How I went to Bicolline with "The Voyage North" | LARP in Canada

[@KUKACOLA]

You should of seen 2022, we won the Grande Bataille, all 3 main battles were flawless victories. The TVN Guilds including their Newest addition Nova vitae were so well Trained by Mills, Our shield walls were never broken through and pushed the enemy all the way back to their spawn point, all the While they Screamed " NOVA, IT IS WHAT IT IS !". how I Know? I was Nova's Shield Commander ;)

[@SonjasAdventures]

how aaaawesome!! I miss Mills, he was a wonderful fight couch and excellent drinking partner =D

[@KUKACOLA]

@@SonjasAdventures my first drink with him was pure Moon shine there's a reason they warn you to never challenge him to a drinking contest XD

[@shanasheinfeld6006]

@@KUKACOLA Mills contributed to my birthday drink, mixed by Jordan. I felt very special indeed!

[@user-jw8ze2rt8m]

Sonja, I watched your videos prior to attending Bico, and there was some great info. HOWEVER!!! I don't know why you or TVN wont even ballpark TVN's prices. TVN actively hides their pricing, and it's super deceptive! I found out TVN starts at 2000.00$ CAD/$1500 USD (yes you read that right 2K CAD $$$ base price, and that was several years ago [Circa 2016], so it's likely more now with inflation). I only know because I applied and had a phone consultation to attend with them. I laughed and said "NO THANKS"! Sure, it's an "All inclusive LARP Trip" and there are some benefits to going with an established guild, food, shelter, RP & EN/FR translation etc... However you can totally attend BICO for WAY CHEAPER!!! I went to The 25th GB for 3 days(Thurs -Sun) with a group of 5 from Ottawa CAN, (300 Km away) and went for 500$ CAD/Person. That includes a ~350$ admission ticket per person, beer, food and transport. I understand that your fanbase may be coming from abroad, so there is some appeal for international players. For Northern USA, ONT & Atlantic players there is little info on alternatives! There is a large area for NON decorum camping located just west of the palisades in the tree-line! It's 10min walk (or less) from the decorum areas, and it's a scenic walk. In the Non Decorum area, you can use a modern tent, it has a community firepit, and plenty of friendly people. So if you're not afraid to make friends, TVN is not your only option =) Sorry of this thread causes you issues with TVN.

[@bjorngreybeard1624]

I was born in Germany, now, because of you I found yet another reason to go back and visit

[@SonjasAdventures]

hurraaaay

[@YetAnotherLARPPodcast]

Bicolline looks amazing! and it's great to know there's an option to go with a large group of likeminded people :) thanks for this informative video!

[@dragom2009]

That was a druid who stole the tortillas. Also this is so cool and makes it more easy to actually attend to this event :D

[@SonjasAdventures]

haha might have been a druid in animal form =D Glad the video helps, thanks so much for your feedback!!

[@dragom2009]

@@SonjasAdventures anytime :D thank you for the tips and content :)

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@dragom2009 absolutely =)

[@dragom2009]

@@SonjasAdventures :D

[@julieneylwij479]

Bicolline, a Dream, maybe in 2023 with french larpers !!! Nice for you to have lived this trip ! Nice vidéo too Sonja !

[@julieneylwij479]

Thank you sooooo much for this video full of nice informations about The Voyage North !!!!

[@SonjasAdventures]

Thank you Julien!! Yeah, French Larpers would probably have even more fun there as you have easy access to the local language =) And you neeeeed to see this location, it's just wonderful. The people from "The Voyage North" are also super helpful, make it all safe and just relaxing and an easy experience

[@julieneylwij479]

@@SonjasAdventures thank you Sonja for all these informations ! I'm gonna meet all this community in Viking, this year I wish ! I hope to meet you one day it's been a long time since i know you on the social media !

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@julieneylwij479 yeeeeay!! Well, I will be at Conquest of Mythodea this year =)

[@BrotherBacchus]

Definitely on my 'bucket-list'....

[@SonjasAdventures]

Oh yes! You need to experience going from one village to the other and marvelling at all the houses in between the trees at least oooonce in your life!! ❤️

[@LordofTheFallen]

I just discovered you as someone fascinated by larp and cosplay but never really looked into it because all your exciting videos were in Europe, only for you to drop this video about a festival only few hours away! Thank you for introducing me to this world and the magic that you brought to it. I also have to ask; while you are leaving this channel to move on to other things are you still going to larp in your personal life or is this going to be a completely new beginning?

