Magnetic North Travel Reviews 

Well planned by Annie and the app helped

Annie did a super job of listening to what makes me tick. She designed a wonderful trip through the Faroe Islands. The 3 places I lodged were each incredibly different but equally great places to be. And the Heimablindi she arranged for me with Barbara on Nolsoy was the highlight of the trip. Barbara's knowledge and hospitality were unparalleled. I have many treasured memories stored away.

The team put together a trip that was just what we wanted. They adapted quickly to our requests and provided great support whilst we were away. One of our activities was cancelled due to bad weather and the team at Magnetic North informed us in good time and refunded the money swiftly. The APP was really easy to use and provided lots of useful information.

Annie from Magnetic North was a pleasure to work with. From the very start, she was friendly, responsive, and had lots of great suggestions for places to see and things to do in Norway. The trip that was planned for us combined the ideal mix of activities that was perfect for our family of four. We were also very happy with the lodgings that Annie found for us, from city hotels in Oslo and Bergen, to some very interesting places in Lofoten Island and the Fjords. During the trip, Annie was also super responsive through the WhatsApp chat group that was set up for us and she was very prompt in answering some last minute questions that we had as we were traveling.

The scenery in Norway is incredible and the different activities allowed us enjoy and appreciate it in a variety of ways. Some of the most memorable included kayaking in the Lofoten Islands, the sea eagle safari in a RIB, doing a sunset hike, and a e-bike tour of the fjords.

Overall a very fun and memorable trip, thanks to Annie!!

This trip could not have been better planned. I had a great time cycling Finland’s Archipelago.

We especially appreciated Laura's assistance during our week long trip to Iceland to quickly come up with Plan B when weather/other cancellations occurred during our trip. She was super responsive to each and every question before and during the trip! The app was also well presented and informative! Thanks for helping us make memories in Icelan!

First, I would certainly work with MNT again as Annie coordinated a great itinerary for our first trip to Scandinavian countries. Her choices of hotels, trains and ferry were spot on. She is extremely responsive and wonderful to communicate with. We were super impressed with MN travel app where every detail of the trip was captured and well organized. It acted like a mini-Google for our trip specific queries. Spending a few days in Aurland, Norway Fjords was indeed the highlight of our trip, and it was magical. We rely on travel specialists such as MNT to be quite discriminating when offering the services of 3rd party service providers as they represent MNT. A suggestion going forward is for MNT to routinely conduct a due diligence check on their service providers to ensure that they continue to provide a thoughtful and immersive experience. This point was communicated to MNT and they took this seriously and constructively.

We have just spent 12 Days in Sweden with our 2 children aged 10 & 12, all organised by Annie. It was our first time in the region. The whole trip was fantastic. The communication with Annie was great and the Magnetic North App is really useful and easy to use. The travel options and hotels chosen for us were excellent. Having someone who knows the country make the decisions for you really takes the pressure off worrying have you chosen the right thing to do. We will definitely visit Scandinavia again and with Magnetic North. Thank you

From first contact to beyond our arrival back in the UK, Magnetic North Travel (MNT) have been fantastic.

Annie, our Norway local, put together a great itinerary based on our wishes and budget. She then booked all our accomodation, car hire etc, taking all the stress out of arranging everything ourselves, and we had a fabulous 10 days exploring the North Norway coastline.

We all enjoyed the app and checking out the hints and tips. (An idea for future development would be to have a notes section and maybe a common words Norwegian to English dictionary. Although Google helped with both of those things, we had a slight problem with buying milk for our cuppa because there was no signal!)

The MNT team were very responsive whenever we messaged them and I would commend them for their response when there was a hiccup with ferry times. They were straight on it, even though it was a Sunday. We felt very looked after.

We will definitely be back to visit Norway again - I think we all left a little piece of our heart on Lovund - and won't hesitate to go with MNT again.

Thank you for a fabulous holiday!

Well thought out and imaginative itinerary. There were no glitches. Laura was great to work with and provided guidance where needed. She was just a text away when we needed help.

