Adventure Travel Operators
In North America, a few companies offer adventure trips to Denmark. Crossing Latitudes, 420 W. Koch St., Bozeman, MT 59715 (tel. 800/572-8747 or fax 406/585-5356; www.crossinglatitudes.com), offers sea kayaking and backpacking expeditions throughout the region; and Blue Marble Travel, 211 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 (tel. 215/923-3788; www.bluemarble.org), features reasonably priced biking and hiking trips in Denmark and Norway.
In the U.K. -- The oldest travel agency in Britain, Cox & Kings, Gordon House 10, Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1PH (tel. 020/7873-5000; www.coxandkings.co.uk), was established in 1758. Today the company specializes in unusual, if pricey, holidays. Its offerings in Scandinavia include cruises through the spectacular fjords and waterways, bus and rail tours through sites of historic and aesthetic interest, and visits to the region's best-known handicraft centers, Viking burial sites, and historic churches. The company's staff is noted for its focus on tours of ecological and environmental interest.
To cycle through the splendors of Scandinavia, you can join Britain's oldest and largest association of bicycle riders, the Cyclists' Touring Club, Cotterell House, 69 Meadrow, Godalming, Surrey GU7 3HS (tel. 0870/873-0060; www.ctc.org.uk). Founded in 1878, it charges £33 ($59) a year for membership, which includes information, maps, a subscription to a newsletter packed with practical information and morale boosters, plus recommended cycling routes through virtually every country in Europe. The organization's information bank on scenic routes through Scandinavia is especially comprehensive. Membership can be arranged over the phone with a credit card (such as MasterCard, Visa, Access, or Barclaycard).
Learning Vacations
Danish Cultural Institute (Det Danske Kultur Institutu), Farvergade 27L, DK-1463 Copenhagen (tel. 33-13-54-48; fax 33-15-10-91; www.dankultur.dk), offers summer seminars in English, including a course in Danish culture. Credit programs are available, but many courses are geared toward professional groups from abroad. An especially interesting course for those with some knowledge of Danish is "Danmark, Danskerne, Dansk," which includes language instruction.
An international series of programs for persons over 50 who are interested in combining travel and learning is offered by Interhostel, developed by the University of New Hampshire. Each program lasts 2 weeks, is led by a university faculty or staff member, and is arranged in conjunction with a host college, university, or cultural institution. Participants may stay longer if they want. Interhostel offers programs consisting of cultural and intellectual activities, with field trips to museums and other centers of interest. For information, contact the University of New Hampshire, Division of Continuing Education, 6 Garrison Ave., Durham, NH 03824 (tel. 800/313-5327 or 603/862-2015; www.learn.unh.edu).
Another good source of information about courses in Denmark is the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), River Plaza, 9 W. Broad St., Stamford, CT 06902 (tel. 866/906-2437; www.aifs.org). This organization can set up transportation and arrange for summer courses, with bed and board included.
The largest organization dealing with higher education in Europe is the Institute of International Education (IIE), 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212/883-8200; www.iie.org). A few of its booklets are free, but for $47, plus $6 for postage, you can buy the more definitive Vacation Study Abroad. The Information Center in New York is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday from 11am to 4pm. The institute is closed on major holidays.
One well-recommended clearinghouse for academic programs throughout the world is the National Registration Center for Study Abroad (NRCSA), 823 N. 2nd St., P.O. Box 1393, Milwaukee, WI 53203 (tel. 414/278-0631; www.nrcsa.com). The organization maintains language study programs throughout Europe.
Heritage -- The Search for Roots
More than 12 million North Americans have Scandinavian roots, many in Denmark. To help you trace your ancestry, Danish consulates can furnish fact sheets. Many original Danish records are available on microfilm from The Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150 (tel. 801/240-2331).
Established in 1992, the Danish Immigrant Museum, Elk Horn, Iowa (tel. 712/764-7001; www.dkmuseum.org), is devoted to telling the story of migration to the United States.
In Denmark itself, the major archives concerning immigration are held at Det Danske Udvandrerarkiv (Danes' Worldwide Archives), Arkivstræde 1, P.O. Box 1731, DK-9100 Aalborg (tel. 99-31-42-20; fax 98-10-22-48; www.emiarch.dk).
Home Stays
Friendship Force International (FFI), 34 Peachtree St. NW, Suite 900, Atlanta, GA 30303 (tel. 404/522-9490; www.friendshipforce.org), is a nonprofit organization that encourages friendship among people worldwide. Dozens of branch offices throughout North America arrange visits, usually once a year. Because of group bookings, the airfare to the host country is usually less than the cost of individual tickets. Each participant spends 2 weeks in the host country, one as a guest in the home of a family and the second traveling in the host country.
Servas, 1125 16th St., Suite 201, Arcata, CA 95521 (tel. 707/825-1714; www.usservas.org), is an international nonprofit, nongovernmental, interfaith network of travelers and hosts whose goal is to help promote world peace, goodwill, and understanding. (Its name means "to serve" in Esperanto.) Servas hosts offer travelers hospitality for 2 days. Travelers pay an $85 annual fee and a $25 deposit after filling out an application and being approved by an interviewer (interviewers are located across the United States). They then receive Servas directories listing the names and addresses of Servas hosts.
Home Exchanges
One of the most exciting breakthroughs in modern tourism is the home exchange. Sometimes the family automobile is included. Of course, you must be comfortable with the idea of having strangers in your home, and you must be content to spend your vacation in one place.
Home exchanges cut costs. You don't pay hotel bills, and you can also save money by shopping in markets and eating in. One potential problem, though, is that you may not get a home in the area you request.
Intervac, U.S., 30 Corte San Fernando, Tiburon, CA 94920 (tel. 800/756-4663; www.intervacus.com), is part of the largest worldwide exchange network. It publishes four catalogs a year, containing more than 10,000 homes in more than 52 countries. Members contact each other directly. The cost is $86 plus postage, which includes the purchase of three of the company's catalogs (which will be mailed to you), plus the inclusion of your own listing in whichever one of the three catalogs you select.
The Invented City, 41 Sutter St., Suite 1090, San Francisco, CA 94104 (tel. 415/846-7588; www.invented-city.com), publishes home-exchange listings three times a year. For the $50 membership fee, you can list your home with your own written descriptive summary.
HomeLink (tel. 800/638-3841; www.homelink.org) will send you five directories a year -- in one of which you're listed -- for $80.
