We like exploring off-the-beaten-path places as a family. Norway, located in the Arctic Circle, offers a unique natural experience. The best part was that it gave us an opportunity to appreciate the little things and connect with each other.
I often think about what makes a great family vacation. The travel industry may have the impression that traveling with kids requires bright colors, ice cream, and sandy beaches, but that’s not always the case.
I’m a travel writer, mother of two, and I’ve honed my holiday necessities into an art. Time away from work, nature, the chance to do things I love like swimming or reading, and new things. Things to do and new encounters. For me, location and daylight are not as important as the opportunity to do these things.
We also cater to your family’s needs and wishes for family travel. My husband likes cooking. Children like to play and meet new people. Some types of physical activity seem to help. So far we’ve swam around Iceland and hiked the coastal trails of Italy. This year we set off to an arctic island in Norway for a week of screen-free solitude, and we loved it!
I went to the Norwegian Arctic.
We stayed in a nine-room hotel on a small, rocky, car-free island west of Bodø in the Norwegian Arctic. It’s the ultimate nature getaway, a place where you can listen to your thoughts, watch sea eagles take flight, and enjoy solitude. Hosted by a musician owner and a poet manager, this restaurant is unplanned and has a charm of simplicity. If you walk to the end of the island and return in the morning, you still have time for coffee before lunch. It’s safe, so you don’t need to wear sunscreen or insect repellent all the time. Of course, it’s not a place where you can get a sunburn.
It took a while to reach the hotel, but that’s all part of the adventure. You can fly from Copenhagen to Oslo, then travel from Oslo to Bodø, and from Bodø it’s a 2-hour ferry ride to the island. As a family living in a big city, like many families these days, the opportunity to be immersed in nature is special. The silence was intense and the most lively we saw was one Saturday when a local community house served waffles, which the children loved. We also hosted dinner parties with other fun guests, including musicians from the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra one night.
my kids brought something to keep them entertained
My daughters, ages 10 and 14, brought books, games and toys and had fun together running down the hill and looking for spherical sea urchin shells in the clear water. . This was a welcome break from being glued to our screens for all of us. The biggest screen here is the picture window in the lounge, from which you can watch the waves, hope to see killer whales, or watch sea otters floating on their backs. .
The author realizes that such vacations are fleeting, as the children are older. Courtesy of the author
We woke up late and spent our days doing nothing in particular, walking in the hills, swimming in the sea, and fishing. The children created artwork with an artist who lives next door to the hotel, creating beautiful black and white prints that now hang on the walls. While my husband was cooking, I read a book. The hotel is spread over several cabins, so everyone has privacy and can eat together in the kitchen.
we connected with nature
Summer in the Arctic is the best time to see the midnight sun. It is the time it takes for the sun to set below the horizon and rise again. One night, I watched from my bedroom as the sun set behind the neighboring island, painting neon pink streaks across the sky. This phenomenon means that days seem to last forever. They blur together and slow down the tempo. This is what we really wanted.
One day, I sat on the dock with my youngest daughter and watched hundreds of comb jellyfish swim by, tiny iridescent jellyfish rippling with bioluminescence, said to be a relic of the last ice age. Beside them, blowing orange jellyfish traced their long leaves, and arctic terns dove into the water with sharp splashes, reappearing with tiny silver fish. We noticed small things and were surprised.
It was also a bittersweet vacation. For me, I know this may be one of our last perfect family vacations. It’s hard to keep everyone happy, and parents of older teens say teen holidays are especially tough.
Meeting people my age and being able to stay in touch with friends has become more important than small moments of family wildlife viewing, and I understand that. I myself remember when I was dragged on a family vacation and I was already thinking about what a good vacation would be like for a teenager.
Laura Hall is a travel journalist specializing in Scandinavia and the Arctic. Follow her story on Modern Scandinavia on Substack.
