalbard Tourism Board [Official Site]
· Movie Set Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: stiangd]

Hiking / Active Travel / Scandinavia / → All Tags

Getting North... Far, Far North

And now the latest in unpronounceable travel: we introduce the most northerly point of mainland Europe, the Knivskjellodden peninsula in Norway. This spit of land is actually the true northernmost point of Europe, being just a fraction of a degree further north than the tourist hype of the North Cape.

That said, there's not actually much to see in Knivskjellodden. A small monument confirms the high latitude and there's a visitor's book where you can record your presence. Oh, and you'll have to make an 11 mile there-and-back hike to reach it--Knivskjellodden is so remote there isn't even bus service.

But it's worth to tell all your friends you stood on the most northerly point of Europe, right? Just hope they don't ask you to say its name.

Related Stories:
· Northernmost Exposure: Norway's Knivskjellodden [GoNomad]
· WTF is Svalbard Norway? [Jaunted]
· Norway Travel Stories [Jaunted]

[Photo: Xenocryst @ Antares Scorpii]

Arctic Travel / Islands / WTF-Map / → All Tags

WTF is Svalbard, Norway?

Welcome to Where To Find, our growing guide to those little-known places that never seem to show up on the travel radar--until now. We're not saying they're undiscovered, but you may need to look 'em up on our WTF Map.

MORE

more ›