Unspoiled Norwegian nature

The North Norwegian state of mind. It is different. It is close to nature and relaxed. It is fun. It is curious. It is filled with hospitality. This part of the country and the world has a history of hosting strangers. Fishermen from all over the world. Merchants. Sailors. Scientists. Soldiers. Adventurers. Some traveling through, some planning to stay. 

"A visit to the north is not a visit to an amusement park or something staged. This is real life. Real nature", says Marika. "And we are directors of our own experiences. All of us. We are all authors of our own stories.»

Marika talks about absorbing, enjoying and reflecting around nature and she would definitely love slow tourism.  To absorb the surroundings we need to do things more slowly, with all our attention and awareness of the details. This way we can enjoy the fresh, arctic air and to be one hundre percent present. 

«We don´ t control nature. Not the whales, not the northern lights, not the snow, not the wind… We all know this, but sometimes we tend to forget.»

Marika is occupied with giving travelers great experiences, but this includes creating the right expectations. «Experiencing is a state of mind», Marika says. «It is to fall in love with silence. To embrace the wild and vulnerable surroundings.»

The one activity she would recommend is summer in Lofoten. The fjords. The mountains. "Everybody coming north in the summer should see Lofoten from the seaside. Take a summer cruise from Svolvær with BRIM Explorer. Electrically engined you travel in silence. Listen to the ocean hitting the ship. That is the most beautiful sound ever. And this day-cruise is happening in the amazing beauty of Lofoten. That is my single recommendation."

"The amazing luxury of silence." 

These are the words Marika use to describe the qualities she appreciate the most about the beautiful nature of Northern Norway. Her words are simple, but complex and like most of the people in the Arctic Travel Company team, Marika is truly passionate about the arctic nature. She is genuinely engaged in the experiences they can give people who come here. The clients, the guests, the travelers that want to experience the beauty of nature. 

What to experience in Northern Norway?

Marika truly wants our guests to feel the curiosity, to be filled with wonder and enjoy the rare moments of being a part of the nature, not just looking at it. "And I don´ t talk about anything extreme or difficult. When I started guiding it was a journey through my own favorites. Winter or summer. It does not matter. Simple and calm hiking along tracks into the mountains or slow skiing to a place where we see nothing but white mountains and the starry night." It sound as if this takes more, as if this is a bit challenging or even dangerous? "No, not dangerous at all", she says. "But nature is big and unpredictable. Not being educated or experienced to do this or to get lost can create danger. With a guide it will be safe and beautiful."

Nature is the boss

Her job in BRIM explorer is making sure everything promised is delivered. "Yes, my job is to make sure our team is happy", she says, "to make sure they can deliver great customer experiences. But regarding the phenomenons of nature, like the aurora borealis or the whales, nature is the boss."

"Bucket list traveling? The midnight sun. Just irresistible»

"Northern Norway is a part of the world that never rests, but still a place to escape from the stress of the modern life." Marika laugh at her own cliche. "But it is true! In the summer the days never ends. It is just fantastic. In the winter the light is going away and returning, making us feel very different. The celebrations when the sun returns. It is truly a different, fantastic part of the world."

Marika has been traveling across all of Northern Norway, she worked as a guide, but she is educated from a totally different area. Summed up it is fair to say that Marika is a northerner. She might be called a "southerner" if you ask some people up here, but she is local. At heart and soul.  "I believe Northern Norway is totally irresistible and could not imagine a better place to travel", she says. "I don´ t  like the word bucket list, but if you have such a list, this place should be pretty close to the top of it."

Marika went from politics in Brussels to a life in Troms

Marika grew up in southern Norway and the distance in kilometers from where she grew up to Tromsø could have taken her to Paris or even to Milan. Yes, it is a fact. Norway as a country might be small in population, but in distances Norway is enormous.  "I studied politics in Scotland and later worked lobbying for environmental issues towards the European Union, located in Brussels. One day I told myself that I had to do something which brought me closer to nature. Something real." She talks about her decision to leave Brussels, ending at Nord University in Bodø where she completed a program in outdoor-life - continuing to Tromsø where she worked for a period in various adventure companies and one day started her own guiding business.

"My mission as a guide was to make my clients experience the beauty of nature. You know, experience is much more than observing. More than just photographing what you see. It is a state of mind. To love the silence. To respect the wild and vulnerable surroundings."