Luggage on trains, bus, ferry

You have never traveled by anythinhg but planes and taxi?

Imagine that you came to an airport with short distances but no "luggage trolleys" (or what ever they are called)- would you be able to carry/roll that suitcase or 2 you will be travelling with?
If not, you should consider backpacks - if ok in an airport you are able to travel as the rest of the world.

What do you do at hotels with stairs and no lift?

And IF there are problems - a steep step into a train, a narrow gangway, a high shelf where luggage must be put in train etc . travellers help one another, don'r they?

Edited by: Bjoern

Getting on a train in Norway there's usually a couple of steps, rather steep and narrow, they MIGHT cause a problem. On the other hand, Norwegians are extremely friendly and helpful, so there will be someone to help!!! Don't be afraid to ask!!!
Buses are easy, normally a step of about 10 cm and wide doors.
Ferries, vary a bit in shape and size, but the ones I have used have been a nice, wide gangway or walk on to the car-deck and then use elevators on board.
I have not done the 'Nutshell', but have traveled in and around Oslo, in Vesterålen and in Tromsø, normally buses, trains and ferries connect in some ways, so I don't think you will have far to walk between transports.
Enjoy!!!

The Norway in a Nutshell we have done, included starting off from Begen via train to Myerdal station, then down the Flam valley via another train to Flam.

Quite a good break there for lunch, then onto a ferry for a cruise along the Fjord, then onto a coach for a scenic ride to Voss, then another trian ride back to Bergen for an early evening arrival.

As you can see it does require quite a few different modes of transport, and to answer your questions would reley on were you are starting and ending your tour and what you intend to do next, and is there is a place you can leave your luggage, as it would be far easier to store it somewere that take it with you.

Many thanks for your helpful replies. We are perfectly capable of carrying, pulling, lifting our suitcases. I was really concerned about having room on the trains, buses, ferries for the luggage. Just booked airfare last night, next is hotels. Can't wait to go!

There's usually no problem finding space for luggage, except possibly around Christmas when trains/buses may be full and passengers have more luggage than normal.

Local buses usually won't have separate luggage rooms though.

Advice would be to take as small as possible a bag. Myself and my girlfriend (yes, girlfriend, even though we're both over 50!) did a 1000 mile road trip around Norway last year using ferries, buses, trains and sea cats between Oslo, Larvik, Arendal, Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo.

We both took a holdall each - 40 litres - (one by Berghaus and one older Karrimor) and these plus worn clothing etc coped with all of our clothes, footwear, books, cameras, chargers, meds (five a day following a stroke for me!) and towels/tolietries. Total weight of my bag was 7.4 kilos and Caroline's was 8.5...

Whilst we both had jeans and a couple of cotton t-shirts each, we also had base layers, fleece pullovers, fleece gilets, lightweight soft shell, waterproofs and an umbrella. Towels were our usual Lifeventure travel towels, even though the various hotels we stayed in provided cotton towels, the travel towels helped out when it came to the usual washing/wearing of clothing - take the washed item and roll it up in the travel towel to get excess water out a few times then hang both up to dry out. Travel clothing usually by Rohan, Sprayway or Peter Storm by the way - all smart for hotels and easily washed and dried overnight. Two pairs of shoes each - Merrell and TNF for me, Salomon and Clarks plus a pair of Merrell sandals for C...

Conditions met with last July were mainly fine days and cool nights with a couple of days rain too. The stuff we packed all worked together to keep us cool, warm or dry over the twelve days and the only piece of kit I didn't use was my waterproof - when it rained I reached for the TNF Elixir softshell and my umbrella instead (if it works for Nick Crane, it'll do for me!).

Getting the bags on and off buses was easy and with such bags and the low pack weights, you shouldn't have too much trouble in getting stuff around whilst on the Norway In A Nutshell trip - done it three times now and will do it again no doubt. Just take a few memory cards with you to last the whole trip - you'll probably need them!

Edited by: scribblerkeith to sort out rubbish spelling on a couple of words!

Yeah, that's the first rule of travelling, 'Allways Travel Light'!