When Tietse Stelma and Jayde Kincaid founded 50 Degrees North in 2010, the premise was straightforward but uncommon: Nordic travel designed by people who genuinely knew the region, not by templates assembled from a distance. Drawing on Tietse's Norwegian roots and years of personal relationships built across the north, the two founders set out to create itineraries that followed the rhythm of place rather than the logic of efficiency.

Fifteen years later, 50 Degrees North employs nearly 80 people across offices in Norway, the United States, Canada, and Australia. It has grown into one of the most trusted Nordic travel specialists serving North American and Asia-Pacific travelers, survived a global pandemic that brought the industry to a standstill, and rebuilt on the other side with renewed clarity about what it stood for.

The launch of the Classic Range is the company's next deliberate step.

The next chapter

Classic is a collection of Nordic itineraries built on the same design principles that have defined 50 Degrees North from the start. Routes are constructed by a team of Nordic locals. Local partnerships are selected individually and with care. Logistics are seamless, and the company's 24-hour support service covers every journey in the range. What changes is the accommodation, centered on comfortable, well-located 3-star properties rather than the boutique lodges and distinctive stays that characterize the company's Original, Premium, and Luxury offerings.

It is a deliberate trade-off, and 50 Degrees North is transparent about it.

"Classic is a different product for a different traveler," said Mari Räsänen, CEO of 50 Degrees North. "One who wants the same quality of planning and support, at a more accessible price. The journey is still designed with the same care. The trade-off is where you sleep, not the experience, quality, location or safety."

Where it began

The story of 50 Degrees North is, at its core, about what happens when travel is designed by people who genuinely know and love a place.

When the company was founded, the Nordic region was rarely given the depth of attention it deserved in the international travel market. Most itineraries followed the same well-worn routes, moved too quickly, and reduced a vast and varied region to a handful of iconic images. The founders believed there was a better way, and they had the local knowledge and industry experience to try it.

The company grew steadily through the 2010s, deepening supplier relationships and expanding its team. Then, in 2020, the pandemic stopped everything.

"The pandemic was genuinely devastating. We had built something over ten years that we were proud of, and then travel simply stopped. But the relationships we had built with our partners, our team and our clients held. We came through it, and if anything, it made us clearer about what we stood for and where we wanted to go," said Tietse Stelma, co-founder of 50 Degrees North.

The company emerged with renewed purpose. Today, headquartered in Øyer, Norway and rooted in the same geography that inspired it from the start, it continues to grow its client base across North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

What Classic means for the original vision

The Classic Range is not a departure from what 50 Degrees North has always done. It is, in the company's own framing, an opening: a way to bring more travelers into a way of experiencing the Nordic region that has always been guided by local knowledge rather than templates.

"When we started, every journey we built was personal and handmade. 15 years on, Classic is how we make sure that more people can be part of what we have spent these years building. The scale has changed. The instinct to do our region and our travelers justice has not," said Satu Vänskä-Westgarth, Director of Product at 50 Degrees North.

The range spans itineraries covering Norwegian fjords, Scandinavian capitals, Finnish Lapland, the Arctic, and more, available across summer, winter, and shoulder seasons. It includes both independent travel packages and guided group tours.

Some of the journeys now available:

• Norway by Rail & Sea: 7 days, Oslo to Bergen via Lillehammer, Trondheim and an overnight coastal voyage
• Majestic Fjords by Rail: 6 days, Oslo to Ålesund via the Rauma Railway and Geirangerfjord
• Essential Scandinavia by Rail & Sea: 8 days, Stockholm to Oslo via Copenhagen, available year-round
• Helsinki & Rovaniemi Glass Igloo Stay: 6 days, Helsinki to Finnish Lapland with glass igloo accommodation and aurora hunting
• Family Christmas in Lapland: 5 days, Saariselkä, including husky safari, reindeer farm visit and a private Santa meeting
• Northern Lights Corridor - Tromsø to Rovaniemi: 7 days, guided group tour across two of the Arctic's most reliable aurora destinations

Full itinerary details and pricing are available at fiftydegreesnorth.com/styles/classic

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About 50 Degrees North

Founded in 2010 by Tietse Stelma and Jayde Kincaid, 50 Degrees North is a Nordic destination specialist with headquarters in Øyer, Norway, and offices in Minneapolis, Vancouver, and Melbourne. The company designs travel across Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Svalbard, and the Baltic States for travelers primarily from North America, Australia, and New Zealand. As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North is committed to responsible tourism and actively collaborates within the industry to advocate for meaningful action on the future of travel and our planet.

For more information, visit fiftydegreesnorth.com.