Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas in the land of the midnight sun

Thanks to Joanna Lumley’s wonderful documentary about her trip to Norway – and her frantic search for the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) – Norway has become a popular destination for British tourists all year round. For people searching for beautiful fjords, midnight sun, Northern Lights or rugged mountains, Norway has a lot to offer. But it’s not a cheap country, so make sure you take enough money, and some spare for emergencies.

Sitting on the northern tip of the continent, Norway has some of the longest and darkest winters in Europe. Pre-Christmas is a special time in Norway, as the shorter days make for a very cosy time of year. Smoke can frequently be seen from the many chimneys around the country, and candles light up homes during the cold months of December and January.

Earlier in the year, in the forest of Østmarka just outside Oslo, a 21 metre high Norwegian tree, roughly 118 years old, was carefully selected as the 2012 gift to the British people. The Mayor of Oslo and the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Westminster made the initial ceremonial cut before forestry workers completed the felling the tree, which is now on display in Trafalgar Square.

This is the 66^th tree to be given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-1945.

With winter in Norway comes extreme sport. Skiing off-piste is always popular with British tourists and the extreme cold always takes some by surprise. Norwegians tend to dress for the weather in warm, thermal clothes; tourists not always so much. Avalanches are not uncommon and sadly the mountains take several lives each year, sometimes tourists.

We will have about 12 British prisoners sitting in detention in Norway during the festive season this year. Although the prisons are far from the worst in the world, it is still a depressing time to be locked up away from family and friends.

Arctic cruises are growing in popularity every year. Recent statistics show that 170,000 British passengers travelled on cruise ships in Norwegian waters last year, and that figure is increasing every year. Last year we helped about 35 people who were taken ill or had family members who died while on a cruise.

We had a very sad case recently where a passenger was taken off a cruise ship and hospitalised for a few days. They had comprehensive travel insurance and an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), but questions were asked by the insurers as they had suffered from the same condition before and not mentioned it when they took out their insurance. The total estimated cost for an assisted return to the UK and ongoing medical treatment was about £10, 000.

It was a very upsetting time for the couple, but fortunately in this case there was a happy ending – the insurance company agreed to cover most of the repatriation costs.

But one couple’s lucky escape doesn’t mean most people get away with it. Anyone planning an Arctic cruise this winter should make sure they have an EHIC and comprehensive travel insurance, including full health cover. It’s amazing how many people don’t declare pre-existing medical conditions or read the small print, and later end up paying out a huge sum in repatriation costs.

Be well prepared and you’ll have an amazing trip!

The British Consular team in Oslo wish you all a happy, festive and problem-free Christmas.