Planning your trip without knowing the basics on how to see the Northern Lights may mean you miss it altogether. Knowing some of the best places to see the Northern Lights is a step forward in this process.

If you plan a short trip to see them, you must choose places that are very far north.

Among different places where you can enjoy the Aurora show (if the conditions are right), I have chosen spots located in Kp=2 regions (closer to the earth’s poles). These places get much Aurora activity and there are high chances to enjoy the lights here even when the Auroras are weak and the solar activity is low.

More on this you can find in the article I have written about everything you need to know about chasing the Northern Lights.

In addition, keep in mind that the best time of the year to see the Northern Lights in the Kp=2 region is between September and April. (In summer, the midnight sun prevents the Aurora even if there’s solar activity).

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland is a paradise for Aurora hunters. The country is located in the Kp=2 zone and this means there are high chances to see the lights even if the solar activity is not so strong. As a traveler, it may be best for you to go to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. You have plenty of activities to do there during the day and you can then plan to chase the lights away from the city (and light pollution) at night.

From Reykjavik, you can easily get to other parts of Iceland, especially if you rent a car.

The small country is sparsely populated and is ideal for viewing Aurora shows away from light pollution. Snæfelsness Peninsula, Jökulsárlón, or Reynisfjara black sand beach are very good spots for admiring the green Aurora-filled skies.

However, if you don’t want to venture to these places and are on a short-term Aurora chasing mission, then reaching out to a local tour company is the best choice.

2. Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Very similar to Iceland, Greenland is even less populated and sees very few tourists. The immensity of frozen scenery, glaciers, waterfalls, and scattered villages define this land.

In western Greenland, Kangerlussuaq area has a good microclimate for seeing the Northern Lights as it is tucked away at the end of a deep fjord. The town’s airport is also the main flights’ hub for Greenland.

A stylish arctic metropolis, in Kangerlussuaq you can enjoy museums, ice-calving events, or walks in nature while waiting for the evenings’ light shows. But no matter how well you might plan to see the lights show, nothing can be compared to watching the Aurora from a plane, while you are flying over Greenland, for example from the U.S. to Europe.

3. Murmansk, Russia

This town is ideally located above the Arctic Circle and is easily accessible by plane. However, due to light pollution, you will need to get out of town and venture into nature to enjoy the dazzling displays.

Of course, you don’t have to do that on your own and can book a tour with an agency. They definitely know their way around and you can find amazing places such as the coastline of Teriberka or the remote surroundings of Kirovsk.

In addition, before deciding to head to Russia, check if you need a visa to go there as it may be much easier to fly to any of the other Northern Lights spots mentioned in this article.

4. Tromsø, Norway

Northern Scandinavia is another favorite spot for Aurora hunters.

Tromsø is among the most accessible places for light shows in the northern part of Norway, located around the Auroral Oval (approximately 70° North latitude). The small town has an airport with good connections to Oslo and so is easy to get there without driving hundreds of kilometers along the snaky fjords of Norway.

Also, besides chasing the Northern Lights, museums and other winter activities (dog sledding, reindeer farms) can be enjoyed there while you are waiting for the best time to see the Aurora.

5. Rovaniemi, Finland

The capital of the Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi is one of the best places to see the dancing displays in the northern part of Finland. Also known as the hometown of Santa Claus, the town is located right on the Arctic Circle. Rovaniemi has its own airport with good connections to the big capital of Helsinki, or even to London.

In addition to hunting the Northern Lights in the evenings, you can experience the magical atmosphere of Christmas in places such as Santa’s Village or Santa’s Park. Many reindeer and husky farms are run in the area and so this, alongside experiencing the Sami culture and tasting a traditional meal in one of their tents, makes for a truly authentic experience.

6. Abisko, Sweden

Located in the Sweedish Lapland, Abisko is the most northern place that you can get in Sweden. For this reason, it is the preferred outpost for Aurora spotters who often enjoy its practically permanently cloud-free skies full of green light shows.

In the nearby surroundings, Abisko National Park’s “Aurora Sky Station” is the best spot to experience the lights. A chairlift whisks curious visitors up to the mountaintop. There, you will find an exhibition dedicated to the Northern Lights and a café to enjoy the greatest light show on Earth.

