Silvia Lawrence

It’s funny that after a lifetime of winters spent in Norway without ever going husky sledding this was now my third time husky sledding in a single winter. And, as I always note with husky sledding, it’s clear that these dogs are cared for and loved as part of the family, and this isn’t a big tour company where the dogs’ carers switch out every year but instead part of a farm that has been in the same family for generations. Sæterstad Farm, an organic mountain farm run by Knut Kastnes and his wife Siri. Sæterstad Farm is right by the big Røssvatnet Lake, and while the accommodation at Furuheim Farm was very traditional Norwegian, I’d say the house at Sæterstad Farm is more Norwegian luxury. We were lucky with sunny weather, so we took advantage by taking a snowshoe hike with Knut and Siri’s daughter Anja to the family’s cabin on the lake, where we refueled with some freshly baked rolls from the farm.

and I still haven’t taken a trip abroad or gotten on a flight, which I know isn’t a big deal, but as a full-time travel blogger it actually does feel like a big deal. Merethe and Anita are friends who decided to start Naturlige Helgeland while they were out on a hike (lol so Norwegian), because they wanted to find a way to help more people experience the wonders of Helgeland. While I did travel with Merethe, they also offer self drive packages that would be really good for smaller groups, couples, or solo travelers as you’ll get all the unique insider experiences that Naturlige Helgeland can arrange while being able to travel independently. Now I’m embarrassed to say that this was actually meant to be a blog post about what I got up to in Hattfjelldal on my trip with Naturlige Helgeland, and now I’ve rambled for so long about travel that I think I’ll have to save Hattfjelldal for Friday’s blog post instead!

If I have travel dates, I’ll take a look at the fifty page travel bucket list taped to my wall and see which destination fits the travel time frame and season. Basically I’ll check how much flights will cost and then I’ll have a quick look at transport costs (how much a car rental will cost, train prices, etc.) and accommodation prices on Booking.com and/or Airbnb to get a rough idea of how much this sort of trip will cost, because of course travel expenses can vary wildly from country to country. So first I’ll pick which luggage I want to use (I way prefer a suitcase when I can, but sometimes it’s just not as practical), and then I’ll start thinking about what I want to bring! And if I’ll be taking public transport to my accommodation I’ll research exactly where I need to go to find the bus/train/etc, especially if I’m coming from a long flight, as I know I’ll be too out of it when I land to want to figure it all out then.

I love how in Norway you don’t have to go to a famous park or hike for a beautiful view. This will forever be one of my favorite photos from Norway, because this will forever be one of my favorite experiences here. One last one from Dyrøy, because Dyrøy. Senja is a stunning island, both during the day and when it’s lit up by the Northern Lights at night. This definitely isn’t the best composed Northern Lights photo I’ve taken, but that sort of makes me love it more.