#northern-lights

#northern-lights

Heading to the Arctic north at this time of year usually means Santa, Northern Lights and reindeer but Culture Trip's Cassam Looch explored two destinations offering something very different. I can't lie, my initial excitement at visiting Finland in the winter was almost entirely based around the prospect of seeing the Northern Lights. After a series of near misses, I thought this would be the trip where I finally caught a satisfying glimpse of the spectacular natural phenomenon in the sky.

Commissioned by Icelandair, the survey collected responses from 3,000 Americans aged 16 and older. The results indicate that 43 percent of travelers in the U.S. are planning to cross a dream destination off their travel wish list in 2026. When it comes to particulars, over 34 percent of respondents said that a trip to see the northern lights is their biggest dream destination overall. And the cosmic colors have cross-generational appeal: It was the top destination among age groups 16-24, 25-34, and 55-plus.

While the UK is in the middle of a northern lights boom , London hasn't seen so much of the borealis this year. The capital's southerly location is at a disadvantage when it comes to catching a glimpse of the phenomenon, and on the very rare occasion when the lights do make it down here they're often obscured by light pollution. But that could all change this week. Forecasters are predicting that London could be in for some spectacular shows of the northern lights this week,

IcelandAir analyzed TikTok data and travel guides to determine which Northern Lights hotspots in the U.S. have stayed the most under the radar. After compiling a list of the best places to see Northern Lights in the country, the airline's researchers examined how often hashtags related to each location were used on TikTok. The comparisons revealed which destinations are the most overlooked by astronomy lovers.