In addition, Abisko has many other winter activities in the area, such as skiing, dog sledding, snowmobile, or Nordic walking tours.

You can try any of these activities as well as sleeping in one of the world’s most famous Ice Hotel. Everything is made of ice and snow there (even the plates and glasses). This could be the ideal complementary experience for you to enjoy while watching the Northern Lights!

Suggested next reading: Chasing The Northern Lights: Everything You Need To Know

The post 6 Best Places In The World To See The Northern Lights appeared first on Modern Trekker.

But it’s not so easy to see them. In fact, this is the reason why trying to see the Northern Lights is called “chasing the Northern Lights.” Commonly referred to as the Aurora Borealis, this phenomenon occurs only in the northern hemisphere of the globe. Its sister, the Aurora Australis is a similar phenomenon that occurs in the Southern hemisphere.

There are many places where you can go and see the Auroras but not all of them provide the same odds of actually being seen. While the Aurora Australis is very difficult to see (Antarctica, and occasionally the south of Australia and New Zealand), North America or Europe are the best places to see the Aurora Borealis.

Here is everything you need to know before chasing the Northern Lights.

How The Aurora Occurs

In a nutshell, the Aurora (Borealis or Australis) is a light show created when the atmosphere of the sun opens and charged particles flow out. The electrically charged particles from the solar activity enter the atmosphere of the earth’s magnetic poles. At the pole’s, the magnetic field is weaker and particles released from the sun can collide with gaseous particles and thus emit light.

There needs to be a large opening in the atmosphere of the sun so that lots of charged particles flow out and eventually collide with gases in the atmosphere of the earth. This is called a “solar wind” or a “solar storms” and it happens only when there is strong solar activity. This is the moment when vivid Auroras appear in the sky and can be clearly seen.

If the particles from the solar activity collide with oxygen molecules, the color of the lights in most cases are perceived as green. Variations of the color may appear if colliding with nitrogen particles—these create pink or purple colors, or hydrogen—blue colors.

The Aurora Strength

The strength of the Aurora can be measured with the Kp index, which depends on solar activity and geographic position. The Kp number shows the solar activity and indicates the strength of the Aurora seen from different locations.

Some of the Auroras are called “weak” and this means that you can witness them in the sky only in a few geographic locations. Others are “strong” and there are high chances to watch them in many places.

Getting closer to the magnetic poles rapidly increases the odds of viewing the Aurora. The further North you go, the higher the chance you’ll see the Aurora even if there’s not strong solar activity (i.e. a low Kp).

A Kp=2 zone means you can see the Aurora in that region even when the solar activity is not so intense. But the Aurora will be pretty weak. In order to see a strong Aurora, you’ll need to wait for a night with high levels of geomagnetic activity (usually one particular night every 5 – 6 days, but it’s not a strict rule).

To know the Kp index, you can consult many Northern Lights apps or Aurora Forecasts, some of them are even specialized for a certain region (i.e. the Norway Lights App is one of the most accurate ones).

When I was chasing the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway (a Kp=2 zone), I planned to stay two weeks. During this time frame, there was intense solar activity (Kp=5/6) coupled with a clear sky only twice—so it was only then that I witnessed a strong and unforgettable Aurora.

Other similar best spots in Europe are in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland (near the Arctic Circle).

The Best Time For Chasing The Northern Lights

To chase the Northern Lights means coming to terms with the fact that you can only see them at night! In addition to a favorable Kp in the northern regions, long winter nights are a good setting to view the Northern Lights. September to April are the best times throughout the year because of the so-called polar nights, where there’s more night than daylight.

Also, Auroral displays can only be seen on clear nights away from light pollution. If you stay in a town located in the proximity of the magnetic poles, you will have to drive around 30 minutes away into the darkness of nature.

Besides clear and pollution-free skies, it is important to stay and wait for the Aurora in an open space, where you don’t have the horizon obscured by mountains or other natural obstacles. Otherwise, you’ll only be able to see the Aurora show when it’s right above your head (only in the far Northern regions) and this means you’ll miss it at first.

In the higher Kp regions, you’ll never see the Aurora directly overhead but only lower at the northern horizon.