[@HrokiKroki]

voyage north comes across as a cult cause whenever cost is mentioned... everyone's always like, ohh yeaaah,, custom pricing...idk... then deflect like "oh when you go on vacation you can splurge there a ton of money so like why not here?" guys its bassically around 5000$ to go. to sleep on a stiff AF cot. for an event that the whole pass ticket price is around 300. LOL if you can walk a lot and dont plan on late night fun. easy options can be: rent a car and drive back to a hotel at night or sleep in the car. added bonus of hot showers and washed clothes. if you wanna PARTY, walmart or equivalent sells tents for cheap and just walk from the non fantasy section camp area. for your first time. donate the tent stuff if you hated it. OR: once you make friends there who have group set up maybe see about joining their camp and might provide sleeping set ups cheaper. you could rent a storage locker in quebec for your camping stuff and every year bring that if you get hooked. and still stay under that price tag but paying 5000! me personally i think i could get to the event for the whole thing with food and a private sleeping arrangement for half that being as EXTRA as i can be like fur throw blankets and evne left over for costume. i dont mean to hate on the original posters video here. but i just dont like seeing such an AMAZING EVENT gatekept by crazy ads prices when its really a lot more accessible than let on

[@bakaichigo]

I specifically clicked this video to see if she mentioned the cost, lol. Thank you for shortening my search (still watching video ofc tho lol). I've always wanted to go and I live about an 8-9hour drive from the site, always figured I'd drive out there for the week one year. I worked it out that I'd probably need roughly 1000$ for me and 1 other person to go, including the food and travel costs assuming I drive us there. It's still pretty hugely expensive for my broke arse, but 350$ entry fee for 7 days + travel + food for 1 week (or money to buy food there) and my already-owned LARPing gear is still WORLDS cheaper than 5k. Now I know I 100% would not be able to afford TVN and likely won't have that kind of money any time soon... If they don't provide travel from your home location to Montreal too, why TF is it 5000$? :'D That's... a _lot_ of money for one person to go to the LARP. It's actually 5x more than my estimation for 2 people to go from Toronto driving there... I mean the fancy tabard and tent rental aren't that much, you can buy a tabard custom made for like 40-50$ and those tents can be rented if you have that kind of money and you'd still come in WAY under 5k. Is it the catering, maybe? :'D I love these videos, they keep my hope of going someday alive, but I wish the price was more affordable lol

[@HrokiKroki]

@@bakaichigo best bet, buy walmart camping stuff, stay at a non period tenting area. eat when your only hungry at site or pack like non cook ez protien. make friends there who are local or have guilds {black rose is from alberta for example) and join them next time to get in on period correct tent areas. its a thing you build up to imho for me im 40 hours drive away. which means fly instead but that means upped price to attend. TVN charges SO MUCH because the dude is american and companies from there ALWAYS gouge. TVN is a cool idea but its exploitive.

[@steved9515]

Dam that Voyage North really hooked it up

[@yieeeeeeeeeeeeee]

it's nice to hear that your group is inclusive.

[@resilotta5139]

Vielen Dank für das schöne Video Sonja! ❤ Bicolline sieht einfach nur genial aus… vlt. treibt es mich ja auch irgendwann mal dorthin 😊

[@SonjasAdventures]

ui danke Resilotta =) Ich kanns auf jeden Fall empfehlen, wirklcih schön dort!!

[@marcofrank2082]

You are back ❤❤❤ great video. You really made me regard Larp in a different way with your channel. Thanks 🙏 😊

[@SonjasAdventures]

Oh how cool!! Thank you Marco! Yes, this month (January) is the last month of our channel =) We are going to publish a few more videos before ending the project after 5 years. If you want to follow us along on the final days, make sure to check out our Instagram as well. I publish stuff almost daily there =) And I am soooo happy you have a different look on Larp now

[@marcofrank2082]

@@SonjasAdventures thanks for the quick reaction. I will miss you on KZbin for sure. 😢I think I‘ll have to sign up on Instagram then. I came from „historical“ re-enactment but larp seems to be so much more 🤩 fun.

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@marcofrank2082 yeeeay, I mean Instagram is fun for the inspirations of costumes and character stories I think =) Historical reenactment is a cool hobby, as well - LARP just adds another dimension to it. A lot more roleplay and "adventure", in my personal view =) (but also less historical accuracy..so if you are into that, you will find more Fantasy than "real" 1:1 historical looks)

[@marcofrank2082]

@@SonjasAdventures there is more fantasy involved with historical reenactment as you might think (marching up and down the square and stuff). I was just amazed by the costumes and the esprit of the Larpers. Amazing, mind blowing. Thanks for showing that to me. The quality of your videos was outstanding and very inspiring. So much that I started looking into a larp character for myself 😬

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@marcofrank2082 that makes me sooooo happy!! THank you Marco

[@theweaponscollectiveedge863]

That is amazing, very cool

[@oculus1857]

Wait looking at a chalk board and no need for cellphones or watches? My brain can NOT compute!!! LOL

[@SonjasAdventures]

haha riiiight?? isnt't it beautiful? =D

[@The_Good_Soldier]

holy crap i live 2 hours away from this! I must now go!

