Head North to Norway's Northern Lights...Hurtigruten offers new packages to "light" the way.

According to  Norse mythology, the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are flashes of light emanating from the armor of Valkyrie warriors.

Asians associate the light's dancing colors with fertility, while Japanese believe a child conceived under the aurora will be lucky in life.  Native Samis believe the lights have a special quality that helps solve disagreements.  Created by particles from the sun and space colliding with gases in the earth’s atmosphere, this incredible astral display has long captivated visitors to Norway during the winter months

The Northern Lights generally occur within a 1,550 mile radius of the magnetic north pole.  The coasts of the Norwegian counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark lay where occurrence is greatest, making northern Norway a prime destination for viewing the colorful bands of light in which are most visible during February and March. 

Innovation Norway – a governmental entity that promotes Norwegian industry and Norway as a tourist destination – is inviting Americans to experience the Northern Lights through new innovative travel packages and an online marketing campaign.  A number of partner tour operators, both Norwegian and domestic, are offering Northern Lightstravel itineraries. 

• Hurtigruten’s Discover the Northern Lights package includes a Norwegian Coastal Voyage aboard a Hurtigruten cruise ship.  Packages start at $1,205 per person. Meanwhile, Borton Overseas’ Arctic Adventure package includes accommodations at theSnow Hotel  and aKing Crab Safari.  Packages start at $2,986 per person.

• Nordique Tours by Picasso Travel’s In Search of the Northern Lights package includes evening activities that keep you outdoors for when the Aurora Borealis light up.  Packages start at $1,249 per person.

Besides these packages, Innovation Norway recently introduced    a microsite – http://www.visitnorway.com/us/mynorthernlights/ – on which Americans can “paint the sky” using their computer mouse to create an Aurora Borealis.  Participants can share their personal light show via Twitter, Facebook or email.  The site also offers tips for how and where to see the Northern Lights in Norway and other activities to enjoy on a vacation there.  

To learn more about the Northern Lights by creating your own light show on your computer, or to book these travel packages, please visit www.visitnorway.com/us/mynorthernlights.

Fascinating Facts about the Northern Lights

In 1621 French astronomer Pierre Gassendi named the phenomenon “Aurora Borealis” after the Roman goddess of dawn (Aurora) and the Greek name for the north wind (Boreas).

• Cree (Native Americans) called the Northern Lights the “Dance of the Spirits”
  
  
• For centuries, there have been reports that people can “hear” the .Aurora Borealis – but there is no scientific proof.  One theory is that the sound is created in the observer’s head because of a leakage in the electrical impulses from the nerves in the eye into the part of the brain that processes sound. Some early explorers tested this theory and found that the sound went away if their eyes were covered.
  
  
• Aurora forecasts for Norway can be found at http://full.storm.no/tv2ver/borealis.aspx

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