One of the biggest worries when flying is that your luggage will get lost. Arming your suitcase with an AirTag has become quite popular, and Apple has now teamed up with over fifteen airlines to make it even easier to track down your checked baggage.
I spent $170 on 4 failed tours to see the northern lights and then finally saw them while waiting at a bus stop
09.11.2024 - 14:33 / insider.com
So far, I've spent about two years trying to find the best northern lights .
During this period, I've spent $170 on four failed tours and gathered plenty of intel on the dos and don'ts of spotting them. I've also found that many of these tours are bad deals for the average tourist .
My most memorable experience was in December 2022, when I took three northern-lights tours from Reykjavik, Iceland. About 200 of us travelers would come in on buses and head to predesignated dark-sky spots where we'd sit tight and cross our fingers.
In my opinion, the guides didn't even seem to be northern-lgiht experts. On this tour, our sharp-tongued leader curtly informed us it was "impossible to see the northern lights from the city center."
We didn't see the lights on that tour and I thanked my lucky stars that I'd worn multiple Merino-wool layers as we stood outside from 7 p.m. until nearly 1 a.m.
The next day, while waiting at a bus stop in the city center, the northern lights appeared in colorful irony. Albeit faint with the light pollution, they danced around the sky for 10 minutes.
On other occasions in Reykjavik and Tromsø in Norway, I boarded tour buses driving away from the cities only to hear they'd appeared just hours after we'd left. It made me wonder if there was any method behind this supposed magic.
I wouldn't rule out northern-lights tours, but it's important to be picky about which you choose and when you book them if you want the best value.
Firstly, look for tours reframing the "chasing" narrative. Most tours don't "chase" — instead, they find areas with low cloud coverage, meaning if the lights appear, you see them clearly.
Tours that reframe the chasing aspect usually focus more on photography and have experienced photographers as guides. Whether you see the northern lights or just stars, you'll likely at least leave with dark-sky-photography knowledge.
One other sign of a good tour is if guides offer to rearrange them if there are low chances of a sighting. Many northern-lights tours I've seen aren't transparent about your actual chances of seeing them and will run even if the odds are super slim.
To set yourself up for success, do your own research, too. If you're planning trips centered around seeing them, travel during peak seasons.
You should also look at Kp Index predictions before committing to certain tour days. This can be checked a few days in advance and help you estimate where the northern lights may be visible near you.
Also, keep an open mind when choosing a travel destination. Iceland may be the most famous option, but you can see the northern lights in all sorts of places, even the US. Your chances just might vary.
I've had the best success rates for spotting
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
travelandleisure.com
25.11.2024 / 15:43
Holland America’s Black Friday Sale Has Up to 25% Off Cruise Fares, Free Additional Guests, and More
Holland America Line cruise line is celebrating Black Friday with 25 percent off sale on sailings and other perks for the ultimate holiday at sea.
travelandleisure.com
21.11.2024 / 18:19
American Airlines Just Released Its Travel Tuesday Deals — With $85 Flights and Savings on Miles
It’s a season of savings for travelers. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be popular shopping holidays, travelers have turned their sights on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which has been named ‘Travel Tuesday’, as a way to cash in on travel related promotions. In celebration of the upcoming Travel Tuesday holiday, American Airlines has announced some of the special offers and discounts that can help take passengers around the world for less. The airline will also discount the purchase of miles in their frequent flyer program, American Airlines AAdvantage, for as much as 50 percent off between November 29 and December 2. Even before Travel Tuesday, the airline shared withTravel + Leisure it has discounted dozens of flights under $200 round-trip, for immediate purchase while supplies last. T+L spotted discounted, one-way fares including:
travelandleisure.com
21.11.2024 / 18:19
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Is Offering 40% Off Sailings and Up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit for Black Friday — What to Know
Luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises is making it easier to sail in style by offering up to 40 percent off trips across the world.
lonelyplanet.com
21.11.2024 / 17:36
10 weird sports around the world and where to play them
Nov 21, 2024 • 8 min read
travelandleisure.com
20.11.2024 / 17:35
Allegiant Air Just Announced a Major Route Expansion With Flights to Fort Lauderdale, Colorado Springs, and Gulf Shores Starting at $39
Low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is launching a massive expansion with 44 new routes for next year, including to three new cities.
insider.com
20.11.2024 / 00:03
13 signs of over-the-top wealth and luxury I spotted in Jackson Hole, the Aspen of Wyoming
I spent three days exploring some of the most coveted real estate in the US in a 60-mile-long valley on the edge of Grand Teton National Park.
insider.com
20.11.2024 / 00:03
A lesser-known US budget airline announced 44 new routes to smaller and underserved cities. See the full list.
Lesser-known budget airline Allegiant Air announced 44 new routes to smaller cities across the US.
euronews.com
19.11.2024 / 02:59
Spain moves closer to golden visa ban - while one country is reintroducing its scheme
Getting the right to live and work in another country can be a long and difficult process. But that’s not always the case for those with money to spend.
insider.com
17.11.2024 / 14:21
After visiting all 50 states, a travel expert shares the top 5 she wants to revisit
Nicole Sunderland first caught the travel bug over two decades ago when she sold magazines door to door around the country.
cntraveler.com
15.11.2024 / 20:09
On the Spanish Island of Lanzarote, High Design and Natural Wine Pair Nicely
Even six or seven years ago, the whispers about Lanzarote still came with an element of implied surprise. “It's actually really cool,” I remember a photographer friend telling me before I went with my partner in 2018. We ended up staying among the palms and black-ash vineyards at Finca Malvasia, part of the first generation of cool boutique hotels, and falling for the island's big skies, duotone volcanic landscapes, and singular brand of nature-facing modernism.
cntraveler.com
15.11.2024 / 20:09
In 'A Real Pain,' Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin Explore Their Polish-Jewish Heritage
Travel is often a chance to escape our stressors, but the ever-growing genre of Jewish-heritage tourism dares to contradict everything we associate with a vacation. A Real Pain, out now in limited release, looks suffering straight in the face with a trip that is anything but relaxing. Cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) set off together to Poland as a sort of tribute to—and chance to better understand—their grandmother Dory, who survived the Holocaust there. The two cousins were once thick as thieves, but have become increasingly estranged in adulthood. In Poland, they join a small tour that guides them around the cities of Warsaw and Lublin to important sites of Jewish life and remembrance, including a visit to the Majdanek concentration camp.