[@SonjasAdventures]

yeeeay

[@The_Good_Soldier]

@@SonjasAdventures I watched a few of your videos now and it looks like such good fun!

[@bakaichigo]

Luckyyyyy I 'm 8-9 hours by car driving... but I've done 2-3 hour drives for monthly LARPs no problem - you could go to the regular season LARP events even!

[@Gabriel-px8cv]

bro the blue beard was so cool

[@HERO-UX]

Nice video Sonja. Are you coming back this year? You are probably the best content creator for Bico to give us visibility.

[@SonjasAdventures]

aaaaw thanks Alex!! No, I was only able to come because they helped me with the travel costs. So sadly that was probably my only visit to Bicolline. But I reeeeally loved it there 😍

[@anbuyami5287]

@@SonjasAdventures Maybe in a couple years i will have the chance to see you there :) , take care and i'm happy that you like it here !

[@phoenix72999]

@@SonjasAdventures I can imagine that. These "They will take care of everything for you" type of deals usually end up having one downside: They are not cheap. But it sounds fun. Maybe I will do it one day, if I get a well paying job or something.

[@Colorella13]

That's so awesome! I want to go to Bicolline too :)

[@SonjasAdventures]

yeees, maybe one day we charter a plane together? =D

[@h0mbre74]

Thanks for this intro video. Csn you give us an idea of the cost to travel with TVN and their packages? Its hard to find info on that. What package did you go for? How much was that?

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@h0mbre74 I dont have any info on that to be honest - i know it's different depending on what you book so you would really have to ask them 😊❤️

[@andrewmueller23]

It's about $2,500.00 dollars.

[@CaptianInternet]

ohhhh those racooooooons! Great content! Thank you!

[@jeltec28]

Well, this is something to strave for

[@SonjasAdventures]

yeees it's absolutely beautiful there 😍 I specially loved the impressive Norse longhouses.. definitely a "must-see"

[@kyleneal8891]

As an Australian who has stumbled upon this, I am not surprised at the Shoey Cult. It's basically a real cult here anyway. Never been prouder.

[@SonjasAdventures]

I had just seen in at MMA fights by that Ozzy fighter but I love that this is a whole thing haha

[@empresslichy5706]

thx so much for this video ❤❤❤ i always wanted to go to bicolline but had no idea how

[@SonjasAdventures]

oh how cool! Makes me really happy if that could help. Yeah, "The Voyage North" is just a relaxing way of solving all of your logistical challenges - and gives you a safe space right away

[@wacman13]

Crazy that i do larp and i live in Quebec but never tried Bicoline x)

[@f6201747]

i living in Taiwan(Asia), this is the most crazy thing ever and want to join

[@SonjasAdventures]

hey hey!! You should definitely go 😍 it's so wonderful there.. if you like, check out the Voyage North Homepage and fill out the application. They will have a call with you where you can ask aaaall the questions you have before you decide. In any case I can recommend going to this beautiful location 😍 Bicolline is really special.. Also, do you personally Larp in Taiwan, too?

[@anthonymaalouf7090]

Im gunna join this year

[@SonjasAdventures]

That's amazing! Wishing you so much fun

[@rushuhm8087]

I want to go to bicolline so badly.

[@requiemaeternam3406]

I would love doing larp but idk anybody Who does It in my country, love your videos they are like a Dream to me.

