Travel Insurance For Vacations To Norway – Forbes Advisor

If you’re looking for an escape with captivating natural splendor, Viking history, rugged landscapes and breathtaking fjords, Norway will check all of the boxes on your travel wish list.

Although travel insurance isn’t mandatory to visit Norway, purchasing a robust travel insurance policy can protect you financially before and during your trip abroad.

Travel Insurance Recommendations for a Trip to Norway

Planning a trip to Norway may require advance reservations with non-refundable and pre-paid deposits. When you’re buying tickets for a long-haul flight, booking expensive tours and pre-arranging accommodations, a travel insurance plan protects your trip investment should unexpected issues arise.

A Forbes Advisor analysis of policies recently purchased for travel to Norway found an average insured trip value of $4,726 and an average travel insurance cost of $412, based on data from Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison website. That means travel insurance can be a prudent way to safeguard the hard-earned money you’ve put out for your adventure.

The best travel insurance plans include coverage for:

Trip Cancellation Insurance: No Norway for Now

Trip cancellation insurance can be a saving grace if you need to cancel your trip at the last minute for a reason listed in your policy. Acceptable reasons generally include:

• Serious injury, illness or death occurring to you or a travel companion
• Life-threatening injury or illness happening to a family member not traveling with you
• Your tour company going out of business
• A sudden job loss
• Unplanned jury duty
• Civil unrest
• Natural disaster at your destination, including blizzards that make the area inaccessible

“Norway isn’t exactly a budget destination,” says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson with World Nomads, a travel insurance company. “After you factor the flights to Europe, hotels and any tours to the fjords to see the Northern Lights, your trip expenses could accumulate.”

You wouldn’t want to lose your investment if you need to cancel the trip because of an emergency.

“Trip cancellation coverage could reimburse you for any deposits or other non-refundable pre-payments if you cancel for a reason covered under your plan,” says Cheng. “That way you can use that money towards another trip when you get the chance to rebook.”

Not all reasons will be covered by your policy if you decide to cancel. For instance, if you realize your grandson’s chorus concert date changed and you want to cancel your trip, you won’t be able to rely on your travel insurance policy to cover any losses.

“Cancel for any reason” travel insurance

If you want the greatest latitude to cancel your trip, consider adding “cancel for any reason” coverage to your standard travel insurance plan. This upgrade will give you the option to cancel for any reason, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your scheduled trip departure.

“Cancel for any reason” coverage will add an average of 50% to the cost of your travel insurance but generally allows you to recoup 75% of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses. Note that you usually must add this coverage to your base travel insurance plan within 14 days of making your first trip deposit.

Trip Delay Insurance: So Slow to Get to Oslo

When you travel internationally, there’s always a chance that your flight could be delayed due to weather or airline issues. Trip delay insurance can help if a connecting flight is delayed for several hours, or overnight.

If your itinerary is Denver to Chicago to Helsinki to Oslo, and your flight is canceled in Helsinki due to an ice storm, your trip delay insurance benefits can help defray some of your expenses. These may include a hotel stay, transportation and some personal care items if you get stuck in Helsinki for the night.

Be sure to keep track of your expenses and hold on to your receipts so you can present them when you file a claim.

Most travel insurers have a waiting period before your benefits kick in. This could be three, 6 or 12 hours. Be sure to read your policy carefully.

If your covered delay causes you to lose any pre-paid and non-refundable outlays of your trip, your trip delay benefits help here too. So if you pre-paid for a walking tour of Oslo that you will miss because of a delay, you can also file a claim for that financial loss.

Trip Interruption Travel Insurance: Bye-bye Bergen

It would be heartbreaking to get a call while you’re away to learn of an emergency back home, for example that a family member passed away. If unexpected events covered in your policy cause you to cut your trip short and return home, trip interruption insurance can ease the financial worries during what may be an emotional time.

Trip interruption benefits can cover expenses you incur by needing to head home ahead of schedule, such as:

• Transportation to the airport
• One-way last-minute economy ticket home
• Unused, non-refundable and pre-paid costs you lose by leaving Norway early

So if you had booked a non-refundable Northern Lights Tour from Tromsø for later in your trip, you could file a claim for reimbursement.

Not all reasons to cut your trip short will be covered. If you feel the weather is too cold and you aren’t enjoying your time in Norway, you can’t rely on your travel insurance benefits to cover the cost of returning home earlier than planned.

“Interruption for any reason” travel insurance

A few travel insurance companies offer an “interruption for any reason” upgrade that you can add to a standard travel insurance policy. With this coverage, you can end your trip early for any reason and typically be reimbursed up to 75% of your trip costs. You usually must be at least at least 48 hours into your trip for benefits to apply.

“Interruption for any reason” coverage generally adds 3% to 10% to the cost of your travel insurance plan. Typically you can only buy “interruption for any reason” upgrades within 15 to 20 days after booking your trip.

Related: Advantages to buying your travel insurance right after you book your trip

Travel Medical Insurance for Scandinavian Mountain Mishaps

When traveling internationally, a travel insurance plan with travel medical insurance is highly recommended. Outside of the U.S., your domestic health insurance most likely won’t be accepted. Check with your health insurance company before you travel abroad to see if it offers global health benefits. Senior travelers should know that Medicare isn’t accepted outside the U.S.

Unexpected injuries or illnesses can happen, so having a travel insurance plan with travel medical insurance can protect you financially if you are injured or fall ill while traveling.

