Despite their planning, they hit a snag early within the journey. “We realized one of our daughter’s boots wasn’t waterproof when she refused to walk any further—just sat down in the snow,” Claire says. “But Tromsø’s great for that kind of thing. We rented her a proper pair right in town.”
Their household motto shortly turned: “Three layers at all times.” It caught. “The kids still repeat it like a chant,” Claire laughs.
Challenges they confronted
Even earlier than they arrived, the journey delivered an adrenaline rush. During a flight connection in Bergen, the aircraft was struck by lightning: “There was this loud flash and bang, and my daughter yelled, ‘I saw fireworks on the plane!’” Claire recollects. “The cabin went silent. The crew was incredibly calm, but I remember sitting in the hotel that first night wondering, ‘Why did we sign up for this?’”
Still, the second handed with out subject, and the remainder of the journey unfolded easily—apart from one weather-related change.
“We had to cancel a day trip to an ice hotel because an avalanche blocked the road,” Claire says. “We were disappointed but also very aware that we’d rather be on this side of the avalanche.”
Claire Lynch
The sudden spotlight
The household’s Northern Lights fjord cruise turned out to be some of the unforgettable components of the journey. “There was a hot tub on deck,” Claire says. “So we all got in—pitch dark, Arctic night, in swimsuits—and floated while everyone else sat bundled in coats.”
It was a daring selection, however it paid off. “It felt like this surreal, cinematic moment that the kids will remember forever. We didn’t plan it as a highlight, but that’s what made it special.”
When Claire requested her kids what they remembered most, their solutions had been clear.
“They talked about building a snowman taller than them that other tourists stopped to photograph,” she says. “They loved sledding with other kids, linking their little sleds together into a kind of snow train.”
But the largest standout? “The reindeer. They still remember their names. That experience really stuck.”
Aside from the snow and the sights, what stood out most to Claire was how straightforward it felt to journey as a same-sex couple. “There was no awkwardness, no side-eye, no explaining,” she says. “We were just treated like any other family. Sometimes, the absence of friction is the most powerful thing.”
Norway’s common child-friendliness additionally made a big impact. “You never feel like you’re inconveniencing people with children. Everything is set up to include them.”
Claire Lynch
What they’d do otherwise subsequent time
With children now a bit older, Claire says they’d construction the journey otherwise: “If we went again, I think we’d stay somewhere outside the city—more rural—where you can walk straight out into the wilderness,” she says. “Then we’d just pop into the city for museums and meals.” They additionally skipped extra critical mountaineering or longer wilderness excursions because of the children’ ages, however that is likely to be on the desk subsequent time.
Still, Claire says she wouldn’t commerce the sluggish tempo for something. “You’re forced to stop and enjoy the moment when you travel with little kids. You can’t rush past a perfect patch of snow without a snowball fight. And that’s kind of wonderful.”
Advice for fogeys eyeing an Arctic escape
If you are questioning whether or not a visit like that is an excessive amount of for younger children, Claire’s message is obvious: with the precise planning, it is completely doable—and greater than price it. For starters, she recommends selecting lodging that take the stress off every day logistics. Staying in a lodge with half-board, for instance, meant they didn’t have to consider the place to eat after an extended day within the snow. “Having dinner waiting at the hotel every night made the whole trip more relaxing,” she says. “Especially when everyone’s tired and a bit cold.”