Graham's blog posts

At Artisan Travel, we love working with Travel Partners from all over the world. If you would like to apply to work with us, then please click here to answer some simple questions and one of our team will be in touch very soon.

We are also members of AITO and ABTA and adhere to their code of conduct and guidelines.  Finally, we are also fully ATOL protected.

If you already work with us, then please click here to access our resource library. We have some stock images to use (please take note of any image credits), some videos and also some PDF pages for our most popular holidays.  If there is anything else you think would be useful to assist in your sales, please do not hesitate to get in touch by our designated priority agent email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give us a call on +44 (0) 1670 330 733. We highly value our travel partners and always prioritise these emails and calls.

If you would like any specialised training, then we would be happy to provide this either via video link or we can arrange a visit to your offices.  We would also be thrilled to host any joint events for prospective clients, again either in person at your offices or online. Please just get in touch and we will discuss the options in more detail.

Artisan Travel is all about dream fulfilment and ticking off those must-do bucket list experiences and must-see destinations. Since we originally started operating the Artisan Travel Company in 2002, we know our clients pretty well and have a very good idea of what it is that they want from a holiday. Also since this time, we have developed an enviable network of local suppliers and tourism experts who know their own countries far, far better than we ever could. Essentially, we have taken what we know about our clients' holiday wishes and, in close consultation with our local partners, we have handcrafted itineraries that we believe illustrate the very best of any particular destination.

We also have a great section on our website about preparing for your holiday which will hold some useful information for clients and also our frequently asked questions which cover everything from how fit you need to be to do an activity through to what kind of plug adaptor you need to take with you. 

Norway and the Northern Lights webinar registration

Date: September 10th, 2020 at 7:30 pm (GMT)

With the world of travel slowly becoming more accessible, Norway is preparing to welcome back keen travellers when the timing is right. To understand how Norway will be adapting to the new approaches to travel, we are hosting a live webinar with expert insights on Norway’s cultural capital, Tromsø.

Featuring our dedicated team of experts and highly knowledgeable guest speakers who will share their insights on Norway, this webinar is ideal for discovering all the information you’ll need to book your next trip with confidence. Whether you’re hoping to visit this winter, or already planning a holiday for 2021, the insights on offer will help you to book with the added assurance of the best possible experience.

We have teamed up with a panel of experts from across the travel and tourism industry within Tromsø to present everything you need to know. From what to expect upon arrival, to how Norway is putting measures in place for Covid-19 to keep tourists safe as well as a live Q&A session with our speakers; you’ll be able to plan your trip with greater peace of mind.

While the webinar will focus on the winter trips to Tromsø offered through our sister company, The Aurora Zone, there will be an opportunity during the webinar to enquire about our summer Tromsø trips with Artisan Travel. Our trips allow you to experience the fascinating natural phenomena of the Midnight Sun, go glamping surrounded by the beauty of Norway’s remote wilderness and embrace the vibrant culture of the city.

Our speakers include Ali McLean, the owner and founder of The Artisan Travel Company, as well as a hotel manager based in the heart of Tromsø and two highly experienced local activity providers. Our own Northern Lights guide and photographer, will also share his expertise on hunting the Northern Lights and capturing them on camera, as well as the science behind how they are naturally formed.

All those signing up to the webinar can also receive 10% off their booking with The Aurora Zone, using the special code provided during the event.

The itinerary

19:30 - Start

19:30 - 19:35 - Introduction to The Artisan Travel Company: Ali McLean, Director and founder of The Artisan Travel Company

19:35 - 19:45 - Highlights of Tromsø: Mats Fredriksen, Lost in Norway

19:45 - 19:50 - Guest speaker: Ida Romsøe, Hotel Manager, The Clarion Hotel The Edge

19:50 - 19:55 - Guest speaker: Øystein Prytz, Head of Digital Marketing, Tromsø Villmarkssenter

19:55 - 20:00 - Guest speaker: Alice Heijbel, Key Account Manager, Pukka Travel

20:00 - 20:15 - An introduction to the Northern Lights: Matt Robinson, The Aurora Zone and Northern Lights guide and photographer

20:15 - 20:30 - Q&A session

20:30 - Finish

The team

Alistair McLean - Director and founder of The Artisan Travel Company

As part of The Artisan Travel Company, Ali created The Aurora Zone, the original and only dedicated Northern Lights tour operator. Ali is extremely proud of the tours we offer in Tromsø and delighted that our clients have witnessed the lights during their trips there with us.

Mats Fredriksen - CEO, Lost in Norway

Your host for the evening, Mats, is our local supplier in Norway. Having worked with Mats for many years, he is well-placed to talk about the region and the experiences we offer in Norway.

Matt Robinson – The Aurora Zone and Northern Lights guide, photographer and astronomer

Currently living in Senja, Norway, Matt has travelled extensively with The Artisan Travel Company and is always happy to share his knowledge and science behind the Northern Lights with our guests. Matt is also a keen astronomer and photographer and will share some of his fantastic images with us during the webinar.

