Win a trip to Northern Norway

I dislike travelling. Hardly a nomadic trait but there you go. I move from one country to another, and once ensconced in whatever house we choose as our latest home, I tend not to venture far. I am rarely a tourist. This is partly due to the fact that we spend much of our holiday time going back home, to either Ireland or Denmark, but it’s also down to the fact that with three youngish children, travelling anywhere is a planning and logistical exercise this insomniac tries to avoid. That’s why, after almost six years in Norway, I’ve hardly been anywhere. I’ve done one winter work day in Bergen, arriving and leaving in the dark, and seeing only the inside of a drab engineering office (where all the women, to my disgust, wore unflattering jeans).
I’ve spent one wet holiday weekend near Arendal. Another wet weekend on the edge of Hardanger Fjord. And. And well that’s it really. Oh I did go to one book club meeting in Spikkested. That’s my version of Norway: Oslo, Baerum, Bergen in the dark, Arendal and Spikkested.
It's not too late though, even with only four weeks left in the country. Thanks to Innovation Norway's latest marketing campaign, I can now make virtual postcards of myself visiting lots of Norway's most beautiful and popular tourist sites, all without lifting my bum off my seat. I might even win a prize by doing so - a trip to Northern Norway (in person) is on offer to the winners. But of course, I don't like traveling and I'm going to be on the other side of the world by August, so I'll give this one a miss. That's not to stop any of you lot out there entering the competition. Oh, it seems that you have to be British, and ordinary, and presumably photogenic, which disqualifies me completely - phew!

Here are the details:

‘…Innovation Norway, the official Norwegian tourism and trade organisation, has launched a major new UK marketing campaign to find four British ‘postcard models’ for a series of photo-shoots in Northern Norway.

The competition will be hosted on a specially designed Facebook page (http:// www.facebook.com/postcardmodels). Applicants will upload images of themselves into picture-perfect Northern Norway postcard-scenes to enter. Applicants require ten or more ‘likes’ from their Facebook friends to qualify for the competition.

Catherine Foster, Country Manager, Innovation Norway UK, said: “The aim of this initiative is to highlight the fantastic scenery and exciting activities you can experience in Northern Norway.

“Targeting nature lovers aged 25-65 who enjoy outdoor activities, we are hoping to find ordinary individuals, who have a vibrancy about them to match the Norwegian landscape.”

To apply, potential models must be available to travel to one of three destinations in North Norway with a partner of their choosing from August 14-17, 2010.

The winners will take centre stage in a photo-shoot with a professional photographer in beautiful Northern Norway landscapes. Postcards will subsequently be printed and sold in Northern Norway.

Please take a look at http://www.visitnorway.co.uk/postcardmodels and http://www.facebook.com/postcardmodels for further information.

So go on, have a go.