V.O.S – Vision of Scandinavia

Dear Olivia and Grace, I’m truly sorry to hear about your frustrations with the trip, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify a few points. As we discussed, the booking on Tour Radar clearly listed the room booked as a double. If a twin room was preferred, it should have been requested via the platform’s chat function prior to departure, and we would have gladly arranged it for you. The first mention of a twin room came on Day 1 of the tour to our Tour Leader who did his best by immediately contacting all the hotels to accommodate for your last minute request. Unfortunately, given the timing, we couldn’t guarantee a change. I also made further attempts to help when I was notified on the final day, but I do apologise that the hotel was not more flexible in making this change. Regarding the itinerary, this tour is designed as a fast-paced journey through the Norwegian Arctic, with daily travel from Tromsø to Harstad. We included stops for activities like the Polar Park and Sami farm to break up the journey whilst offering a glimpse into local life. As the weather in this region is unpredictable sometimes delays can be inevitable but of course I understand this was frustrating. Dinner was never part of the program, but we were lucky enough to provide a dinner on Day 3 as a bonus for your group. As for the cancellation of activities like the Tromsø walking tour and snowmobile ride, these were canceled due to extreme weather conditions deemed ‘dangerous’ by local authorities to ensure everyone’s safety. We provide travel documents to simply outline the itinerary, but will take your advice and ensure more detailed information is included for future tours. As for hotel accommodations, Scandic Hotels is one of Scandinavia’s leading providers, but we will certainly note your concerns regarding the quality. Lastly, when booking through Tour Radar, it’s important to communicate any questions or requests beforehand, as the platform allows for direct communication between clients and operators. Unfortunately, no requests or questions were asked at the time of your booking nor when the travel documents were provided. Had I known of any of your issues earlier, I would have been happy to address them before departure to ensure a better experience. Ultimately, I wanted for you to have a positive time on your tour. Overall, I wish you had a better experience in Arctic Norway. I do appreciate you voicing all these concerns and I will take all your feedback into account for future tours. Best Regards, Kitty V.O.S

Dear Evelyne and Philippe, Thank you for sharing your feedback. I’m sorry to hear that your experience didn’t go as planned, and I’d like to take a moment to address some of the points you raised. Firstly I apologise for the miscommunication in the first briefing but I was happy to hear that the problem was resolved quickly Regarding the itinerary, the tour is designed to be fast-paced, covering long distances from Tromsø to Harstad in a short period of time. Unfortunately, your group was unlucky to face extreme weather conditions during your time in the Arctic, which slowed our travel times as we needed to drive safely. Furthermore, finally causing the large delay on Day 4 after returning to Harstad from the Lofoten Islands. Dinner was never included in the program, the dinner provided to you on Day 3 was a bonus for your group. Finally, the last day in Tromsø was scheduled for a tour with your tour leader which was cancelled due to ‘dangerous’ weather. The rest of the day was always intend for clients to participate in optional activities or enjoy the city at their own leisure. I’m sorry to hear your experience in Arctic Norway wasn’t as expected, I will make note of all you feedback in order to improve future operations of this tour. Best Regards, Kitty V.O.S

Dear Mrs Gharakhanian, thank you for your positive feedback! We are glad to see responses like yours! We hope to see you again on one of our tours, in the future. Kind Regards, Panagiotis Bakatselos VOS - Vision of Scandinavia Team