Norway is a country I’ve already visited. During my semester abroad in Aarhus, Denmark, I visited on two occasions. My first visit was in October well before the sun disappeared from the horizon. I flew to Oslo, took the train to Bergen, then returned by train and flew to Honningsvåg via Kirkenes. During my layover in Kirkenes, I did my first solo hitch into town and back. I loved seeing all the signs in Russian since Russian has always been one of my target languages along with Spanish. I returned to Oslo via the same flight route and then hitchhiked the ferry from Larvik to Hirtshals in Denmark. That is why my experiences solo traveling in Norway are so fundamental to my development as a hitchhiker and a traveler.
A few weeks later in November, I rather spontaneously returned. This time, I hitchhiked from Kiruna in Sweden to Narvik in Norway via the Riksgränsen border. As a consequence of entering by land, I realized that Norway is actually neither a part of the European Union nor part of Schengen. There was a customs check and my Swedish driver who worked in Norway lost his two tins of ‘cheap’ Swedish snus. I still feel bad about that. And that’s also when I realized I should probably research a thing or two before I hitchhike across borders.
There was very little daylight, but plenty of absolutely magical snow scenes that will forever make me less afraid of the dry cold. I was about to travel to Lofoten but learned that my absent grandpa had died, so I had to return to the Netherlands as quickly as possible to attend the funeral. So you can see, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time studying in Denmark—and I regret nothing.
Things I’d Like to Do Next Time in Norway
- Hitchhike more with locals,✅ and hitchhike the country south to north or vice versa as I did during travels in Chile! The similarities between Norway and Chile are kind of out there because they’re both long countries with fjords. Consequently, I’m planning to take as many ferries/cruises and land routes as possible✅
- However, if I need to fly, I’ll try to take flights to places with cute small airports. For instance, Norway has loads of STOLports. Some of these are abandoned and good for urban exploring✅. From what I gathered, there are at least 7 abandoned airports in Norway in 2022. Moreover, some had seaplane bases as well as heliports, which I find very fascinating as well. If there are still reasonably-priced options to actually take a seaplane or helicopter somewhere useful (not scenic flight) in Norway, I’d be so down
- Visit Borgund Stave Church.✅ Simply because it’s the wonder of the Vikings in Age of Empires II
- Hike up or admire from below the highest sea cliff of Europe: Hornelen (860masl). Also, I’d like to enjoy fjords such as Sognefjord
- Likewise, I’d like to hike the easy route up the highest peak of Norway Galdhøpiggen (2469masl). It will require a guide as it crosses a glacier, though I’m not sure for how much longer this statement will be valid, and I’m shitty on ice
- Pass through Mo i Rana and perhaps contemplate hitchhiking the Blue Highway from Norway to Sweden, Finland, and Russia. However, such an Arctic trip will probably remain a forever dream since summers are short and one of these countries is not like the others
- So Norway has two three-country borders: one with Finland and Sweden, and the one with Finland and Russia. Though I’m not sure how accessible the latter is, the former is definitely well-visited for its remoteness and the fact that it’s in the water on an artificial island
- Finally, doing the thing I intended to do in 2012, visit the Lofoten Archipelago!✅
- Above all, there are many remote places in Norway that I’d love to hit up:
- Vegaøyan aka the Vega Archipelago
- Vardø. This is an extremity in Norway that is further east than Istanbul! I’m pretty sure I landed there in 2012 with the Widerøe flight that goes to Honningsvåg, but it doesn’t count because I didn’t leave the plane (it works like a bus)
- Sørøya
- After having visited Nordkapp in 2012, I’d like to do the challenging hike to Cape Nordkinn. However, I’ll probably regret doing that if my performance at Knivskjellodden is any indication; during that hike, I got lost and almost died of hypothermia and needed to be rescued
- That overlooked part of Norway between the ‘ears’ of Finland: Karasjok and Kautokeino (aka Finnmarksvidda)
- Røst island✅ looks just about remote enough and I’m looking forward to the bumpy ferry ride. Perhaps during a visit to Røst, I’d even could pursue a sidequest of a sidequest to Skomvær Lighthouse?✅
- Vikna
- And lastly, Kirkeøy and the archipelago close to Sweden in the south. Because the gap in the Oslo fjord is so huge, there must be some interesting border crossings in that area
- Lillehammer.✅ The only reason I want to go there is because of the TV show with the guy from the Sopranos and a very funny Norwegian comic relief
- Meanwhile, I’d love to admire or climb as many beautiful lighthouses as I can. Since most of the things I’ve mentioned thus far are in coastal/fjord areas, I think it will be easy to do so
- So, I really want to visit this sign and take a selfie:
But because I saw this photo on Facebook without context, I had no idea where it was besides “at the Norwegian border with Russia”. Well, there’s a river in the picture, which is a clue. As a result of lots of Google Streetview scanning along the Jakobselva/Voryema River, I found it:
To learn more, the Barents Observer has a story about this sign with a bit more context than “haha”. And if you want to dig even deeper, here’s a piece of law from when Norway still bordered the Soviet Union, which explains basically the same thing.
