In 2018, my guiding company was hand-picked by Innovation Norway to participate in the Adventure Global Growth 2018/2019 program, including workshops in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle, together with a small selection of other Norwegian adventure operators.

In these pre-pandemic times, the sky was the limit. We observed the stressful daily lives of thousands of New Yorkers, squeezed in tight shared office spaces. We rushed from one workshop to the other, organized by Visit Norway USA, to learn about marketing, website design and SEO, sales, PR, business optimization, and much more. We were drilled in pitching our business concepts and thrown into speed dates with a range of critical American tour operators.

Between all the workshops and adrenaline, I managed to squeeze in some time for sightseeing. I loved cycling through the intense New York traffic, visiting Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street, Times Square, The High Line, Ground Zero, and much more. The sunrise at Brooklyn Bridge and the ferry ride and a visit to Liberty Statue and Ellis Island I will remember the most, maybe. 

I could never live in a city like this, I think, but I was both fascinated and slightly star-struck to see and experience both those world-famous locations, and the whole New York vibe and way of life.