Pilgrim route

St. Olavsleden, Gudbrandsdalsleden and St. Olav Waterway are well signposted. You also receive maps (as PDF) from Nordic Pilgrim, with the accommodations indicated. Sweden, Norway and Finland are very safe countries. Traveling along a pilgrim route, whether on foot or by bicycle, has however an adventurous character and therefore a certain risk. The two routes run through forests, over waterways, cross remote areas and mountains. It is therefore wise to keep a close eye on weather forecasts and let yourself be informed daily by the owners of the accommodations where you are staying, before you go out. Do not travel during extreme weather conditions, do not deviate too far from the route and take food and drinks with you for the day. In the event of emergencies or if things are unclear, you can always reach Nordic Pilgrim by telephone, by SMS, Telegram or WhatsApp.

Accommodations

The accommodations along St. Olavsleden, Gudbrandsdalsleden and the St. Olav Waterway are of different, varying standards. This is because in the sparsely populated areas that the routes run through, only a small number of accommodations are available. Sometimes you will stay in a B&B, other times in a cabin, a room in a house or in a hotel. At a couple of locations however there is a choice between different accommodations. These will be presented to you during the preparation of your trip.

Procedure

If you are interested in booking a trip along St. Olavsleden, Gudbrandsdalsleden or the St. Olav Waterway through Nordic Pilgrim, please contact us via info@nordicpilgrim.com or +31 06 12834782. Together we will set up a schedule and a travel program based on your wishes and the specified arrival and departure dates. You will then receive a quotation based on these wishes. The price of the quotation can differ from the target price. If you agree with the quotation, the trip will be booked and you will receive the invoice for the down payment – which is 20% of the total sum. It is however possible that some accommodations are already fully booked. We will then look for alternatives together. The price can be changed accordingly.

Sum

The total sum for a trip along St. Olavsleden, Gudbrandsdalsleden or the St. Olav Waterway is on request, because each traveler has specific wishes – with or without meals, with or without luggage transfer, resting days, et cetera. The travel sum mentioned in the quotation is per person and only includes the services and facilities as described in the quotation.

STO Garant Guarantee Scheme

In order to meet its statutory obligation to provide a guarantee, Nordic Pilgrim makes use of the guarantee scheme provided by STO Garant. You can check that this is the case by visiting STO Garant’s website and verifying that the organisation is listed as a participant (www.sto-garant.nl/en/members). You can find all information relating to STO Garant at www.sto-garant.nl/en.

Whether STO Garant’s guarantee applies to a particular (travel) offer made by Nordic Pilgrim is clearly stated for that offer. The Guarantee Scheme specifies what the guarantee covers and which conditions apply. You can find the Guarantee Scheme on STO Garant’s website (www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads).

If STO Garant’s guarantee applies to your booking, you do not pay the booking sum to Nordic Pilgrim but instead into the escrow account belonging to Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow, a payment services provider registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). This trust account holds your payment in reserve until the trip booked has come to an end. If services are not supplied (in full and/or on time) due to the financial insolvency of Nordic Pilgrim, STO Garant implements the guarantee. The Guarantee Scheme details how you can make a claim under the guarantee in such cases.

Change travel program

After agreement has been reached on the trip and the program has to be adjusted due to unforeseen circumstances, we will draft a new schedule in consultation with you. The travel sum can be adjusted accordingly. If the trip has changed to such an extent that you do not wish to continue, you have the right to cancel the journey free of charge. If you have other changes that cause additional costs, Nordic Pilgrim may charge these costs – after consultation with you. Changes can be: change in travel dates and/or destination, the number of travelers, wishes with regard to food and (luggage) transfer.

Cancellation

If you have a cancellation insurance and you have a valid reason to cancel your trip, you will receive the costs incurred from your insurance.

In the event of cancellation, each traveler owes the following amounts to Nordic Pilgrim.

• From 6 weeks to 4 weeks before departure: 20% of the travel sum;
• From 4 weeks to 2 weeks before departure: 50% of the travel sum;
• From 2 weeks to 1 week before departure: 75% of the travel sum;
• Cancellation from 1 week up to the day of departure or later: the full travel sum

You must report the cancellation as soon as possible by email: info@nordicpilgrim.com. In those cases where traveling can cause serious difficulties or danger for the traveler due to natural or man-made circumstances (forest fires, etc.), the cancellation costs mentioned above will be reduced to the amount of the down payment (20% of the total sum).

Liability

Nordic Pilgrim is liable for the proper execution of the services according to the agreement.
Nordic Pilgrim is not liable for damage that is the result of:

• Shortcomings in the execution of the travel agreement on the basis of circumstances attributable to the traveler, including damages that are the result of the health condition of the traveler;
• Actions by third parties such as accommodation and/or transport companies;
• Circumstances that are not attributed to Nordic Pilgrim;
• Force majeure situations such as: natural disasters, wars, political unrest, strikes, changes to transport schedules;
• Theft, loss, damage to property;
• The illness of the traveler.
• Obligations of the traveler

Typing errors

The information on our website is compiled and maintained with great care. Despite our care, you may find typographical errors. We accept no liability for such errors. All information on our websites is therefore subject to printing and typing errors.

Obligations of the traveler

You are obliged to provide Nordic Pilgrim with all useful information that may be of influence on the journey. If you provide incorrect information and this leads to additional costs for Nordic Pilgrim, those costs may be charged. You are required to inform us about relevant personal circumstances that may affect your trip (illness, disability, etc.) before booking. This obligation also applies to fellow travelers if you enter into an agreement on behalf of one or more fellow travelers.

It is advisable to take out travel insurance. In addition, it is wise to also take out cancellation insurance and to inquire with the health insurance company about the conditions for traveling abroad.