Most Brits scratch their heads when attempting to chat up locals on an overseas trip. But Creative Escapes, a provider of photography and travel writing courses throughout Europe, has come up with a cheeky way of getting their students noticed by locals. Students are given a laminated card with 10 'important' phrases – such as "Is skinny dipping allowed in the fjord?" (Kan jeg svømme naken i fjorden?) The cards are being launched at their flagship destination in western Norway this May.

 

Creative Escapes co-founder Jon Cunningham came up with the idea of printing up the cards because he noticed that his students were getting frustrated in their inability to communicate during the course. "We do one exercise with the photo students where I send them out to a local marketplace and ask them to approach three separate people, engage with them and take their portrait. I think being able to approach someone and greet them in their own language is a massive advantage over just going up to them and saying in English ''Excuse me? OK if I take your picture?'" He adds, "We threw in a few chat up lines on the card just for a bit of fun. For our single clients, its always helpful!"

 

Second co-founder Roger Norum agrees, "Our writing and photography courses are really very hands on. And if you're out there in the field, and you can't make contact with the people around you, it can be incredibly frustrating. Especially in destinations like Morocco and Cambodia, where locals don't expect foreigners to know any of the local language, knowing even just a few words can really you get access to things which you might not otherwise be privy to."

 

Even if the course is held in a country where English is widely spoken - like Norway, for example - Cunningham feels that the very act of approaching someone in their native language can do a lot towards establishing rapport between two people. "Even simple phrases such as 'Hello. I am a photography student from England.' can help break down some of those social and cultural barriers we all have up when someone unfamiliar approaches us."

 

To get to grips with Norwegian locals and to pocket the invaluable pocket phrasebook in Norwegian, book

yourself onto the Creative Escapes travel writing and photography courses, held from May 15-18 in western Norway. The course fee of £550 includes four days of accommodation, full board, structured tutorials, personal feedback sessions, excursions and airport transfers.

 

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Creative Escapes offers exceptional learning holidays in below-the-radar regions of Norway, France, Spain and Morocco. Their creative escapes abroad offer not only the chance to learn from working professionals but also an enjoyable short break in some of the world’s most spectacular destinations. The combination of structured tutorials, practical exercises in hand-picked local areas, plus one-on-one tuition enables a step-change in the clients´ creative skills and approach.

 

Roger Norum, Kate Tadman and Adrian Mourby have over 35 years published writing experience, with coverage in the Los Angeles Times, The Times, Independent, The Observer, Financial Times; magazines such as Opera Now and Bella; broadcast including CBS News and the BBC; and several dozen travel books, most notably for Rough Guide/Penguin and four novels.

 

Jon Cunningham and Mike Smith have over 20 years professional photography experience, with clients including some of the finest luxury hotels in the world, advertising from Paul Smith to Diesel and travel publications such as the Rough Guide, Daily Telegraph, Hip Hotels Asia and Design Hotels.

 

www.creative-escapes.co.uk

 

For more information, contact Jon Cunningham at jon@creative-escapes.co.uk or on 0788 988 0366.