Flytoget / Bane NOR / SOS-barnebyer | The Longest Journey
The stunt — named "The Longest Journey" — was developed by Søndre Reklamebyrå for SOS Children's Villages, with Sølvrev providing video production support. The campaign is a wordless but brutal reminder of the more than 200 million children worldwide who are, or are at risk of becoming, alone — growing up without parents or safe caregivers.
Brief:
The train departed at 2:47 a.m., while most of Norway slept. The timing was deliberate, chosen to mirror reality: while most Norwegians sleep safely in their beds, millions of children are traveling through life alone. Through close collaboration between Flytoget and Bane NOR, an entire departure was arranged and set up specifically for the campaign.
The 247 seats on board symbolize all the children making that journey through life alone — children who have to fend for themselves around the clock, without safe adults to give them the care they need and are entitled to.
Solution:
Agency director Lars Eia Kirkholm of Søndre explains why the agency chose to build "The Longest Journey" around a quiet, visual concept.
"'The Longest Journey' is a simple yet powerful image of a very real situation. An empty airport train in the middle of the night creates a silence that makes the message even stronger. While most of Norway slept, we let 247 empty seats symbolize all the children traveling through life alone."
These children are facing the world alone on a scale we haven't seen in decades.
Sigurd T. Skjefstad, Director of Communications and Marketing at SOS Children's Villages, believes the stunt captures exactly what the organization wants to convey.
"When war, poverty and natural disasters strike, it's like dominoes — one crisis toppling into the next, each one amplifying the others. And at the end of that chain are always the children who have no family left to care for them. We're now facing a global situation more severe than anything we've seen in decades. 'The Longest Journey' makes that visible in a way we hope will be hard to look away from," he says.
Flytoget and Bane NOR made the journey possible.
Ida Marie Fottland, Director of Communications and People at Flytoget, underscores the significance of the partnership.
"Every day, Flytoget carries people on safe journeys. That's exactly why this idea struck such a chord with us. Using our train as the stage for 'The Longest Journey' — a message far bigger than any of us — felt like a natural choice," says Fottland.
"The Longest Journey" is a central part of the campaign "I'm Traveling Alone", which drove widespread engagement throughout November 2025 and continued through the lead-up to Christmas.