[@SonjasAdventures]

oh thank you!! Where are you from? Maybe I can help you =)

[@requiemaeternam3406]

@@SonjasAdventures Italy, i was looking for the Drakenfest this Summer but i had to cancel that for work issues :(

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@requiemaeternam3406 okay so there's TONS of Larp in Italy. 😍All organized in local associations. But if you want a Larp event that attracts people from all over Italy, you can check out "Battle for Vilegis" or "Aston Crown" (simply google them, you'll find them on Instagram, on their homepage etc). Also, there's the Italian association "Terre Spezzate", which makes Blockbuster Larp events even for international crowd. And then there's tons more...Just google "gioco di ruolo" and your area. P.S: It's called "Drachenfest" (I know, German is super weird, sorry =) )

[@requiemaeternam3406]

@@SonjasAdventures thx a lot i didn't knew that exists such community in Italy at all! Never saw any of these kinds of events beign advertised around usually it's more all about cosplays. Gonna tell you how It Will go i'm a bit shy and roleplaying with strangers looks Just a Little odd :)

[@SonjasAdventures]

@@requiemaeternam3406 no worries - we all had that problem in the beginning. But if you find a good association in ITaly, you will find a bunch of really good new friends =) Larp is rarely advertised to be honest...Some of it is advertised at the PLAY convention in Italy but it's not like anyone has money for huge billboards haha

[@dsps51]

one day. ima have it one day

[@Snowwolfie88]

While I feel stupid to ask this question do they have charging port for phones I would like to know for pictures and videos if I ever go

[@SonjasAdventures]

hey there - since there is no "audience" you would also not take pictures =) Specially in a Medieval Fantasy setting- Having said that, Bicolline is not as strict with that from what I have seen (at least I have seen some people secretly use phones without disturbing people in their immersion). So yes, I think there are some ports in the bathrooms but Im not 100% sure

[@Snowwolfie88]

Oh ok thanks have a good day 😊

[@Locardox]

holy shit, and they say money cant buy happines, that place looks like solid happines to me. I wish I wasn't so south american, when I see amazing things like this I just know i'll never be able to aford it.

[@acerock013]

i'm going this summer for 2024!

[@MikoDarkblade]

I'm trying to get a rough idea of what is the base price before the addon? Anybody knows?

[@lindsaykduke]

It seems a lot of people are and no one is willing to share this information......

[@taylarobinson1894]

I have read a couple comments and people are saying 3K to 5K ish CAD, I really hope its not THAT bad...

[@hauntedcaptainphoenix5363]

I love brown and green medieval outfits I want to find people to do medieval stuff I want to make my own clan. I want to make a dark green moss cloak and a light green grass tunic for a ranger archer do you have any ideas on how I could make it.

[@SonjasAdventures]

Honestly, I would simply buy it. There's a wonderful moss green cloak from Burgschneider, that is simply perfect and you don't have to do anything on your own. They also sell Tunis etc Also, if you use the voucher code "TeamSonja" you get 10% on aaaanything you buy there, as often as you want - until the end of 2023. This is the cloak I mean: (I own it myself and it's really cool...but they have a lot of other stuff too): burgschneider.com.au/cloak-justus-olive-green.html And yeah, remember to use the code if you want to save some money =) It's only 10% but for that cloak it's about 11 Euro less =) Have fun!!

[@TheMidwesternViking]

I need that mans blueish beard

[@Zargonof]

I love bicolline but the voyage North is another thing. I went with them once and when I found out how much cheaper I could of gone for just through bico instead of the voyage North I was a bit upset. The people are so welcoming it is so easy to meet people as well and many established guilds avoid the order cervi of the voyage North.

[@SonjasAdventures]

As I said in the video, it's of course always cheaper to go without a service that helps you to get there, sets up a tent and sleeping place for you, provides food, a community house, all kinds of different activities, Translations, an access to plot and an easy access to battles including fight training. If you feel easy with organizing stuff like that yourself and maybe already have friends at the event, you obviously don't need a guide 😊 However I think for people who are new to this (and quite frankly even for people who just like the company and the communal feeling of TVN), I think it's a great way to go 😊 I am glad you are having fun and a great community by going without them, though ❤️ As long as you found a way to get to this beautiful place, while feeling safe and enjoying this adventure, that's the most important part 😊

[@ivanqperello5756]

QUEBEC

[@diamondback6653]

The Holy Shoey....? Is Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and founder of the Shoey an honorary member yet?

[@SonjasAdventures]

I dont think so haha

[@alexsears7892]

Why would you spend over $3200cdn for this ? I had a huge difficulty even getting an "interview appointement" to find out a base price. After they missed two times and were late on the third for my appointment they told me it was $2400us to go go LARP camping for a week.... IN CANADA.

[@larpingxvii9920]

What the *lightning bolt* is Larp? 😂😂😂

[@SonjasAdventures]

😂 yeah we couldnt help ourselves haha

[@stephen6631]

This is only the second biggest larp in Canada. The largest is the Trudeau government

[@SonjasAdventures]

yeay, unnecessary political comment =D

[@Cirathos]

Summer camp for adults.

[@MrChrisnorman185]

Can I just come be a homeless Hermit who just smokes all day and watches?