A is for Aurora Borealis

Photo courtesy of Beverly & Pack, flickr

Now I’ve done it. I just signed up for the April 2013 A – Z Blogging Challenge. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the challenge, the idea is to post on your blog six days a week during the month of April. We get Sundays off for good behavior and score extra points if we include an overall theme to our blog for the month.

Obviously, WanderBoomer focuses on travel for active, adventurous women 45 years +, their friends and families. Under that umbrella, I’ve decided to make my blogging challenge center on extraordinary travel experiences to add to (or scratch off, if already accomplished) our wanderboomer travel bucket list.

Photo courtesy of mmmavocado, flickr

Today is “A for Aurora Borealis,” otherwise known as the Northern Lights, a wondrous night sky view. Though the spectacle may seem like a man-made laser light show, the natural phenomenon occurs when charged particles emitted from the sun collide with gas particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Imagine surreal shimmering skies that range in color from pale yellow and fluorescent greens to shades of blue, lilac and red (the rarest color) and you have an inkling of the dazzling vision before you.

Once on a lucky, late-night first-class flight from Cincinnati to Seattle, when the cabin lights dimmed and passengers dozed off around me, the flight attendant beckoned me forward. As she re-seated me in the front row of our cabin, she pointed outside the window, revealing a spectacular night sky pulsing in waves of brilliant green colors. The lights accompanied me most of the flight to Seattle, leaving me with an unforgettable, you-won’t-believe-what-I-saw, travel story to share with friends.

Photo courtesy of mmmavocado, flickr

While there’s no guarantee of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights on a planned vacation to do so, you can increase your chances by following these top 3 tips:

• Plan your trip between late November through March when there’s the best chance for cold, clear skies.
• Head to remote regions, away from the city lights to sites like Fairbanks, Alaska or Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Northern Canada or Russia.
• Reserve a room at one of the best places for viewing the Northern Lights, such as the Aurora Borealis Lodge in Fairbanks, Sweden’s Ice Hotel or the Igloo Village of Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. Other options for viewing include a Norwegian Hurtigruten cruise or Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

Just be sure to dress warm and expect to stay up through the wee hours of the morning – unless you’re lucky enough to catch a flight like mine where you can marvel at nature’s wonder through the looking glass from your airplane seat, with a glass of champagne close at hand.

What about you, Wanderboomers? Have you seen the Northern Lights in person? Share your experience with us here.