Northern lights on a budget? Here’s how I did it

SINGAPORE - This is wonderful, I thought, as the last seconds of 2025 unfolded and a new year began.

I was up in the mountains near Tromso in Norway, a prime spot to view the northern lights. My travel companion and I were treated to the green hues after sampling local dishes in a cabin. When the clock struck midnight, households in the area, including our guide’s, set off fireworks in the sky.

As a millennial saving for her first HDB flat, this was the perfect travel experience – celebratory, scenic and within budget.

Winter is peak season in Tromso, a Norwegian city located 350km above the Arctic Circle. I visited during the popular polar night period, when the sun does not rise above the horizon, for a better chance of seeing the northern lights.

With this in mind, I set an individual budget of $4,500 for eight days, with plans to use some money-saving strategies.

The budget covered airfare ($1,600), accommodation ($1,000), food ($708), clothing ($108), transport ($69), a museum visit ($15), and four tours ($1,000).

Here is what worked, and what I would rethink.

Yes: Dropping the idea of driving in winter

I am usually game for driving down foreign roads with curated playlists in cars I cannot afford. Unless it is winter.

The last time I drove in winter, my parked car sank into pillowy snow at a remote location. Digging around the vehicle and flooring the accelerator eventually worked. But years later, I still remember the spike in my heart rate.

The multiple severe weather warnings that I received in Tromso only reinforced my decision.

The cost of renting a car, with snow tyres and insurance waivers, would have been in the thousands. Meanwhile, a bus pass that I bought for the duration of the trip cost $40.

The buses were fairly regular and reliable. Most of them arrived within minutes of scheduled timings, even with intense snowfall.

Rethink: Staying out of the city

This decision was the biggest cost saver, as a room in a three-star hotel in the city was priced at $600 per night. Our pick, an Airbnb apartment 30 minutes away by bus, was less than half the price.

Will I do it again? I am not sure. The apartment was an affordable option and allowed us to cook some meals. However, walking to the bus stop in icy winds made the commute seem far longer than it was. We also had to catch a bus every day, with virtually every tour starting from the city.

One of our tours concluded well into the night. Because the bus was no longer operating, we called an Uber. The 20-minute ride to the Airbnb cost $58, more than the bus pass I used for the entire trip.

Yes: Arctic clothing rental

Tromso is known for relatively mild temperatures, as far as the Arctic goes. This meant that the coldest weather I experienced was minus 16 deg C.

Nothing I owned would have held up. Instead of buying new gear, I rented an appropriate jacket and trousers from a store in Tromso, which I used for outdoor activities.

The black ensemble made me look like an astronaut from the online game Among Us. Still, the clothing worked well and saved me the hassle of lugging more laundry home.

In hindsight, I could have saved more money by using thermal suits provided during the tours, at the price of looking even less fashionable.

Yes: Drawing up a plan for food

Food costs can quickly add up. I prepared breakfasts and some dinners in the Airbnb apartment.

My Norwegian grocery list included hot dogs, which are widely viewed as a national snack. It is said that 450 million hot dogs are eaten in Norway every year, equating to around 100 hot dogs per person, which is more hot dogs than I have eaten in my lifetime.

I also bought bread, pasta, tomato sauce, eggs, cheese, fish and minced beef.

This gave me the monetary room to visit several popular restaurants, including a seafood establishment where I tried freshly caught shrimp, a shellfish soup and a serving of halibut with crispy skin, washed down with a glass of wine.

Most of the tours that I booked included food. I made sure to schedule a tour on New Year’s Eve, when many restaurants were offering only extravagant set menus.

On the whole, these money-saving strategies allowed me to enjoy the attractions of Tromso without feeling like the trip was a heavy financial expense.

I can see the strategies working for other pricey destinations, helping to put more adventures within my reach.

I know this is the type of opinion that will make some hesitate. Why consider a trip like this, when I can hunker down and squirrel away more savings?

I am not getting any younger. Being in my 30s, I fully recognise that outdoor activities, especially in tough weather conditions, will only get more difficult with age.

Experiencing natural phenomena, such as the northern lights, is also intrinsically calming. It is a feeling I seek whenever I take a break from daily life.

I will do without Grab rides, concerts and avocado toast. But travel that challenges and calms me is an essential in my book.