We had never been to Norway before, but the beautiful mountain landscapes of our neighboring country had been on our minds for some time, so it was time to explore these stunning views. The plan was to explore Northern Norway by car, so road trip vibes were on the agenda.
First, we had to plan what we wanted to see. After exploring various route options, our preliminary itinerary roughly looked like this: start from southern Finland through Rovaniemi to the right arm of Finland Lapland, from Nuorgam to the Norwegian side and following the coast to Nordkapp (North Cape), then through Senja island to the Lofoten Islands and the return journey through Kilpisjรคrvi back towards southern Finland.
Our intention was to camp, sleep in the car, and stay in various accommodations, depending on the situation and feeling. We researched a lot about the wild camping practices and possibilities in Northern Norway, as well as how to find toilets, etc. Northern Norway is a dream destination for caravanners and road trippers, as there are plenty of wild camping spots and public toilets scattered along the roadsides, making camping life easy.
We hit the road with a traditional small station wagon, where, if necessary, you can indeed sleep in the back, so if a suitable hotel isn’t found and the weather isn’t optimal for camping, this serves as a third option.
What to pack when heading to Northern Norway by car:
- Tent
- Sleeping bags
- Sleeping pads
- Pillows
- Camping chairs
- Mosquito repellent
- Camping stove and fuel
- Lighter/matches
- Few plates and cups
- Spatula
- Kitchen knife, spoon-fork-knife (spork) combo
- Food containers
- Thermos
- Cutting board
- Dishwashing tools (environmentally friendly detergent, bucket, and brush)
- Cooler box
- Flashlight
- Tools in case the car breaks down
With clothes, we had to prepare for various weather conditions. Our trip was in August, but naturally, in mountainous areas, the weather can change rapidly from one extreme to another. So, we had to be prepared for rain, cold, and warmth, meaning everything from shorts to padded and rain jackets.๐
What food to take for the road trip?
For food, we bought quite a lot of dry food that would keep in the warm. The plan was to buy most of the food in Finland and supplement it with necessities from the Norwegian side, such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, and other needs. This was for two reasons: a gluten-free diet and not knowing how many gluten-free options there would be on the Norwegian side, so as a precaution, we stocked up on these in Finland. The second reason was cost, as food is slightly cheaper in Finland compared to Norway.
The foods we brought along included a few different ready-made stew bags, such as Mexican stew and similar ones. We would add soy granules instead of minced meat or chicken, so we also packed soy granules and a variety of spices to make the soy granules as tasty as possible.
We also brought along rice, pasta, and ready-made sauce pouches like pepper sauce. So, practically “just add water” type of foods.
These were foods that would keep in the warm, and we didn’t need to worry about food spoilage. We also had a cooler box powered by the cigarette lighter, but it wouldn’t be on all the time, so we saved it for foods that needed to be kept cool, which we would buy on the way.
With these supplies, we were ready for our first trip to Northern Norway!
