Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Comments

  1. Hello!

    I have been heavily considering this place for a 2-4 week getaway in the winter. I have been reading your articles, and in one of them you
    mentioned being mindful of impact if not there to do excursions and tours.

    I do want to ask: Are just-hanging-out tourists realtively frowned-upon by locals? I live in a US state that relies a lot on tourism (Maine; so Im already adapted to cold lol) so I know how tense things can get sometimes when it comes to bad tourist behavior. I do NOT want to be a bad tourist, so thought I’d ask what are some general ‘Don’ts’ when it comes to Svalbard? The only thing Id be ‘chasing’ in Svalbard is relative peace in a place where I know I wont run into anyone I know, walk around check out the town. Eat, drink (only a little) and just chill out and think quietly…I assume all of this would be OK and not frowned upon?

    Seems like a silly question, but the Arctic Circle seems like a fun place that can instantly become a problem when it comes to making errors, and I don’t want to base my trip on a foundation of errors 😅

    Thanks for reading, and thank you for the well written and informative articles!

    1. Hey! I am so sorry I am just now seeing your comment :) I hope it is not too late to reply! So, there is NOTHING wrong with booking the kind of trip you’re looking into. In fact, booking in the winter is already mindful enough as the tourism is in its low-season. I am actually going there on February 12 (maybe see ya there haha). The locals are so friendly there and as long as the travelers are being respectful and supporting local businesses, they are more than happy to see new faces around town. Since Svalbard is a place you really can’t venture through on your own, you won’t have a lot of opportunity to get in trouble as long as you stay within the safety zones of the town and book tours when you want something more to do. I honestly think Longyearbyen is one of the most underrated little towns on the planet – SO MUCH GOOD FOOD!

  2. great info – thank you. one question: is it better to stay in longyearben and do day excursions or do multi-day adventures like 3-day adventure trip to Nordenskold lodge (by Basecamp Explorer)? Just weighing quality of experience and price

    1. Honestly, if you have the funds to do the longer excursions and stay in random places around Svalbard – DO IT! I can NOT imagine anything more incredible. I hope to plan my next trip there with longer stays in other places!

  3. I really like to experience the cozy Terence. But are the bears friendly or cause nuisance to the public.