Nortrip - the FEFI campsite guide in Norway
Alternative Campervan Sites NorwayMotorhome trips to Scandinavia are becoming more and more popular since pretty much everyone knows about the beautiful landscapes and stunning sights in Northern Europe. Especially Norway is on top of many bucket lists, so the country starts facing the same problems as the rest of Europe – crowded camping places with lots and lots of tourists. So it was only a matter of time until the FEFI network would expand to Norway as well. Eventually, Nortrip was founded and started collecting camping places similarly like France Passion or Landvergnügen does it. We talked to the founders Bjørnar Valbø and Patrik Alesand about their young company, camping in Norway and their future plans.
How it started
4 men and a camping guideOnce again, France Passion was the driving factor behind the founding of Nortrip. Having experienced the French original, Bjørnar and Patrik were surprised that the successful concept had not yet been introduced in Norway, especially since ecotourism plays a big role there and many people try to find "food with short transport distances", i.e. food and drinks that are sourced directly from producers.
Since Nortrip's focus is on creating experiences and not just on offering free parking, quality clearly takes precedence over quantity. For their prototype in summer 2021, they accepted 30 hosts. Due to the many positive feedbacks, Nortrip was expanded to around 150 hosts (as of November 2022) and continues to grow.
The team
A lot of in-house expertise for quick resultsPatrik and Bjørnar founded Nortrip together with their friends Eivind Briseid and Magnus Mørk, who all have different professional backgrounds. They all share a passion for start-ups and creating new businesses. With Magnus as a full-stack developer, it only took the team a few months to prototype and any changes to the website or app can be made in-house. Eivind, on the other hand, brings a lot of experience from his business background, which helps them understand business development and growth, while Patrik has professional experience in sales and focuses on B2C sales and networking. Bjørnar focuses on designing, editing and mailing the magazine once the new issue is available.
How it works
The climate in Norway is very different from that in Central Europe, and this naturally has an impact on the tourism industry. While more and more people are coming to Norway in the winter, especially during the Northern Lights season, the peak season is still summer, when tourists can enjoy short nights and good weather. For locals, July is by far the most popular month to travel, and many shops even close in July due to a lack of staff and customers. Tourists from other countries have to be prepared for packed roads and campsites. The Nortrip app also has its peak season in summer, but it is a good alternative to the usual campsites. Most hosts offer only 2 to 5 campsites on their site, so Nortrip users can enjoy intimate camping experiences and get to know their hosts and the products they offer.
The annual magazine is sent out from February each year and is valid from 15 March to 14 March of the following year. The 2023 magazine costs €49.00.
Nortrip
In contrast to France Passion, you won't find any vineyards at Nortrip, but rather the focus is on food, e.g. cheese as well as various award-winning beers and ciders. You will also find many surprising and unusual hosts, such as a knitting factory with an attached museum where you can learn all about the art of knitting.
Even after the book has been published, further hosts are presented in the app that were only added after the editorial deadline. In this way, you get the right information for each host directly.
Nortrip's future plans
The four founders are full of ideas for the future, and the biggest obstacle is the limited time they have to implement their ideas. Nortrip is currently working with ferry companies to promote the Nortrip guide to those visiting Norway by ferry. They also plan to integrate the 18 Norwegian panoramic roads into the app to make it easier for users to plan their trips and find the perfect hosts along their route.
Summary
The small team is doing a great job of extending the invitation formula to Norway and is full of knowledge and creativity. Nortrip has only been part of the FEFI network for a year, but we feel that this is a great addition to the network.
