About a month ago, I had the privilege to visit Oslo on a fully paid trip by the #VisitOslo tourism Board!
It was on 15th of December – my sister’s birthday – I opened my inbox to the great news that I had been selected.
I could barely contain myself.
I remember at the close of the previous year as I was writing down the following year’s bucket list of must visit destinations and Norway made it in there. I then immediately slotted the Norway trip for September.
Then the unfortunate happened.
I lost my job.
But as fate would have it, the universe conspired and I ended up going to Norway on a fully paid for trip.
Many people have asked how I landed the opportunity, so I decided to answer it in this blog.
I maintain a database of travel – related contests, competitions and opportunities open to Kenyan nationals in this post. So I suggest that you read it and continue to check back for updates on any new contests.
What's Covered in This Article
Here’s the story of how I got to visit Norway for free.
It all happened in the most unexpected way. As with all my travel plans, as soon as I identify a location that I would like to visit, I always make it a point to follow the destination’s tourism board, as well as all social media influencers who have either been there or have indicated plans to go there.
Naturally, I started following @VisitOslo’s Instagram page, among other visit Norway dedicated pages.
On one of the days during my hiatus, I was scrolling through @VisitOslo’s Instagram page when a photo caught my eye.
I paused for a bit when I realized what it was about. Lonely Planet had just voted Oslo as one of the must visit cities in 2018.
To celebrate, VisitOSLO and VisitNorway would be flying in 10 people from around the world so as to show them what Oslo had to offer during winter – airfare, accommodation, food and events all paid for.
All you had to do was to use the hashtag #visitoslo2018 on Twitter or Instagram, or comment on that particular Instagram post, and let them know you are interested.
I was a little skeptical and thought that this was a hoax but I commented on the Instagram post anyway.
A few days later, Tord Baklund who is in charge of VisitOSLO’s social media activities DMed me via Instagram. He wanted to talk to me a bit more about the possibility of visiting Oslo. He then asked that I should send an e-mail to facebook@visitoslo.com.
In response to my e-mail, I Tord gave a little background of the event and what would be expected of participants. He then asked me to tell the VisitOSLO team a few words about myself and why I would like to join the #VisitOslo2018 adventure. This I did. Contact me directly if you’d like to see what I wrote :).
Over the next few weeks, we communicated back and forth via e-mail until early December when Tord informed me that I had been selected.
I was still skeptical and promised myself not to share the news with anyone until I actually received the air ticket.
Before long, the team was asking me what airport I’d like to fly out of should I be selected.
As at this point, my skepticism levels started diminishing.
This is really going to happen. I would be going to Norway after all. I was over the moon. I started shopping for winter gear. In Kenya. It’s laughable, I know. But I will share more about that in another post.
On 15th December, Tord sent me an itinerary and asked me to confirm if I was still interested in visiting Norway.
Of course yes, Tord!
On 2nd January, I got the best New Year gift ever – a NBO OSLO return ticket.
Before you start imaging how lucky I was, yada yada, please hold your horses for a bit.
Following are the main takeaways:
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Luck = Opportunity meeting preparation
In spite the unexpected way in which the above events played out, the many different building blocks definitely led me a step closer to this opportunity.
For instance, If it wasn’t for my regular activity on social media and my deliberate decision to read every post before double tapping it, I definitely would’ve missed the #VisitOslo2018 call for interested participants.
It may seem like your hard work online is all in vain, but you just never know. Like no one notices your comments, likes, etc. If you love it, keep doing you. You never know when opportunity will cross paths with all the ground work preparation you have put in place. And this doesn’t only apply to getting an all expense paid for trip.
This applies to all other life situations you find yourself in.
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Don’t be afraid to invest in your passions
It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to make it to the point where you’re getting the free stuff.
One common feature you will notice among all the 10 #VisitOslo2018 participants is that they all have a passion for travel and were already doing some sort of self-funded travel before this event.
I am almost certain that this one of the factors taken into consideration while selecting participants for this event. And travel is not cheap – both timewise and resourcewise – especially at the outset before you learn the ropes. But it is worth investing in your passion and it pays in the long run.
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Always be prepared
I for instance, always ensure that I have a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa on my passport at any one time.
Although this is definitely a costly, I do it for two main reasons: first, the Schengen visa grants me entry into 26 different countries as a Kenyan passport holder; secondly, having the Schengen visa enables me to take advantage of flight deals at short notice.
As a side bar, I made sure to mention in my #VisitOslo2018 application that I already had my paperwork ready hence flying me into #Oslo would be a breeze. I’m almost certain this added up in my favor albeit by quarter mark.
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It takes a dash of passion and a whole lot of guts to accomplish your goals
I was very skeptical of this whole process right from the beginning.
Who would want to send a Kenyan girl with a mere 500 Instagram followers on an all expense paid trip to Europe? Come on, are you kidding me?
It took me taking a huge leap of faith just to go through the application process. I actually almost chickened out when Tord asked me to send my passport details to facilitate the accommodation and airline ticket booking. SHHH don’t tell him. And I’m glad that I trusted him and the process. But Norway had always been a bucket list destination for me, so I decided to give it a try. After all, the worst that could happen is having my dreams shattered – again. I consoled myself.
I have a theory that the internet is the new resume. It therefore makes sense to leverage various online tools available to share with the world what you stand for. And what you’re good at.
If travel is your thing, take advantage of Instagram, and Snapchat, and Pinterest, and everything else in between.
But don’t be selfish and focus on only posting your content or just passively scrolling through other accounts’ feeds. Interact with those you admire and those with whom you share interests. That’s why it’s called social.
And this goes beyond just liking posts. Read captions, comment, ask, and respond to questions. They may not respond, but It helps to keep you on their radar. It may not pay today or tomorrow. You never know what doors it could unlock or what opportunities it could bring your way in future.
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When in doubt, conduct due diligence, then act
It took taking a huge leap of faith for me to get through the #VisitOslo2018 application process. But thanks to social media, wherever I was in doubt, I took advantage of the resources at my disposal to conduct due diligence.
So for instance, the moment the VisitOslo team started communications, I immediately reached out to Google and was able to confirm facts such as Lonely Planet actually having voted Oslo as a must-visit destination in 2018.
I was also able to do a quick confirmation that Tord, and Didrick were real people :). And when I received my ticket, I quickly used the reservation number to confirm its authenticity on KLM’s website.
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Do epic stuff
And document your story. Because, the opposite of epic is boring.
‘Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five’ – Benjamin Franklin.
I am not sure what happens to most of us as we get older. Somehow, along the way, we forget that living a full, healthy and happy lifestyle is a noble goal – and it it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Epic is still epic even if it is happening in your backyard.
Take travel for instance, we all don’t have to go to Paris to have and amazing time. You can actually just take the bus or train to Victoria Falls, bungee dive, and share your experience with the rest of us.
Or if visiting the 7 wonders of the world is one of your bucket list items, just save some little cash, head over to the Maasai Mara and witness the Wilderbeest migration. And dang! You will have kicked an item off your bucket list!
In Hindsight though, Paris is really beautiful and I would encourage you to try it if you can afford.
Want to get paid to travel or want an all expense paid for trip?
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Have you ever been on an all expense paid for trip?
How did you get the opportunity? How was your experience? What were your key takeaways? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below.
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