On behalf of our group of four travellers, I would like to thank Magnetic North for advising on and arranging a fantastic trip and itinerary for us to experience the wonders of Svalbard (8–17 July 2024). In particular, we want to thank Annie our travel consultant for whom no question or request was too much trouble or too silly! Her local knowledge of Svalbard and Norway in general was invaluable and this is exactly what we wanted when booking our holiday.
The highlight of our trip was undoubtedly the excursions and stays offered by Basecamp Explorer. The two-night stay at Nordenskiöld Lodge which included hiking on the glacier is a must for any visitor to the remote north. A further two nights at the Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel with local hikes and an open RIB boat ride is also highly recommended. We are however biased because we had the rare opportunity of spotting a female bear and her two cubs from the safety and comfort of the station’s dining room!
The knowledge and professionalism of the local guides is also something we would like to commend. Every one of our guides and hosts was hospitable, friendly, welcoming and skilled at what they do.
Our feedback on what could be even better largely relates to the smaller details that would make this trip ‘perfect’ for future travellers to this remote part of the world.
1. Provide examples of dietary requirement information that would be helpful for tour operators e.g. one site offered an alcoholic welcome beverage with no alternative except for one guest who had specified this in advance. It was unexpected to be offered something alcoholic for free but knowing this in advance may have altered the dietary requirement information provided beforehand.
2. A bit more detail in advance about the level of difficulty/effort required for some of the activities. Unfortunately, one of our group sustained a back injury just before our trip but did not want to cancel. It was therefore a bit difficult to establish which of the activities would be suitable for them without prior information.
3. For the tour operators to be more specific about the equipment/clothing they provide for each activity to help guests establish what to pack/what not to pack. For example, some open RIB boat operators we saw don’t provide waterproof boots/wellies while others do. Equally, some kayak operators provide drybags while others do not. In particular, it was difficult to establish appropriate footwear for the glacier hike despite our, and Annie’s, efforts to find out. Some basic guidance about the best type of boots (e.g. B2 mountaineering boots) and style of crampons they use in advance would have been useful especially as boot rental is not available in Longyearbyen.
4. Perhaps noting in the Magnetic North app summer kit list or elsewhere that there are no ATMs in Longyearbyen with some information about ATMs at Oslo airport (which charge a withdrawal fee and only dispense NOK500 notes).
5. To specify that guests are expected to wait outside the hotel or location where they are going to be collected or state explicitly that the guide will not enter the hotel at pick up.
6. Flights between Longyearbyen and Oslo via Tromsø previously required passengers to disembark the aircraft, collect their checked in baggage and re-check in for onward travel because Svalbard is not within Schengen and has different customs/immigration requirements. While we were on our trip, the rules apparently changed without either us or the SAS flight crew knowing! This caused some panic because a group of us were waiting for baggage that was never going to appear on the carousel at Tromsø airport. The flight from Longyearbyen had already departed late so this added confusion created additional delay with our onward flight to Oslo. Thankfully, we made our connection at Oslo and ended up arriving early at Heathrow. It would however have been nice to have avoided the stressful transit in Tromsø!

Laura of Magnetic North arranged an excellent 5-day tour for us in Iceland. Gunnar, our driver/guide, was terrific and took us to locations that I’m sure the more typical tours don’t take their clients to. The properties where we stayed were quite nice and in excellent locations. The app that Laura provided us for our devices was extremely useful. I wouldn’t hesitate to call upon Laura and Magnetic North to arrange future trips.

Very responsive. Found incredible lodging and resturants. Highly recommend using them

We enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Lofoten Islands and Tromso in North Norway. It was beautifully planned by Magnetic North to meet our particular interests and based on their close knowledge and experience of Scandinavia. Every important detail was captured on the MN Travel App. All went smoothly. If there had been any difficulties, we were confident that MN would be on hand to resolve these. We were left with lovely memories of stunning landscapes, friendly people, and great cooking (nothing to beat fresh cod!). We look forward to arranging our next trip with Magnetic North very soon, with the anticipation of another great experience!

Suggestions for activities, restaurants and accommodation from Sophie were very good. Support and responsiveness to queries was fantastic from the start of planning till the end of our trip.

Just come back from our adventure. Annie and the team were fantastic, the communication was brilliant as was the travel app very easy to use. Choice of hotels and activities were high quality. Would highly recommended and will definitely use again.
Thank you

Magnetic North arranged the most fabulous holiday for us. It was completely perfect - dog sledding, nordic skiing, tobogganing, fantastic food and lovely hotels. Laura did a great job scheduling for six adults and we couldn't recommend her more highly.I highly recommend booking your holiday with Magnetic North.

An amazing holiday, Laura has been superb throughout the process, excellent communication and guidance.
the Arctic lodges exceeded all expectations. ice hotel well a bucket list item ticked.

I recently had the pleasure of embarking on a bespoke incentive trip organized by Magnetic North Travel, and I can confidently say it was an incredible experience. From start to finish, every detail was meticulously planned, and the result was nothing short of magical.

Personalized Planning: Laura, our travel coordinator, took the time to understand our travel style and specific wishes. She crafted an itinerary that perfectly aligned with our preferences. Whether it was dog sledding, snowmobiling, or immersing ourselves in the culture, every activity was thoughtfully chosen.
Seamless Execution: Everything ran like clockwork. From airport transfers to accommodations, Magnetic North Travel ensured that we had a smooth and stress-free journey.
Exhilarating Snowmobiling: Our snowmobiling adventure in Finland was exhilarating. The pristine landscapes, the rush of the snowmobile, and the camaraderie with fellow travelers created an unforgettable experience.
In summary, Magnetic North Travel exceeded our expectations. Their attention to detail, warm hospitality, and commitment to creating unique travel experiences set them apart. I’m already dreaming of our next adventure with them!

Date of Experience: March, 2024

Thank you, Magnetic North Travel, for making this trip truly remarkable. Until our next adventure!

I was able to finalise a booking to Arctic Finland within 48 hours, made possible only because of prompt, attentive and helpful responses and advice from knowledgeable and friendly staff at Magnetic North Travel. They worked late into the night to set up arrangements and access to the itinerary programme, and followed up continually throughout my Holiday to ensure all was progressing in order. They gave a sense of highly personalised service. I should be pleased to recommend the Firm to anyone seeking to arrange and enjoy a “specialist” Holiday of “Winter Activities”.