Our trip will follow a horseshoe route from eastern to southern to western Norway, with stops in Oslo, Grimstad, and Bergen. As tourists, guided by experienced guides, we'll visit the king's castle and the Norwegian Folk Museum, view an original and intact Viking ship, celebrate the Summer Solstice, see countless waterfalls, and walk in the beautiful Norwegian nature and row boats in Hardangerfjord.
As professionals in aging, we have an inspiring and engaging agenda of site visits, symposia, and meetings with leading professionals in aging in Norway. We'll visit a dementia village, a development center for nursing homes and home care, a day program for people with dementia known as Voksenskolen, and other innovative sites and centers delivering care and social services to older adults. In addition, there will be organized symposia and meetings with interdisciplinary experts, practitioners, and academics from national and local government agencies, research centers, and universities. The guiding objectives for the agenda are to:
- Stimulate international collaboration between the U.S. and Norway that can lead to future grant proposals, research projects, and publications
- Gain a mutual understanding of the similarities and differences between aging in the U.S. and Norway
- Experience and learn from Norway's unique health and social care systems serving older adults
Enrollment is limited to fourteen travelers. Interested parties should make contact as soon as possible!
*All prices per person. Airfare is not included. The itinerary is subject to change.
Draft Itinerary:
Monday, June 19: Oslo
Breakfast Welcome Program
Early walk about, getting to know the city
Visit/meetings at the University of Oslo
Dinner in a traditional Norwegian Restaurant
Tuesday, June 20: Oslo
Tentative visit to dementia village with Oslo's Nursing Home Agency
Meetings with the Norwegian Public Health Institute
Tour one of Oslo's museums
Dinner at one of Oslo's international restaurants
Wednesday, June 21: Oslo
Tentative visit to NOVA research group and aging and health research group
Visit Oslo’s sculpture park, Vigelandsparken
Dinner in Oslo
Visit one of Oslo's Jazz clubs
Thursday, June 22: Oslo to Grimstad
Board bus to Grimstad 3.5 hours
Boat ride and an easy hike on an outlying island in Arendal
Dinner in Arendal before driving to Grimstad (approx. 25 mins)
Friday, June 23: Grimstad
Visit the University of Agder's campus for symposia/meetings with health, nursing, and gerontology faculty
Visit the Center for Care Research, south, and simulation labs in the i4Health building at UiA
Dinner at a restaurant in Grimstad with UiA faculty
Celebrate Summer Solstice in Grimstad! (celebrated on the 23rd in Norway)
Saturday, June 24: Grimstad
Visit a dementia village with UiA faculty and municipal research partners
Visit an adult school for people with dementia (Voksenskolen)
Walkabout Grimstad's city center
Dinner in Grimstad
Sunday, June 25: Grimstad to Lofthus
Early start for a long day's drive through central Norway
Stop for lunch and a stretch in Haukeliseter, spectacular views, good food
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Ullensvang, Lofthus
Monday, June 26: Ullensvang, Løfthus (known as the Orchard of Hardanger)
Enjoy Hotel Ullensvang - Heated indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, jacuzzi,
Rowing boats in the fjord
Hiking, picking apples, and other outdoor activities in Lofthus
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Ullensvang, Lofthus
Tuesday, June 27: Løfthus to Bergen
Stop in a small town on the way to Bergen to visit municipal health and care services centers
Walkabout Bergen city center
Dinner near Bryggen, Bergen's historic harbor
Wednesday, June 28: Bergen
Meeting and symposium with faculty at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Center for Care Research, west
Site visit of Alrek Health Cluster
Dinner in Bergen
Thursday, June 29: Bergen
Site visit to an older adult program
Walking tour of Bergen
Edvard Grieg Museum
Dinner with special guests
Friday, June 30: Bergen
Farewell Breakfast.
*This route is in development. Stops and sites are subject to change.
Trip Information
What is included?
- Eleven hotel nights, Check-in Monday, June 19 to Check-out Friday, June 30.
- All meals begin with breakfast on Monday, June 19, through Friday, June 30.
- Taxis if necessary.
- Bus travel to our destination cities and to tour sites (which can include trailheads or the beach)
- Organizer and accompanying trip leader
- Museum, event, and tour fees.
- Professional guides on occasions, which will be specified in the final itinerary
What is not included?
- Airfare to and from Norway.
- Transfers to and from the airport. It will be challenging to have a single bus pick-up for everyone if arrival times are very different. However, if you send us your arrival information, we will try to meet you at the airport.
- Alcohol.
Regarding travel to and from Norway, we suggest you arrive on Sunday, June 18, or the morning of Saturday, June 19. Many overnight flights from the U.S. leave mid/late evening and arrive the following day. Plan to depart in the afternoon (unless you plan an "after-trip") on Friday, June 30. Common airlines flying to Norway are Norwegian Air, Norse, KLM, SAS, and….. If you need help planning your flights, let us know, and perhaps we can help you choose a flight schedule or airline.
About the hotels, these will be clean hotels with excellent accessibility to the places we are visiting, city centers, or close to our major tour sites.
Transportation. We will travel either in a tour coach, usually a 20 seater. The bus will comfortably fit our group. We will do our best to find and confirm a coach that has wi-fi. In cities, we may use taxis and public transportation.
Phone Service. Your cell phone provider in the U.S. may be able to provide you with an affordable package for calling, and receiving, calls from the U.S.
Cancellations & Deposits
- The total cost of your reservation is due 45 days before the trip (Friday, May 5, 2023).
- 45 days before the trip (Friday, May 5, 2023) or more: 90% of the total cost of the trip will be refunded.
- Between 44 and 30 days before (Saturday, May 6, 2023, to Saturday, May 20, 2023): 50% of the total cost of the trip will be refunded.
- 29 days before the trip (Sunday, May 21, 2023) or less: the entirety of your payment is non-refundable.