Journey to the Far North: Departure

It has been three years since the epidemic, and my sisters have not traveled abroad on their own for three years. Sharp-eyed people will say: Have you ever been to Japan? !

ㄟ! If you haven't traveled across the ocean, how can you call yourself a foreigner if you can see the scenery you've never seen before? How can we call ourselves self-help if we don’t burn ointment to follow the sundial, search for information, and plan our itinerary? How can it be called traveling if you are not gearing up, carrying your luggage, and traveling to other places?

After the epidemic eased, the sisters discussed traveling from time to time. I am worried about family affairs, my sister is concerned about the children, and the departure date and location are always undecided. After their husbands supported and their younger sister gave up their career, the sisters immediately established a Line group and quickly set the goal of "Iceland" to collect information extensively.

Unfortunately, most online articles say that Iceland is a country with underdeveloped public transportation, so it is best to drive by yourself. Drive yourself! ! ! The three old ladies, who had driver's licenses but had never been on the road before, and who had no power to turn a wheel, immediately rolled their eyes.

*This is a joke. Iceland is famous for its bird watching, and the most famous one is the Puffin with its red curved beak. We once saw a whole group of Puffin at close range at the black sand beach of Vik on the south coast.

Order a cruise

Suddenly, I realized that "cruise ships" might be the solution to Iceland's transportation and accommodation problems. After browsing the cruise platform CruiseDirect , I found that there are several Iceland itineraries; some go around Iceland for a week, some go north to Greenland or Svalbard (Svalbard) or Norway, and some go south to Germany, the Netherlands or the UK.

After much consideration, I booked NCL’s Norwegian Star . It boarded the ship from Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, and disembarked from Tromsø, a large city in northern Norway. It stopped at three ports in Iceland and four ports in Norway, one of which was Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard.

The large double balcony room you ordered can sleep three people (can also sleep four people). The original price of the cabin, plus taxes and fees for one person, is calculated as 11 nights. All meals and accommodation are included, and there are banquets every day and night. At an average price of US$1,100 per person (an additional 220 yuan tip is required, Internet, specific meals and shore sightseeing fees are additional), it can be said to be a good value for money.

There is no need to unpack luggage on a cruise, which is indeed trouble-free, but whether it is cost-effective to drift on the high seas for three days is a matter of opinion.

By the way, this is my maiden voyage!

Buy round trip tickets

Secondly, you must plan your itinerary other than the cruise, decide on the return date early, and purchase air tickets.

It was not enough for the cruise ship to only dock at three ports in the west, north and east of Iceland, so we decided to arrive in Reykjavik three days early to tour the south coast and the Golden Circle, and of course take a dip in the beautiful Blue Lagoon hot spring.

After disembarking from Tromsø, we plan to continue to the Lofoten Islands (Lofoten), then go south to the second largest city, Bergen (Bergen), and join the Norway in a nutshell package tour to the capital Oslo (Oslo), and then go to Sta. Stavanger climbed the mountain, and finally flew to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, before returning to Taiwan.

Just a quick calculation, it will take a month. Is this okay? ! At this moment, if you can’t do it, you have to do it. As a result, the return date was confirmed, and the air tickets to Reykjavik and back to Stockholm were also booked at the end of two weeks before departure.

Place an order for a sightseeing trip

Since the shore sightseeing itineraries provided by cruise ships are very expensive, about twice the normal price, you can purchase sightseeing itineraries, local tickets or packages through official websites such as Viator , Get your guide or regional sightseeing or travel operators, and all of them are available. Cancel 24 hours before departure.

The arrival of large ships in the port brings a lot of business opportunities. Each port has a visitor center that provides maps and attraction suggestions, as well as guided tours, sightseeing or hiking itineraries of varying lengths. Even if you don’t participate in the itinerary, it is very pleasant to take a walk in the town, drink a cup of coffee, visit the market and feel the local atmosphere.

Therefore, I retained flexibility and only booked a few more popular itineraries.

Buy domestic air tickets

Nordic countries have a vast territory, low population density, and long distances between cities and towns. The railway network is not as dense and convenient as other European countries, and ticket prices are also expensive. Airplanes are a more efficient way to travel, and air tickets are often cheaper than train tickets.

Therefore, when the inland Norwegian itinerary is confirmed, first compare air tickets through Skyscanner , and then go to the airline's official website to increase the price to purchase air tickets with the ability to change the itinerary (to and from Lofoten and Bergen, Widerøe ). There were a total of four flights taking place in the interior of Norway. One of them did not require reserved seats, and one of them stopped in a certain city to allow passengers to get on and off the plane. This was unprecedented.

Book accommodation

Finally, all non-cruise accommodations were booked through Booking a few days before departure. All accommodations in Norway are cancelable without payment to maintain flexibility.

call out! I really broke into a cold sweat. The planning of this trip was really urgent. I was still booking sightseeing trips the day before boarding the plane. I was still busy preparing detailed information such as itinerary, flights and accommodation in the morning and forwarded it to each family member. I packed my luggage just before departure.

However, it’s finally time to set off!

This trip to the far north was the first of many self-guided trips.

First time travel documents are all electronic.

Except for passports, air tickets, train tickets, accommodation orders, packages or sightseeing itinerary orders are not printed, but are stored on mobile phones and in the cloud.

All domestic flights can check in online, go to the airport to self-print baggage tags and check-in luggage, and scan the QR code or bar code to board the plane.

In addition, for public transportation in Iceland or Norway, you can purchase tickets through the app or swipe your credit card.

First time taking a cruise.

I sincerely admire the large hotels on the sea that can accommodate thousands of people and provide a variety of catering, accommodation and entertainment services.

This is the first time I have taken so many flights.

This trip took a total of ten flights of various sizes, ranging from a 37-seater propeller to a 300-seat jet.

This is the first time I have used so many means of transportation.

There are airplanes, cruise ships, tenders, ferries, sightseeing boats, buses, minibuses, four-wheel drive nine-seater minibuses, off-road vehicles, taxis, sightseeing trains, trains, high-speed railways, buses, trams, and subways. , light rail, mountain climbing ground cable car, aerial cable car.

I also took a ride in a Tesla taxi and witnessed the charging process of the bus.

Arriving at the Arctic Circle for the first time.

The Arctic Circle refers to the imaginary circle formed by 66°34′ north latitude. After the cruise ship leaves Iceland, it sails into the Arctic Circle and disembarks at Tromsø until Lofoten, all within the Arctic Circle where there is always daylight in summer. Among them, the northernmost is Longyearbyen, located at 78°13′ north latitude and 15°33′ east longitude. It is also the northernmost place I have ever visited in my life.

The first self-guided trip lasted for a month.

In the past, when planning self-guided travel, I always considered that I was busy with official duties or had elders at home, so it would be inconvenient to travel for a long time. Only after retirement will I have more time to travel freely. In addition, since the trip takes a long time and spans extreme climates, I have more experience in luggage preparation and packing.

For such a complicated long-distance self-guided trip, I am grateful to God for the good weather. Even Bergen, known as the "Rain City", has clear skies. I am also grateful to God for the smooth journey. Transportation and accommodation are mostly unobstructed. Most importantly, thank God, after traveling for a month, we all got home safely!

[Note] Unless otherwise noted, all photos in the text were taken by the author himself or his family.