How To Actually Chase The Aurora

Seeing the Aurora doesn’t happen each night, although there’s always solar activity. There is a high chance you could go to a Northern region for three days, for example, but not see the Aurora. This can happen due to weak solar activity (unfortunately, none of us can control the universe!) Or perhaps because you don’t exactly know where to go to see it properly.

If you live in one of the areas close to the magnetic poles, then you should try to find the best spots during strong solar activity. It may take a long time though until you see your first Aurora and are able to take pictures of it.

If you are heading to Northern regions (i.e. Kp=2) and your only goal is to watch the Aurora, then booking a Chasing Aurora Trip with an agency is the best option.

Their advantage is that they know the best places to see the Aurora. They also know how to correlate the index Kp with the skies’ visibility. If necessary, they can even go several hundred kilometers to find the best spot.

Perhaps now you can understand why it’s called “chasing the Northern Lights”! These agencies really do chase the lights and help you return with the best memories.

Dress With Many Layers Of Clothing

Since winter nights and Northern regions are the best conditions to see the Aurora Borealis, dressing properly in as many clothes as possible is a must in order to resist the cold. You will wait for the Lights in the middle of nowhere and be surrounded by snow. The temperatures will definitely drop below 0°C / 32°F.

If you want to take photos, set up your camera for long exposures on a tripod and wait…and then wait some more.

Good gloves, boots, spare batteries, and a remote control for your camera are also musts. If possible, add hot tea or coffee in a thermos and heat patches for hands and/or feet. When you’ll see the Aurora, you won’t want to leave from there—especially if it’s a Dancing Aurora.

The post Chasing The Northern Lights: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Modern Trekker.

Unfortunately, shiny new currencies don’t magically appear at baggage claim upon arrival. But don’t let that stop your long-term travel dreams. With proper planning, affording to move abroad or travel long-term is not out of reach.

Here are 9 tips on how to fund long term travel:

Hint: Traveling to non-western countries will drastically stretch your dollar so that you can live on a lot less for a lot longer.

1. Save FIRST

Don’t go abroad long-term without some emergency cash in your bank account. You don’t want to wind up on the streets of a foreign country begging for money. While you’re at home planning your adventure, save! Cut your daily spending costs and create a budget. Ever since living in Thailand, I have been using an app called “HomeBudget” to track every single ฿฿ I spend. This reassures me that I am making more than I spend and not slowly sinking into debt or running out of “travel money.” Before you jet off, make sure that you know what your travel budget is and stick to it.

Even in places such as southeast Asia where the cost of living is very low, it’s common to wonder what happened to all of your money. It’s really easy to buy more when things are cheaper. Tracking your spending will help you categorize where all of your money is going.

2. Teach English

Teaching abroad is a super easy way to fund long term travel. However, it’s not for everyone. For those looking to live abroad long term, teaching English is one of the easiest and most prevalent jobs you will find right off the bat. Research the qualifications before you head overseas. The majority of ESL jobs abroad require a degree and a TEFL certificate.

Taking a TEFL course qualifies you to teach English as a foreign language. It opens up doors to teach at language schools, bilingual schools, tutoring centers, and much more. It’s also just great job security to have in your back pocket if you are interested in heading that direction at some point in your travels.

I taught English in South Korea from 2012-2014 which helped me pay off ⅓ of my student loans, save enough to backpack SE Asia, and start my life back up in the States. I went abroad fresh out of college with no savings and $30,000 in student loans. I knew I needed to work if I wanted to live abroad, so teaching English was my number one choice straightaway to make it happen. This is, in my opinion, the best option for newbie travelers who don’t have a lot of money to start with.

Not only are there opportunities to teach English in person, but teaching a language online is becoming very popular with those who want the freedom to live anywhere. With an estimated billion people currently learning the English language, online teaching is a great way to fund long term travel whether you have found a “home” or are country-hopping.

Side-note: The majority of my current income comes from teaching online through VIPKID. It offers a very flexible schedule and pays me enough to save, travel, and live comfortably in Thailand.

3. Volunteer

Why not give back to a local community if you are going to spend a significant time overseas? While some volunteer abroad programs come with hefty fees, others are significantly affordable and will even offer you free room and board. Look into programs such as WWOOFing or Workaway to basically travel for free. These volunteer programs offer loads of opportunities and you can browse for something right up your alley. Want to clean up sheep poop in New Zealand? If that means hiking Mt. Cook on the weekends then yes please!