Welcoming our guest speakers

Ida Romsøe - Hotel Manager, Clarion Hotel The Edge

Situated right in the centre of Tromsø, just by the water, from where you can enjoy great views of the city's stunning architecture, the Clarion Hotel The Edge was built with an environmental classification A and aspires to be as eco-friendly as possible. A passionate hotel manager, Ida is responsible for all hotel operations, leisure FIT and groups. She has worked in Nordic Choice Hotels since she was 16 years old and been at Clarion Hotel The Edge for almost 2 years. Ida will provide an insight into the measures the hotel is taking during Covid-19 and how they are making guests feel safe and comfortable.

Øystein Prytz - Head of Digital Marketing, Tromsø Villmarkssenter

Tromsø Villmarkssenter enjoys an idyllic wilderness location around 20km from the city centre on the island of Kvaløya. Established over 30 years ago they are one of the most experienced and passionate dog sledding companies we have the pleasure of working with. Originally set up by Tove Sørensen the day to day running of the centre has now passed to her son and his wonderful team. Given the wonderful location of the Villmarkssenter, it has an awesome record of Northern Lights viewing and we have had many happy clients enjoy displays here during their holidays. Over several years Øystein has worked in almost all parts of this family-run company and there is nothing he doesn’t know about their fantastic products and strong family heritage.

Alice Heijbel - Key Account Manager, Pukka Travel

Our guest speaker from Pukka Travel, Alice, will talk us through the many activity options available to our clients on the trips we offer, from a Polar Fjord cruise or Northern Lights sailing to hunting the Northern Lights by minibus.

The time

Thursday 10th September at 7:30 pm BST

This event will take place on Zoom and is free to access, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR PLACE to receive the joining link details.

Missed our 10 day destination quiz on our social media platforms? We have included all of our riddles and answers below. Challenge your family and friends to guess which one of our destinations the photo represents. Let us know your score in the comment section below!  

UPDATED: 13 MAY 2022

FUTURE BOOKINGS AND HOLIDAYS

All our destinations are open to fully vaccinated travellers. We are constantly monitoring the advice provided by the UK Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as the guidance provided by the governments in the destinations we feature. We will keep our clients updated with any changes to specific entry requirements. 

Finland update

We are in contact with the Communications team of Visit Finland that aligns with the Finnish Embassy and Foreign ministry and they have provided the following, 'Travelling to and in Finland is safe - everyday life runs normally and we warmly welcome travellers to Finland'.

Frequently asked questions 

• WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COUNTRY I AM TRAVELLING TO REQUIRES VISITORS TO QUARANTINE UPON ARRIVAL

If a country requires testing at the border which takes up to a few hours to return results, then we would not cancel your holiday in this instance. Instead, we would work with the local partners to ensure you had everything you need to be comfortable including snacks and meals etc.  If you were required to quarantine for any longer than a few hours, we would cancel your holiday and offer either re-booking or a refund.

• WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FCDO ADVICE CHANGES FOR MY DESTINATION AFTER I HAVE BOOKED?

If the FCDO advice changes to advising against all but essential travel then we will cancel your holiday and assist you with rebooking to an alternative date, a different destination or issue you with a full refund.

• WHAT HAPPENS IF MY TRIP IS CANCELLED?

If you are booked onto a trip that we must cancel, then we will get in touch with you immediately.  If we are forced to cancel your holiday, then there will be several options available to you:

1 – Consider an alternative destination

As we have such a fantastic network of partners across Scandinavia, we will do everything we can to propose alternative holiday options for you to consider.  If you do decide to go for one of these options, we will transfer the money you have already paid us to your new booking and, if it is cheaper, refund you the difference. If it is more expensive you will need to top this amount up to match the new price.

2 – Postpone your holiday

We think it is more important than ever to have something special to look forward to as the world hopefully gets back to “normal”.  If we are forced to cancel your holiday, then we will work with our local partners on your behalf to minimise any increase in costs to your holiday price and if they do increase or we are forced to make any changes to the holiday package which you don’t like – you can cancel and receive a full refund.

3 – A full refund

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your cancellation we may request that you contact your Travel Insurance company in the first instance. Should that claim be unsuccessful then we will refund you in full. We will advise you of the relevant processing times at that stage.

• I MADE A BOOKING WITH YOU, BUT I NO LONGER WISH TO TRAVEL, WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

This will depend on when your booking was made and the specific terms relating to your holiday and flight booking if applicable.  The Artisan Travel Company are happy to postpone all transferable and flexible elements of your trip to either an alternative holiday or departure date. For any non-transferable elements, we will do our best to minimise these costs but unfortunately, these decisions are normally out of our hands.  Naturally, we promise to do our best to negotiate on your behalf.

Another option would be to transfer your booking to another passenger (subject to terms and conditions and introduced by yourselves) and we can normally facilitate this until 10 days prior to departure.   

