13 tips to help you save money in Norway

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How to manage the price of gasoline and buy groceries so that the store still owes you.

Surely many people often think about vacation: sea, beach, all inclusive, 5 stars, comfortable room with a sea view. But why should tourism be limited to these stereotypes? And why not go to a more exotic and interesting country, where not many have been?

Today I will tell you about Norway. Fascinating landscapes, untouched nature … You will not find such a landscape anywhere in the world, and you definitely need to see it live. Of course, the standard of living and wages is radically different from the Russian, but there are several ways to save money while traveling through the country of fjords.

1. Do not overpay for tickets

At the moment, there are several aggregator sites that collect a huge number of offers from different airlines in one place, and you just have to choose a convenient flight. But there is a life hack that will save you money. If you are under 26, you are entitled to a very good discount at the Norwegian low-cost airline norwegian. When buying tickets, a line for a promo code will appear at the bottom. Drive boldly UNDER26, and you will be pleasantly surprised.

It's no secret that the cheapest flight is from Europe. Look at the routes from Finland or from Poland: if you are a hardcore traveler, then taking BlaBlaCar to Gdansk and flying from there to Alesund will now cost a penny (under $ 50 in both directions).

2. Rent a car wisely

The best travel in Norway will be by car: unlimited traffic, freedom of choice and relatively low costs. It is better to book cars in advance. And at the rental service, it is best to take the cheapest cars: they will still give what is available at the moment and do not require additional payment. Checked on myself.

In addition, the site will promote insurance and franchise. I advise you to score and book without insurance, but on the spot already take the full package, which should include all possible damage. Driving culture is at its best here, but natural accidents do take place. For example, a deer may well run out onto the road, which you will not notice.

By the way, in addition to car rental companies, there is also a private website where ordinary citizens list their cars for very good prices. However, without a Norwegian bank account, it will be impossible to rent a car from this site.

But in general, Norwegians are not very worried about their property, and if you're lucky, you can find a kind person on Facebook who can provide you with a car for a small fee (many families usually have 2-3 cars).

3. Forget about hotels

Housing is a really tough question. The average price per night even in a hostel will go under 30 euros. Hotels will cost 100 euros. Therefore, we are cunning again. There are the following options:

• It would not be superfluous to bring a tent and sleeping bags with you. Especially if you are traveling by car: all these things will easily fit into the car and will not cause discomfort. And it's really nice to sleep in the fresh local air.
• Sometimes, of course, you can live like civilized people, and here the international practice of Couchsurfing comes to the rescue. Here you can find housing for yourself completely free of charge or in exchange for some trifle. For example, it might be helping with cleaning. At the same time, it will be possible to communicate and find common interests with a stranger. In general, for uncomplexed people, this is just paradise.

4. Keep track of gasoline prices

If you decide to go by car, then do not forget that sometimes you need to refuel. By the way, if you are more fortunate, then you have a chance to get a full-fledged electric car - then the fuel costs will be minimal.

But if you have gasoline or diesel, then get ready to spend. On average, the price of gasoline is about 1.5 euros. But there is a very interesting pricing characteristic: prices are maximally tied to demand.

How it works? If you have studied microeconomics, then you know that you can form a price based on supply and demand, that is, deduce a cost that will satisfy both the consumer and the supplier. So, in Norway in one day the price can jump around 20 rubles per liter!

But you can guess when it is more profitable to refuel - sometimes the difference is really significant. For example, on the night from Sunday to Monday, demand is extremely low - the price, accordingly, will be less than on Monday after 16:00. Therefore, everything is very simple: you see the price of 14-15 kroons per liter - feel free to fill the tank.

5. Use hitchhiking and trains

What if you don't have a driver's license? And in such a situation, it is possible to enjoy the country inexpensively. Who canceled hitchhiking at all? True, I have never yet witnessed it in Norway. But this does not mean that it does not exist. A friend of mine once drove 200 kilometers from Oslo without any problems. Safety and trust are at their best here, so even single girls have no reason to be afraid.

If hitchhiking is completely alien to you, then there is an excellent alternative - these are intercity trains (in Oslo, by the way, there is absolutely nothing to do, even for show).

You can buy tickets on the official website. Everything is like with Russian Railways: the earlier you buy a ticket, the cheaper it comes out. Student discounts also work here. Moreover, the conductors do not even ask to show the student ID.

But you won't be able to save money on public transport. He's really expensive. However, those same students can get themselves a 50% discount on long-haul flights.

6. Shop for cheap groceries in budget stores

We all know what products of dubious quality are ("Red Price", "Every Day" and the like). So here, too, there are such rulers. But fortunately, they are not much inferior in quality to the usual ones! That is, the products of the First price and Eldorado brands can be taken with confidence: they are no worse than their analogues and come out much cheaper! The most budgetary chain of stores is Kiwi, but Bunnpris and Spar / Eurospar have the most various promotions.

At the same time, in order not to go broke, I advise you to buy products with a markdown and eat them immediately on the day of purchase. You can find them in every grocery store, you just need to do a good search.

Usually meat products are quite expensive, so it is better to buy fish. The most affordable is canned tuna. A very nutritious and affordable product. And I advise you to take care of the meat in advance: it would be a pretty good idea to take a stew in your luggage.