If you’re feeling a bit hesitant about committing to a volunteer opportunity, wait it out and check for opportunities in person. Once you land abroad, see what’s in the area and scope the local connections. You may find opportunities to swap your services at cafés, hostels, or bars in exchange for room and board. Meeting and chatting with real live people still exists! No harm in asking to scrub toilets for a free bed!

Join social media groups that are connected to your local community in search of temp jobs or work exchanges.

I’ve volunteered abroad three times. I had a local connection to work at a summer camp in Mexico, have volunteered for (almost) free at a non-profit in Ukraine, and paid for a program that offered meals and housing when I volunteered as a soccer coach in Cambodia. While all of these experiences were different, it really allowed me to get to know the area and appreciate my travels much more.

4. Get creative

What are you good at? Whether it be writing, drawing, painting, telling hilarious jokes, taking photos, playing music, or coding, there’s an income around that. Maybe you aspire to become a famous YouTube star. Go big or go home. Take inventory of your skills and generate income off of it. Do you like yoga? Become a yoga teacher abroad. Do you like to watercolor? Teach it! Can you speak another language? Start a translation services biz! The wonderful world of Google can tell you exactly how to start an online business if you find your niche.

5. Become a Brand Ambassador

Have a product you are passionate about? Promote it on social media or your blog. Being a brand ambassador is easy and fun! All you have to do is Google “how to become a brand ambassador” and then find something you would love to help sell. My personal favorite product to promote is Tuli. It’s a jewelry company that employs people in Uganda and Kenya while providing sustainable jobs. Brand Ambassadors make 20% commission with loads of other perks. If you can get the word out about these beautiful handmade products, then you’ll be making cash.

With Instagram and Facebook, it’s so easy to promote products. Make sure to be genuine and not too spammy about promoting every product you ever stumble upon. If you’re truly passionate about something, others will be more interested.

6. Get a working holiday visa

For those who are younger or just stepping into the waters of long-term travel, see about getting a working holiday visa. Typically, you need to be under a certain age and love to travel—obviously. Some popular countries that offer these are New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and Ireland.

You will generally need to apply for your visa before securing a job. Employers like for you to be located in the country so that they know you are committed. Popular jobs on a working holiday visa are au pair, farm work, cafés, and hostels. Prep your resume, put on that friendly smile,  and make those connections. You may not be making loads of money, but you’ll have enough to get by and have fun weekends away. Remember, it’s all about that smart budget you created before you went abroad.

7. Work in the travel industry

Take it a step further and make travel your career forever! Look up qualifications to work on a cruise ship, become a tour guide, get diving certified, or work at a ski resort. The possibilities are endless. Like flying? Then become a flight attendant! See how you can use your skills and passions to make it a seasonal job or a full-time career.

8. Rack up credit card miles

If you travel frequently and are responsible with your money, get a credit card that offers a flight rewards program. If you can put every dollar you spend on your credit card and always pay it off, you will find that you can travel to countries or cities very cheaply. Some great credit cards for globetrotters are Chase Sapphire Prefered, Capital One Venture, and American Express.

Aside from relying on credit card miles, use budget airlines! Book on a Tuesday morning for cheap flights and clear your cookies to get the best deals. I recently was booking a flight to Hong Kong from Chiang Mai and it was $300—not impressed. I searched the same flight for two weeks straight and it dropped down to $120 and I bought it immediately. Check Skyscanner and Scott’s Cheap Flights for discounted tickets.

9. Cut expenses when traveling

Couchsurf, cook, walk, hitchhike, pack minimally. There is no need to spend loads of money when you travel. Ditch the tours, rent a motorbike, and do things yourself. Become friends with locals and learn the language. Go hiking, play outside, make friends to split the cost of a car for a road trip. Don’t buy things! Souvenirs are a scam and taking photos is free! You won’t remember that keychain you bought 30 years from now. Make memories.

There’s no reason to drain your savings or rack up credit card debt to travel the world. Be aware of your expenses and find creative ways to make long-term travel work. In the world we live in today, there are endless possibilities to make this happen. Be flexible, be patient, but be persistent. If you want to travel the world as much as possible, only you can make that happen.