- It’s wishful thinking, but I really, really, really want to go to Svalbard✅ AND Jan Mayen AND Bjørnøya AND Bouvet Island (last one is in the southern hemisphere). But I’ll probably dedicate a separate page to them one day since they don’t really fit the theme of mainland Norway. Tips welcome!
If you know cool places and things to do in Norway or if you are Norwegian, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return!
So you are a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Norway. Then drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
How to Get a Serbian SIM Card in a Small Town + Balkan Roaming Tips
We entered Serbia on Thursday the 28th of March, 2024 via kayak on the Danube. The small town we bought a Serbian SIM card in is called Apatin. Here’s our recommendation for a Serbian SIM card, how we got it, and how it works in neighboring non-EU countries. Contents1 Which Serbian SIM Card is Best?2 How We Bought a Serbian SIM Card in Apatin3 Which Yettel Data Packages to Buy as a Digital Nomad?4 Other things to know about the Serbian Yettel SIM card5 Serbian SIM Card FAQ + Internet Freedom5.1 Should I buy a Serbian SIM card at theContinue reading
Accommodation in the Åland Islands: from Eckerö and Kökar to Mariehamn
What to expect of accommodation in the Åland Islands as a digital nomad? These are the places we booked to both have adventures and get some work done. We were in Åland between the 24th of September and the 9th of October. Åland is part of Finland, so read about accommodation in Finland here. Contents1 Eckerö (Couchsurfing)2 Karlby, Kökar Island ⭐3 Mariehamn, Fasta Åland4 Cruiseferry Åland to Estonia5 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in the Åland Islands6 Useful info about accommodation in the Åland Islands? Please share it! Eckerö (Couchsurfing) Duration: two nights We spent our first two nights inContinue reading
Accommodation in Finland: Where We Stayed between Kilpisjärvi and Turku
What to expect of accommodation in Finland as a digital nomad? We stayed in Finland from the 3rd of September till the 9th of October, but from the 24th of September till the 9th of October we were in the Åland Islands part of Finland. Since Åland is quite a special place, accommodation in the Åland Islands is a separate post! Contents1 Kilpisjärvi, Lapland2 Muonio, Lapland ⭐3 Tornio, Lapland4 Oulu, North Ostrobothnia⭐5 Vaasa, Ostrobothnia6 Turku, Southwest Finland7 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in Finland8 Feel like sharing? You have a special place in my heart Kilpisjärvi, Lapland Duration: three nightsContinue reading
Hailuoto Day Trip from Oulu: Marjaniemi Lighthouse + Keskiniemi Beacon
We visited Hailuoto on Thursday the 14th of September, 2014. It’s a very beautiful and flat island in the northern Baltic Sea in Finland. Contents1 Bus 59S from Oulu to Marjaniemi Lighthouse on Hailuoto2 Marjaniemi Lighthouse + Coffee3 Hiking Hailuoto’s Forests to Karvo4 Keskiniemi Beacon Tower and Light5 Harrassed by Bugs in the Forests of Hailuoto6 Hyypänmäki and the Struve Geodetic Arc7 Hitchhiking to the Ferry + Return from Hailuoto to Oulu8 Solving the Mystery: Meet the Deer Fly9 Map of Hailuoto Hike10 Was this post useful? Ponder buying me a beer!11 Good read? Consider sharing it with fellow FinnophilesContinue reading
Why We Started Catsitting + How to Start Housesitting to Travel
It all started with a cat named Monday. At least, that’s what we called her. And after finding a forever home for her, we wanted to have more cats in our lives without the drama and the tears. More happy stories of beloved felines that receive regular veterinary care. Fewer stories of kittens discarded on a hiking trail or born in a colony on a rooftop. Just taking care of cats for a few days or weeks or months and then handing back the responsibility to their pet parents who missed them dearly and are grateful for the help. ThatContinue reading