7. Stock up on clothes

When traveling across the country, even in summer, be prepared for weather incidents. To make it easier to understand, the weather in Norway is like in St. Petersburg: sometimes it happens that in 20 minutes it can rain, the wind picks up, the sun comes out and fog forms. Therefore, it is better to take waterproof things with you, as well as warm boots. And, of course, a cloak.

Beyond that, be prepared for nature walks. There is absolutely nowhere to use shoes and dresses, so it is better to take comfortable things so as not to dream about comfort later. Of course, all this can be bought on the spot, but good discounts are only available in the off-season. And at this time there is no point in coming: there is too much chance of getting into bad weather.

8. Hand over bottles

All residents of the country - from young to old - know what waste recycling, its separation and even the delivery of bottles is! Absolutely any store has a device for receiving them. And he is very popular. Literally the whole country puts bottles in bags and brings them once a week or a month for change.

Where does this motivation come from? And everything is simple: not only is a cash payment due for this, so also be so kind as to pay extra for food in an aluminum can or a plastic bottle.

If on the bottle you notice the word Pant and the number next to it, then it means that it can be returned. You just need to lower the container into the machine, and for this he will issue a check with a barcode, which must be given at the checkout.

At the same time, sometimes it turned out that I bought groceries, and I was also paid extra due to the fact that the amount of bottles handed over was more than the cost of the groceries. Therefore, do not hesitate to return bottles in stores! There is nothing shameful in this, and no one will look askance at you.

9. Go fishing

Fishing in Norway is a separate type of tourism. It is not prohibited by law - no one will approach you if you fish with a line. And, as you already understood, fishing will bring not only pleasure from the process, but also the catch itself. It will be a kind of extreme vacation, like “Survive at any cost”.

Grilling your caught fish on a disposable grill is a pretty interesting experience. As a result, you will not only have enough of your fill, but also spend time alone with nature and feel like a real Viking.

10. Don't overpay for the ferry

The entire coast of Norway is riddled with various fjords, some even cut up to 400 km inland. Of course, road transport can suffer from this. Where it would be possible to drive directly in 5 minutes, you have to spend 1, 5 hours! The Norwegian government has built many bridges and underwater tunnels, but there is also a cheaper way - using a ferry.

In Sweden, for example, ferries are free. “It makes no sense for rich Norwegians to organize free ferries,” thought the government and made them all paid. The price of such a vehicle directly depends on the distance that it must travel through the water. On average, the price for a driver and a car will be around 13 euros. For each passenger, you will have to pay an additional 5–6 euros.

To save money, my acquaintances and I were cunning: we simply hid in the car from the inspector. Thus, you can save a considerable amount at a time. But the main thing is not to get caught. Although in reality, the inspectors will not look closely at how many people are sitting in the car, so this technique is quite safe to use.

11. Try not to break the rules

Before traveling to a country, make sure you know how to behave. This is especially true of public order.

• If you make noise after 23:00, be prepared for the fact that the police may come to you. And it will most likely fail to come to an agreement on the spot. And anyone can complain without warning.
• You can pay about 100 euros for a stowaway ride in transport.
• The most "tasty" morsel is car fines. Do not exceed the speed limit under any circumstances! Cameras can be found everywhere, but there are always warning signs in front of them. In addition to conventional cameras, there are those that measure the average speed. That is, two devices stand at a distance, for example, a kilometer, and measure the time during which it was overcome. Well, then - simple mathematics and the conclusion of the average speed with penalties. The play is only 5 km / h, so I do not recommend playing with this. Once I exceeded the speed limit by only 2 km / h due to inattention and received a 200 euro fine. In this case, the lower the speed indicated on the sign, the greater the penalty will come. And it also increases if you exceed the speed by more than 10/20/40 km / h.
• Never light a fire in the forest! Use only disposable safety grills where permitted (these are available in every grocery store). Otherwise, you can pay very much for the fire. According to the law, all costs of extinguishing a fire (even if there was no fire, but there was only a call) fall on the perpetrators.

12. Plan your alcohol and nicotine preferences in advance

If you like to sit with a glass of alcoholic drink in the evenings, then I strongly advise you to buy all this in Duty Free: 1 liter of strong alcohol per person + 2 liters of weak alcohol. With tobacco, it's also not so simple: 1 block per person.

Be vigilant: Customs may check you for alcohol and limit compliance. I constantly managed to carry 2 liters of strong - this is always a risk, but if you do not get too impudent, then it is quite possible to smuggle it. However, once at a time is not necessary, be careful.

If you want to buy something stronger than 4, 75 degrees, you can only do it in special Vinmonopolet stores. True, alcohol prices are approximately 3-4 times higher than in Russia. I also recommend taking cigarettes with you, because the price for a pack starts from 1,000 rubles.

13. Don't buy water

Water is Norway's national treasure on par with oil, gas and fish. 97% of all electricity is produced by hydropower plants. In addition to salvation in terms of energy, the water here has almost magical properties, and you can drink it from any stream.

It is really very clean and doesn't need any processing. Drinking water flows from 90% of the taps. You can take a cup or bottle and fill it anywhere. If you cannot drink it, then there will be a corresponding icon in front of the sink. This way you can save on thirst very well.

I hope that your stay in Norway will give you maximum pleasure and drive. Discover unforgettable views, extreme climbs and indescribable beauty. Now you will not be afraid to go to a country where the average salary is 4,000 euros. And you can save a lot. Velkommen til Norge!