For instance, if you are walking with your tour group in Oslo, trip and fall on a broken sidewalk and hurt your knee, you can seek medical attention and be compensated for care by your travel medical insurance coverage.

Travel medical insurance generally pays for doctor and hospital bills, medication, lab work, examinations, ambulance service and X-rays, up to your policy limits.

Cruise considerations for Norway Trips

In addition to land-based tours, Norway is world-renowned for its beautiful fjords and waterfalls. A popular way to witness these spectacular views is by taking a cruise.

Cruising in Norway has a number of unique travel insurance considerations, says Scott Adamski, a spokesperson with global insurance company AIG, which sells travel insurance.

“As with any cruise, medical issues may arise where having travel medical expense coverage may be beneficial if you need medical care or an emergency evacuation,” he says.

Adamski explains that many travel insurance plans can provide travel medical insurance for medical expenses should you become ill or injured while traveling on a cruise. Such covered expenses may include:

• Treatment by the ship’s doctor while aboard the cruise ship
• Treatment at a medical facility while at a port of call

Related: Best cruise insurance plans

Emergency Medical Evacuation During a Norway Trip

Another common benefit in travel insurance plans is an emergency medical evacuation coverage.

According to Cheng with World Nomads, the Land of the Midnight Sun is known for its phenomenal natural landscapes, from mountains to glaciers. “This makes Norway a great place for adventure activities, including hiking, skiing, fishing and snowmobiling,” she says.

“The emergency medical coverage could help cover the costs of a doctor’s visit or a hospital if, say, you fracture your wrist or get into a snowmobile accident,” Cheng points out. “And because there are some remote areas of Norway, where a healthcare facility may be difficult to access, emergency evacuation is another important coverage for travelers to Norway.”

Covered expenses under this benefit may include:

• Air ambulance or medevac to the nearest adequate medical facility
• Cost of transportation back home for more treatment
• Coverage for a companion to accompany you on your flight home

“These kinds of expenses can be very costly, so making sure that you have a travel insurance product in place can be very important,” says Adamski with AIG.

Baggage Insurance for Norway Getaways

If your checked luggage ends up misdirected, lost or stolen, your baggage insurance can provide coverage. Be sure to get a report from the airline outlining the incident. You will be asked to submit this documentation when filing a claim with your travel insurance carrier.

Keep in mind that baggage delay benefits kick in after a specified waiting period that will be outlined in your travel insurance policy, for example six or 12 hours.

A travel insurance plan with baggage coverage also covers theft or loss of your possessions while you’re traveling in Norway.

If you’ve taken the funicular railway in Bergen and your camera gets stolen while you’re admiring the view from Mount Fløyen, you can file a claim. Or, if your winter jacket gets stolen from the ski lodge while you’re having coffee, you can recover this loss too.

Be sure to file a report with the hotel manager, tour operator, venue manager or local police. You will be asked for this documentation when filing a claim.

It’s especially important to read your policy carefully when packing because there will be limitations and exclusions to your baggage coverage. Reimbursement for losses could be as low as $100 per item and stolen cash won’t be reimbursed.

Also bear in mind that you will be compensated for the depreciated value of your items, not the amount it would cost to replace them with new ones.

Baggage insurance can also be secondary on some travel insurance plans, which means you first have to file a claim with your airline or homeowners insurance or renters insurance. The best advice is to leave valuable, irreplaceable or sentimental belongings at home.

Travel Insurance Add-Ons

Medical upgrade

If you have concerns about potential medical needs while traveling, there are sometimes upgrades available, such as the Medical Bundle offered with AIG’s Travel Guard. These premium add-ons can be added to some standard policies to increase the travel medical expense and emergency evacuation limits.

Adventure sports upgrade

If you’re choosing to participate in any of Norway’s adventure offerings—from ice climbing to zip-lining to paragliding—you’ll want to be sure your travel insurance plan covers sports and activities.

Many travel insurance plans exclude mountain-based activities from coverage, as well as other adventure sports, so look for companies that specialize in thrill-seeking fun or those that offer add-ons for adrenaline junkies.

World Nomads Standard and Explorer travel insurance plans cover about 200 adventure and sporting activities, and AIG offers an optional Adventure Sports bundle that can be added to a standard policy.

By purchasing an Adventure Sports bundle, Adamski says you’ll gain coverage for losses incurred while participating in certain adventure and extreme sports, such as mountain climbing, that might otherwise be excluded from your policy.

Severe Weather Considerations: Tromsø Under Snow

Due to its northern latitude, Norway can experience some extreme winter weather.

“For those traveling for a ski trip or a pilgrimage to see the Northern Lights, the winter months can also bring significant travel disruptions. Blizzards and ice storms have been known to impact travel for days or even weeks,” says Adamski.

If you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy—with adequate trip delay, trip interruption and trip cancellation coverage—the blow of not being able to make it to your destination because of weather can be softened by not losing the cost of your covered airfare and lodging, he says.

AIG has further addressed the possibility of bad weather derailing your trip by including an “Extension of Coverage” in its three base plans.

“With our Extension of Coverage, should the airline move your travel dates to avoid the bad weather, your policy can automatically adjust to begin up to three days earlier,” says Adamski, “All coverages, except trip cancellation, would commence with this extension, allowing travelers to retain coverage for their Norway trip.”

When buying a travel insurance plan, be sure to look at the extension of coverage options.