Suggested next reading: 12 Expenses You Need To Be Aware Of If You’re Moving Abroad

The post 9 Clever Ways To Actually Make Long Term Travel A Reality appeared first on Modern Trekker.

By my calculations, in order to hit everything on my bucket list, I’d have to move every 2-3 days, and even then I might not be able to hit everything. That’s just simply not sustainable for a year, and while moving quickly and checking off boxes might be some people’s preferred way to travel, it’s definitely not for me.

So, the alternative was to figure out how to make it work long-term. If I was going to take the plunge and travel full time, it was going to be a permanent lifestyle change. It took a lot of deliberate planning and hard decisions to get to this point where I am permanently and intentionally homeless.

I’m not saying that everyone should quit their jobs and travel long-term instead of enjoying those short trips when you get the chance, because short-term travel can also be wonderful and I’d always advocate for any type of travel over staying in one place. The long-term travel lifestyle is not for everyone, by any means. But if you are considering making the leap, here are the tidbits of wisdom I’ve learned so far.

Pros of Long-Term Travel:

You can go anywhere at a moment’s notice, and that’s incredibly liberating. My entire life fits into a 45L backpack. I can be at the airport in under an hour, and go anywhere in the world. Because I work online, my job will come with me. For the gap year-ers and the non-digital nomads, the process is the same. When you can carry everything you own with you on your back, the possibilities are endless. While on some days the sheer number of options will seem overwhelming, there’s so much joy in going with the flow and seeing where life takes you.

Your perspective will change along the way, and you will grow as a person so much faster than if you’d stay at home. You have to adapt and evolve with each new place you visit. The exposure to new people and fresh perspectives will constantly challenge you to reevaluate who you are, what you believe in, and what’s truly important.

Every person crosses your path for a reason, and being in an unfamiliar place opens up your heart and your mind to those lessons. On my first round of traveling after finishing school, I learned more about people, life, love, humanity, and the way the world works in three months on the road than I did in four years of college. It took one eight-hour hike with a stranger to completely change my entire worldview.

You don’t necessarily need to travel long-term to experience this—it could be as much as taking a weekend trip to somewhere an hour away from your hometown, as long as you can go somewhere new and open your eyes to the people and cultures around you. While all our cultures, languages, and traditions vary wildly across the globe, we are all the same at a basic, fundamental human level, and kindness knows no language barrier.

Cons of Constantly Being on the Move:

It’s a lifestyle, and it’s going to be just as scary jumping out as it was jumping in. As scared as I was when I finally walked into my boss’s office after months of planning and told them I’d be leaving at the end of the month to travel the world, I’m committed now. It took a lot of deliberate, calculated steps to get to this point, and I’m sure it will take just as much work to stop. After all, a body in motion stays in motion. As hard as it is to adjust to the culture shock of being in a new place, reverse culture shock when you return home is so much worse. 

But it is a lonely lifestyle. Even if you’re moving slowly and staying in the same place for months at a time, you’re ultimately still saying goodbye to those friends you make in each new place, and you can forget about having a real long-term relationship. The pool of people who share the same nomadic or semi-nomadic mindset is small and scattered, and so far, I’ve had a hard time identifying people who are even able to relate to what I’m doing, or why.

Long-term travel is a beautiful thing, and an experience I wouldn’t give up for the world (pun unintended), but ultimately it’s not sustainable. As you get older, your interests and pace will inevitably change, leading you to put down roots and move more slowly. That doesn’t necessarily mean stop traveling, but it could mean setting up a home base somewhere and spending a smaller percentage of the year on the road.

Anyone who has taken the plunge into long-term travel knows that even once you’ve stopped, travel is not something you’d ever willingly give up altogether. It becomes a series of trade-offs. Yes, see the world while you have the ability to do so, and don’t look back. But know that it’s not all gorgeous, instagrammable sunsets and coconuts. It’s a lifestyle that comes with pros and cons, just like any other.

Suggested next reading: Backpacker Culture: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The post The Pros & Cons Of Long-Term Travel No One Ever Tells You About appeared first on Modern Trekker.