For as long as I can remember, seeing the Northern Lights was the dream at very top of my bucket list. In December 2017, I finally convinced my ex-boyfriend to go chase them down with me, and we booked our tickets to Tromsø, Norway. My experiences chasing down this marvelous phenomena taught me a multitude of lessons that I want to share with you all before your own voyages to hunt down the Aurora Borealis! So without further adieu..
Here are the Top 10 Things You Need to Know Before Your Voyage to See the Northern Lights:
1. Prepare to Freeze.
If you’re serious about seeing the lights, that means you’re headed somewhere in the Arctic Circle (the second coldest place on earth, right after Antarctica.) The most popular destinations include Northern Canada, Alaska, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway. You know how your phone can overheat and die when you leave it in the sun for too long? My phone froze to death multiple times during my visit to Tromsø, and it was never out for long periods of time. That should probably give you a good idea of how cold it is. Pack accordingly, you will be waiting out in the freezing cold for hours on end.
2. The Peak months to see the Aurora Borealis are October-March.
This is because these months lack in daylight, and the darkness brings the Northern Lights, or at least a higher probability of seeing them. However, when you are choosing your destination, make sure you research the monthly weather patterns for that place. No matter what time of the year you visit, weather will be a detrimental factor in whether or not you’re able to see them.
3. Download the Live Aurora Network App.
The Live Aurora Network App sends alerts to your phone anytime the specific type of Aurora Borealis you were looking for is active in your area. It showcases real time footage of the lights wherever they happen to be at that moment, and it offers a free one-month trial! But please, don’t spend your whole vacation on your phone obsessing over where they are, stick to being reliant on the push notifications and live in the moment.
4. In order to photograph the Auroras, you will need a tripod and a DSLR camera.
The DSLR camera should be set with long exposure and a wide lens in advance. If you don’t have this equipment, there are typically photographers on tours that can capture them for you (but charge you for the photos after, of course.) The shows can last from minutes to hours, so perhaps you’re better off leaving it to the photographers, and taking in mental images of the magic.
I had left my camera and tripod at the hotel the night we finally saw them, but I had downloaded this Northern Lights Photo App beforehand that still allowed me to get some sub-par images. They did nothing of what my eyes saw justice, but they were still a good keepsake of the experience.
5. Don’t make your vacation one for solely of seeing the Northern Lights.
I remember being somewhat disappointed when I opened one of my Christmas gifts that month, it was a Spa Day on a boat in Tromsø. I know I sound crazy and ungrateful, because I was. I was so fixated on seeing them that I thought it would be wasted time we could be using to track them down.
Ironically, this tour ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip, because for a moment, I finally stopped worrying about when they would come out. If I could go back, I would’ve chosen to spend the money we paid for all those Northern Lights Chase tours on something like whale watching. Something that I’ll probably never get the opportunity to travel back to the Arctic and do again.
6. Plan your trip for a longer duration to decrease stress.
Limiting the number of days you have to capture the lights can put unnecessary pressure and anxiety on you and your travel partners. With each day that passed in Tromsø that we didn’t see them, I got more and more upset. I knew our time was limited and I couldn’t stop beating myself up for spending all that money to go seek out something we possibly wouldn’t find. This can put a huge damper on your trip, so give yourself time to relax and enjoy other aspects of the place you’re visiting.
7. Check the weather forecast before planning your trip, and consistently throughout.
Weather is a key factor that impacts the presence of the Auroras. The darker the better. The cloudier the worse. We made a rookie mistake of choosing December as our month to visit Tromsø, without knowing that there almost a 70% chance of precipitation month long there. Precipitation brings the clouds, and the clouds scare away the Auroras. These kinds of things are pivotal to note beforehand.
8. Try to find accommodations as far away from city lights as possible.
The Northern Lights typically can’t shine as much in city lights, just like stars. There are cities like Tromsø and Fairbanks where the lights can be visible, but if you really want to increase your chances, you should travel into the wilderness. If your goal is to see a phenomena made by nature, travel to the places where nature thrives. Northern Lights destinations in the wilderness that host people will often offer wake up calls included with your accommodation. They often come out in the middle of the night, and these places will siren to wake you up so you don’t miss your chance to see what you came for.
9. Understand that no amount of money, research or effort makes you guaranteed or entitled to see a natural phenomenon.
I repeat, NO amount of money or good tour guides that know the ways of the lights can guarantee you’ll see them if it’s just not in your cards, so please don’t waste it all on that mindset. You absolutely have to prepare yourself for the frustration you will experience beforehand, and realize you are not in control of mother nature. “Expect for the worst and hope the best” is the mantra you have to follow.
10. Don’t let the dream of the destination ruin your journey.
For the whole month prior to our trip, I probably watched Frozen a dozen times. I googled “movies that show the Northern Lights” and tried to watch all of those too. I would fall asleep to Brother Bear, and I bought a “Northern Lights Theme” light for my room. I had them on pedestal, and considering how amazing they are, you can’t really blame me. But what I can blame myself for is not listening my own advice. To never put things, moments or people on pedestals, because regardless of how amazing they are, that’s not where they belong.
If you read my most recent article on The Alan Watts Philosophy That Changed My Life, you’ll understand why I choose to think this way. I neglected the moments leading up to seeing them, and I wanted them so badly that I inevitably caused myself suffering. The universe truly does have a way of bringing us the things we need in the right moments. If I’d seen them on the tours the nights before when I was expecting them, it would have just glorified my attitude that was in need of serious adjustment. As Watts would say,
“Pleasure, in its greatest form, cannot be appreciated while one is trying to grasp it.”
And that is exactly what I was doing- trying to grasp too hard, believing that if I did they would eventually come. Wasted money and regrets aside, I’m so happy they came when they did. I wouldn’t have appreciated them as much had I not experienced the disappointment I had in the days before.
The Northern Lights are more than just a natural phenomenon; they’re like a spiritual awakening envisioned. The number one thing to remember when you chase after these beauties is that they are unpredictable and rare, and if they weren’t; the moment when you actually meet them wouldn’t be nearly as magical.
