Media and 50DN
50 Degrees North is a niche, independently owned and fully licensed tour operator specialising in the regions above the 50th parallel north, including Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Arctic and the Baltics. 50 Degrees North is recognized for its local expertise, the originality of their programs and detailed, personalised operation. The company was founded in 2010 and has offices in Lillehammer, Melbourne, Minneapolis and Vancouver. Co-founder and CEO, Tietse Stelma, was appointed Norway’s Consul-General in Melbourne in 2018, in honor of the company's dedication and contribution to the destination.
50 Degrees North's vision is to be top-of-mind for operating innovative, authentic and responsible travel experiences above the 50th parallel north.
Contact us
Main email: info@fiftydegreesnorth.com
Marketing Manager: jk@fiftydegreesnorth.com
Story Ideas:
SCANDINAVIA - OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
• Explore Norway’s magnificent and less known areas (e.g. the Western fjords)
• Visit the remote Siglufjörður peninsula in north Iceland
• Discover the Kingdom of Crystal in south central Sweden
• Spend a summer's day in Skagen, where the Scandinavian romantic painters used to lose themselves
• View brown bears in the deep forests of eastern Finland
• See the puffins return on the same date (14th April) every single year at Lovund on the central Norwegian coast
• Discover the peaceful and remote Faroe Islands perched in the middle of the North Atlantic
See more at our IMM page, Special Interest Tours
50 Degrees North History:
The story of 50 Degrees North starts in 2010 when Tietse Stelma and Jayde Kincaid decided to leave their roles at Peregrine Adventures and The Outdoor Education Group respectively, to start 50 Degrees North. The business started off in Jayde & Tietse’s front room in Clifton Hill, which was the official business address for the first 18 months of business.
In March 2012, 50 Degrees North moved into offices at Suite 203, 7 Jeffcott Street, West Melbourne with 2 employees + Jayde & Tietse. Since then, 50 Degrees North has grown steadily, while increasing its number of employees in Melbourne.
In January 2015, we opened the office in a small town near Lillehammer, Norway with Satu taking on the Managing Director role for the Norwegian business. We have now grown into a financially stable and mid-size company now employing 40+ staff in our offices in Melbourne, Lillehammer (Øyer) and our latest addition: Vancouver and Minneapolis.
Press trip guidelines
When considering requests for Press Trips, we generally need to know the following:
- Which specific publications have (frequently and recently) published your articles / writing?
- Links to some recent and relevant published articles
- What are you able to guarantee in return for receiving a free tour?
- What topics / story angles are you considering in regards to a tour?
We usually need a minimum of 1-2 confirmed commissions in a nationally / globally well-known publications and the likelihood for more in order to go ahead with a press trip for a new travel writer (meaning it is their first time travelling with us). Ideally, stories will appear both in print and online with additional coverage through social media (both during the trip and after the articles have been published). If it's likely that commissions can be confirmed prior to travel, do get in touch with us and we can start planning together (depending of course on destination, availability, and expected cost).
In the Media
Read more about travelling with 50 Degrees North in the following selection of example articles:
2023 Luxury Travel Magazine
Tatyana Leonov: Iceland Hot springs
2023 Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper
Rob McFarland : Hiking in Norway - Beautiful Norway Hike
2023 The Traveller, Sydney Morning Herald
Tatyana Leonov: Greenland - North to Adventure
2022 The Points Guy
Stefanie Waldek: Beyond Bergen: Where to travel along Norway's coast
2022 Out & About with Kids
Aleney De Winter: On native land on raising thoughtful and considerate travellers visiting Sámi homelands.
2020 Out & About with Kids
Elisa Elwin: Fun family holiday in Finland
Elisa Elwin: Lapland Winter Wonderland
2020 Financial Review
Barry Stone: UNDER restaurant in Norway is in another league under the sea
2019 Traveller (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age)
Tatyana Leonov: Finland: A white night in a glass igloo within the Arctic Circle
Tatyana Leonov: eSled tour, Finland: Riding the world's first electric snowmobile
Tatyana Leonov: Enjoying the delights of foraged food in Harriniva, Finland
2019 Traveller (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age)
Mark Daffey: Icy vistas from a cosy cabin in this Arctic Circle archipelago here.
2019 Toque & Canoe
Margo Pfeiff: Meet Norway's Bathing Angels here.
2018 Signature Luxury Travel and Style
Read Barry Stone: 'Design and Nature in Norway' here.
Vacations and Travel and DestinAsia Magazine
The following articles on Kamchatka by Barry Stone:
Eastern Promise, in Vacations and Travel and Russia's Last Frontier, in DestinAsia Magazine
Signature Magazine
Cruising in Greenland by Barry Stone
Signature Magazine
Self Driving in Iceland by Barry Stone
Cruise Passenger
Cruising in Sweden between Stockholm and Gothenburg on the Gota Canal by Barry Stone
Holiday with Kids Magazine
Santa's secret hideway in Finland by Mark Duffey
PAX Magazine, Canadian Travel Trade News
Sample Press Releases from 50 Degrees North
2020
Register now for the final 2020 Nordic webinars by 50 Degrees North
50 Degrees North wins 'Norway's Leading Tour Operator 2020' at the World Travel Awards
50 Degrees North celebrates 10 years of operations with exciting developments
Post-coronavirus travel: Experience the ultimate winter tour in Sweden with 50 Degrees North
50 Degrees North set their sights to Nordic winter with a new escorted winter tour for 2020-21
50 Degrees North introduces a new Christmas tour for 2020 to meet growing demand
2019
New brochure out for 50 Degrees North’s new brand NORD Journeys
50 Degrees North responds to Bentours collapse by launching a new travel brand, NORD Journeys
50 Degrees North sponsors Keiino’s Australian tour this Oct-Nov
Lapland Circle independent small group tour
2018
50DN Early Bird Discounts Hurtigruten 2019
Virtuoso Award 2018 for 50 Degrees North
New Hotels in Scandinavia 2018
2017
Escorted Photography tour with David Evans and Hurtigruten
50DN-Christmas-tours-explained
50 Degrees North opens Vancouver office - US Edition
Media Release: New Glass Igloo Tour
Hurtigruten Escorted Photography tour - last spots available
Image Banks
Find the links here to free and professional tourist board sponsored image banks
We have a small collection of 50 Degrees North images (mostly of our hotels and small group tours). Please ask us for access to the dropbox.
For professional images, we would recommend accessing the image banks of our partners, the tourist boards of our region. These can be accessed with a password and are easy to use. Most of the time, the password is provided immediately. If you are looking for something more specific, please don’t hesitate to ask.
50 Degrees North News / Inspiration Page
Find out more about what we are up to on our news page.
Social Media handles
https://www.facebook.com/50degreesnorth
https://www.instagram.com/50degreesnorth/
Hashtag 50DegreesN
Hashtag 50degreesnorth
https://twitter.com/50degreesN
Contact us
info@fiftydegreesnorth.com