Even cruise companies that sail up and down the coastline of Norway are becoming more experiential with their holidays.
Hurtigruten has introduced cookery and wine-tasting courses, as well as musical instrument, folk dancing and handicraft workshops.
Its astronomy voyage with lectures on the Northern Lights is selling well. Head of commercial Kathryn Beadle said: “We are seeing more interest in voyages where passengers get to learn something.”
Swedish cruise specialist Göta Canal Steamship Company has added a series of culinary cruises. The weekend forays run along a series of rivers, lakes and the historic canal between Toreboda and Soderkoping. This forms part of a scenic waterway stretching across central Sweden.
If you are looking for something unusual, there is growing interest in surfing in the Faroe Islands, a Danish protectorate close to the UK.
A Faroe Islands Enterprise spokeswoman said: “The Faroese used to think it was too dangerous to surf around the islands. But a couple of years ago a group of professional surfers came. Since then we’ve seen surfers returning and it’s an activity that looks set to become popular in the future,” she said.
In Iceland, experience provider DoSomethingDifferent.com is focusing on the island’s more unusual aspects, offering activities including fissure snorkelling, Viking horse riding and caving in lava tubes.
DoSomethingDifferent.com commercial director Ian Coyle said: “It is predicted that Iceland will be a popular holiday destination this year. We are offering new products for agents to boost their earning potential.”
Sample product
Sunvil Discovery has a lobster safari for £245 per person in May, twin-share, while seven nights’ bed and breakfast at Handelsman Flink, Sweden, starts at £922 per person, including SAS flights and car hire. Tel: 020 8568 4499
Crystal Lakes offers a Lakeland Discovery Tour, an eight-day, self-drive trip from Helsinki. Prices start from £819, including flights and eight nights’ half-board accommodation in four destinations. Tel: 0870 848 7015