Finally, depending on the reason you no longer wish to travel, you may be able to claim on your travel insurance.

• WHAT HAPPENS IF I TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID AND CAN NO LONGER TRAVEL?

Your first port of call would be your travel insurance policy. Like with any other illness or accident which would prevent you from going on your holiday as planned this is the very reason for travel insurance policies.  Please check your policy to ensure that you would be covered in this instance. If you do not have travel insurance (please be aware it is a prerequisite to travelling with us) or it fails to cover you, we will negotiate with our local partners to offer you re-booking for an alternative date or a refund, but it is likely that there will be some substantial unrecoverable costs, so it is much better to have comprehensive travel insurance than to rely on this option.

• I’M TRAVELLING FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY OUTSIDE OF THE UK – WHAT HAPPENS IF I’M NOT ABLE TO TRAVEL?

The Artisan Travel Company is based in the UK, and we take all our guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ​(FCDO) and other UK government bodies. Depending on whether you have booked a flight inclusive or land-only package your contract with us either starts at your UK departure airport (if we have booked your flights) or, if you have booked a land only package, the agreed meeting point in the destination country (usually an airport).   

If no national UK border restrictions are preventing us from operating the holiday (i.e., unless the ​FCDO advise against all but essential travel to Finland, Sweden, Iceland or Norway) OR the destination government prevent all arrivals from the UK then we will continue to run the holiday as planned. For anyone who is prevented from joining the trip as planned due to medical reasons or government advice changing from a country other than the UK or the destination of your holiday, then this cancellation by you would be dealt with as per our booking terms and conditions. As such, any loss would need to be reclaimed from your travel insurance policy so please check the wording carefully and ensure you are satisfied with the level of cover.  

• WHAT TYPE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE SHOULD I LOOK FOR?

Travel insurance has always been a prerequisite for travelling with us and investing in a comprehensive travel insurance policy should be the first thing you do after booking your holiday. 

If you, or any member of your party, are diagnosed with COVID whilst you are on holiday then you need to be satisfied that your insurance policy will cover any medical costs incurred including testing, self-isolation and treatment. We would also suggest choosing a policy which would allow you to claim for any elements of the holiday you were not able to take part in.

Further advice for UK travellers

Though we endeavour to inform our customers of any significant changes, this is a fast-moving situation and therefore we also ask for our travellers to keep up-to-date with the relevant travel advice.

Here are some useful links:

UK health authorities: www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

FCDO travel advice: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) TravelHealthPro website: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/499/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-general-advice-for-travellers

The NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19

ABTA: www.abta.com/coronavirus

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns, then please do not hesitate to contact our customer service team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or, call 01670 785 085.

If there is one thing Sweden does right, it’s innovative architecture. From the original ICEHOTEL® to the world-famous Treehotel, if you’re looking for a memorable night’s stay, you will not be disappointed with Sweden’s offerings - and with newest addition The Arctic Bath Hotel, you are quite frankly spoilt for choice.

The Arctic Bath is a wellness retreat with an extra special touch that only the Swedish could execute. Built to float on the stunning Lule River during the summer and freeze in place throughout the winter, the hotel offers the ultimate back-to-nature experience year-round.

Connected by floating walkways, the circular Arctic Bath features four saunas, a spa treatment room, a hot bath, outdoor and indoor showers and two dressing rooms. As per Nordic tradition, there is also a cold-water bath for guests to take an icy plunge and add to their wellbeing experience. Guests can choose to stay in one of the six floating cabins or land-based cabins. On land, you can make use of the huge glass windows facing north to search the skies for the Auroras or bask in the Midnight Sun and in the floating cabins, you can enjoy a brilliant view from your wooden deck outside. Learn more on our accommodation page here or scroll to discover everything that’s on offer here.

Famed for its aromatic botanical gardens, volcanic landscape and plentiful marine life, it’s no surprise that Madeira has been voted Best European Island Destination for 6 years in a row by the World Travel Awards. What’s more, when you take a closer look at Madeira’s cultural scene, you’ll soon see why they are reigning champions. 

With the turn of the new decade, we think there is no better time to start taking a serious look at your bucket list, which is why we’re celebrating 2020 by bringing you 20 unforgettable bucket list experiences!

The two stunning Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores are favourites amongst our Artisan Travel Experts, but with so much in common it can be difficult to tell them apart! That’s why we’ve decided to pit these two fantastic archipelagos against each other, to help you discover the best place for your next getaway.

There is nothing more Finnish than coming in from the snowy wilderness and heading to the sauna. The Finns invented this relaxing experience and it is simply a must-do during any visit to this wonderful country. 

"A Night at the Theatre", art suite designed by Jonathan Green and Marnie Green 

When the plans for this winter's ICEHOTEL® were revealed in September, we couldn’t wait to see the finished Art Suites. The good news is that the wait is finally over!