How to book a bed in a Cabin of the Norwegian Trekking Association in 2023
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How to book a bed at a cabin of the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT)
Very Short introduction to DNT cabins
The Norwegian Trekking Association is formed by a group of regional associations that together run and maintain about 550 cabins around Norway. This wonderful resource is open to all that want to enjoy the outdoors around the county. They do have different service levels. Some are just day cabins, meant to be visited as part of your hike, maybe to take an extended rest, play a game, warm up again or enjoy the sunshine, depending on your group and the conditions of the day. Then there are cabins where you sleep over, if you are on a trek. These cabins all have sleeping quarters. Depending on the hut and the time of year, they might be fully catered, have a pay-as-you-use pantry or no food in storage, meaning you bring everything you need along yourself.
Why has the system changed
The default in the DNT cabins used to be first come, first served, which to some extent favoured fast hikers. The new booking system is intended to allow for people that feel the need to know that they will have a bed secured at the end of their hike. Initially it was thought that families would be the biggest users as they might want to be sure they would have a bed and maybe be able to share a room. The booking system has proven popular with many hikers though and is now being extended and enlarged with the aim to include all DNT cabins in the future.
You can still come without having a reservation
Just as always has been the case, no one coming to a DNT hut in need of a roof over their heads for the night is turned away. It just means that you cannot choose the room or bed that you might have otherwise favoured. Even if all beds are taken, there are always additional mattresses or even the sofa. I was once assigned the laundry and cleaning supply room, where two mattresses were laid out on a clean floor. It worked. There was an absolutely full house that night, yet everyone was somehow accommodated and fed. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
The most important new features at a glance
460 out of 550 cabins, beds and add ons (eg meals, towels, bed liner) can now be booked, changed, cancelled on the same website, independent of the regional association running the cabin
English is a language option, which of course is hugely important for many international hikers
It is possible to make bookings as a non-DNT member, you just pay a different (higher) price
You can now enter a date (or period), the number of people and select an area and get all the cabins that are available for everyone in your party on the desired date.
There is an additional function that allows you interactively see on the map which other cabins are available in your selected search. That way you can adjust your route, or decided to visit another less busy hut
You can filter to see cabins where dogs are allowed
Children, young adults for example pay less for the same service level. There is increased clarity on how to book different categories within one booking
The booking site works both on mobile phone as well as on a desktop
There are some restrictions:
While most cabins are now in the system, there are still about 90 of them that require you to book through the regional association.
You can only book one cabin at a time. Once you complete one booking you can move on to the next.
If you arrive after 19:00 hours, 7pm in the evening then you have forgone your reservation. You will still be able to get a bed, just like any other drop in guest, but your selected option might be taken.
How do you pay?
You pay online with a payment card or at the actual cabin. Some cabins have also facilitated payment via Vipps. This is a Norwegian payment system, for which you actually need a local Norwegian mobile number.
Who to contact with questions?
This depends on which cabin you have questions about. If you have questions about self-catering and unattended cabins, you should contact the association that owns the cabin. If it is a serviced cabin, you must contact the hosts at the cabin.
On each cabin page in the solution, there is contact information for that cabin (e-mail and telephone number)
What if you need to cancel your booking
The different cabins may have slightly different conditions. You will find the conditions for
the cabin you are visiting on the booking page for the specific cabin.
Conclusion
As always when something new is introduced to a system that seems to have worked well before, there is always positives and also some regret for what is lost. The spontaneity of going off on a multi-day hike and finding a room with a bed at the end of a day’s hike has become a bit more organised. The feeling of entitlement to the bed you have booked potentially creates a different dynamic in the cabin makes it more like a hostel than before. Having said that it does create a sense of security for those that do value the option of being together in one room at night to go out and hike together in the mountains, which is something they might not have done otherwise.
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