We’re considering flying on IcelandAir, and yes, we’ll depart from Newark. We could have a stopover in Reykjavik. (We were there in the winter of 2016, in search of the Lights; but we failed due to low/no visibility. The tours didn’t even go out for all of the nights of our stay). So now we’ll try Tromso and maybe we’ll be lucky?! It will also be fun to go dogsledding!
Thanks so much, everybody!

Thank you for sharing your experience with Hurtigruten, @P_M!. It's interesting to hear about their commitment to providing another cruise if the lights don't appear. While the offer is generous, you make a valid point about the additional expenses involved. It's important to consider all aspects when planning such a trip.

Hi P_M, I too have planned a trip to Tromso in March 2025. I just want to understand if I can chase the NL in my rented vehicle, just trying to see if we can save the tour cost and still make the experience adventurous (Its me and my wife travelling). If yes, which is the app you can recommend for live updates.

Hello. What you're really chasing are clear skies, as it's very difficult to see the lights through clouds. Since I did the tour, I'm sorry to say I don't know of an app to find clear skies. Good luck.

For a recent trip to Alaska I got an app called "Aurora Pro". It does includes cloud coverage in it's display / predictions level. You can tweak, to some degree, at what level when it will alert you. I set the alert sound to a loud siren and it sure as heck woke us up at 3:30 one morning.

We went outside, with a bunch of other people who must have also had an app. It was cloudy and the lights were low on the horizon but you could "kind of" make them out.

It was the only time in 18 days on the ground that we saw them due to clouds and/or low activity.

However, we scored on the midnight flight home and saw them from the plane. I had proactively considered this and booked seats on the correct side in the eventuality. We got good photos with an iPhone 13 in 10-second mode.

P_M Thank you so much for sharing your NL experience. We will be in Tromso for three nights in (early) March next year for the sole purpose of seeing the NL. We are currently reading up on companies that offer NL tours. How far in advance did you book your NL tour with Northern Shots? Do they have additional winter clothing/gear (snow suits, gloves, boots, etc) for customers who might need them? TIA.

I would book it at least a few days in advance, the sooner the better. They will provide reflective gear but nothing else. You can buy spikes for your shoes if you don't already have those. It does make it a lot easier to walk on ice if you wear spikes.

Thank you!