Hitchhiking to Bern from Freiburg im Breisgau—Jonas’ First Time in Switzerland
All this happened on Wednesday the 17th of May, 2023. We kissed Moritz goodbye after catsitting him for two weeks in Freiburg im Breisgau. We walked to a hitchhiking spot to travel from Germany to Switzerland. Jonas hadn’t been to Switzerland before and we were both excited to go hitchhiking to Bern. Doing the Research for Hitchhiking to Bern During our stay in Freiburg, Jonas and I had to decide how to get from the catsit of Moritz in Germany to the one in Switzerland. I really wanted to hitchhike and I really wanted to visit Switzerland’s de facto capitalContinue reading
Transitioning from Solo to Couple Travel: Bloggers Share Their Experiences
You’ve read the hashtags #solotravel #coupletravel and might follow some travelers based on these attributes. But what about the people who started out as solo travelers and then found someone? I asked travel bloggers to share their experiences on how the transition to couple travel has changed their travels. Adjusting to a whole other person while adventuring definitely comes with its challenges, disadvantages, and, of course, advantages—otherwise, we wouldn’t do it. Contents1 Kate (+ Partner): Solo to Long-Distance to Couple Travel2 Kerry (+ Jason): Similar Tastes in Travel3 Eloise (+ Ben): Overcoming Fears4 James (+ Kevin): Decades of Travel, NowContinue reading
Hitchhiking Bucket List: #6 Ice Road (Truckers?)
Places that are hard to reach fascinate me. You might know that I’ve already been to the largest city unreachable by road—Iquitos in Perú. That journey from Pucallpa to Iquitos and from Iquitos to El Coca in Ecuador takes several days by boat. But what about areas that freeze? Some locales I’ve been dreaming of for a long time are only accessible by seasonal ice road. And yes, I’m looking at you, Yakutsk. Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic of Russia is the second-biggest city that is not (yet) reachable by permanent road. In the summer, they have car ferries across theContinue reading
Biryuchiy to Heniches’k: A Hitchhiking Detour to the Watermelon State (Ukraine)
After seven days on Biryuchiy Island (actually a peninsula), we left for Heniches’k. Both of these towns are in Kherson Oblast, but to get from one to the other, one must travel through Zaporizhzhia Oblast around the Utlyutsky estuary. The whole route is quite a detour as you can see on the map below. This happened on Thursday the 30th of September, 2021. Contents1 Preparations to Travel to Heniches’k2 The Neighbor Drives us from Biryuchiy Kyrylivka3 Kyrylivka to the Deer Statue4 This Never Rarely Happens5 Tire Change6 The Last Ride to Heniches’k7 Heading into Heniches’k8 Thanks for reading! A share meansContinue reading
6 Stories from Hosts + Guests in Lockdown: Hospitality in the Time of Corona
Our world has shrunk a great deal since the globe went on lockdown for the coronavirus. Blindsided by the sudden changes, travelers had to make some tough decisions mid-adventure. Amidst the chaos, I knew there would be some people out there who remained kind and trusting of virtual strangers. People who would keep their doors open when they were told to keep it shut. I’d been thinking about the people showing or experiencing hospitality under such extraordinary circumstances. So I asked around looking for stories from both hosts and guests to share their experiences. Many people responded with their stories,Continue reading