It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve only been on the road since November. So much has shifted for me personally, while at the same time the world beyond my own life has felt increasingly heavy and unsettled.
I’ve always been grateful to have been born a dual Norwegian and US citizen, because while I grew up in the US, I felt that my values and lifestyle often aligned much more with Norway. I spent most of my youth looking forward to leaving the US, and my Norwegian passport made that move incredibly easy.
Last autumn I decided to sell my apartment in Bergen and find a new place to live.
But I admit I’m struggling a bit to write about searching for a new home in Norway when every day I’m increasingly aware of how lucky I am even to have the option to live in this country at all.
When the outside world feels scary, I find comfort driving off the main roads to a hidden fjord or remote island. Far from the noise of the cities, time seems to slow and I can disappear for a while into this quiet corner of the north that few people visit.
And then I stumble across a war memorial.
If you’ve traveled along the Norwegian coast you’ve probably seen many of them. Still, I’m often struck by how unexpectedly they appear in what feels like north of nowhere.
It’s hard to believe that this lovely, peaceful place was occupied by Nazis for five long years. But the Norwegian landscape serves as a continuing reminder that no place or people are exempt from the horrors of war, and even the most peaceful terrain carries the memory of violence.
I remember when I first visited the Balkans I was so overwhelmed by the kindness of people there (everyone who picked Danielle and me up as hitchhikers insisting on buying us coffee), and it seemed no coincidence that this part of Europe had so recently faced intense conflict. Their generosity towards outsiders felt deliberate, shaped by a shared memory of loss and survival.
Traveling solo I rely on the kindness of strangers quite a bit, and this trip has been no exception. I always say, if you’re ever feeling cynical about humanity, take a trip somewhere unfamiliar! Already this road trip feels like a collection of kindnesses and the best reminder that whether I find a new home or not, human connection itself offers a profound sense of belonging.
Hardangerfjord & Folgefonna National Park
Hardangerfjord is my favorite fjord in western Norway and somewhere I’ve always imagined I could love living. And yes, the way people in Bergen make fun of Hardangerfjord for being hillbilly country makes it even more appealing to me.
Hardangerfjord is also the place I took most of my visitors when I lived in Bergen. I’ve shared my two favorite Hardangerfjord road trip routes from Bergen here.
This time I stayed at this cabin in Kvinnherad, and this cabin on the island of Varaldsøy. The fun (and perhaps stressful) part of getting the ferry from Årsnes to Varaldsøy is that you have to back up onto the ferry! I’ve taken dozens of ferries in Norway and this is the only one where I’ve had to drive backwards onto it.
When I arrived on the island and saw how narrow the roads were, I realized that the ferry actually served as the perfect test to make sure drivers can handle these island roads.
I also took the opportunity to hike to Bondhusvatnet lake in Folgefonna National Park, and while I very much doubt I will be moving here (I want to go farther north!), it would be awfully nice to have such a majestic fjord and national park in my backyard.
Stryn
10 years ago I drove down Gamle Strynefjellsvegen and declared it the most beautiful road in all of Norway. And while I’m afraid I no longer stand by that declaration (hello, Helgeland! Lofoten! Vesterålen! Senja! Lyngen! Varanger!) I did want to stop in Stryn one last time before driving north. It really is so beautiful.
The highlight of this stay in Stryn was all the snow! Alfie and I arrived in a winter wonderland and pretty much spent all day playing outside in the snow. We spent two nights at this cabin with the most amazing view.
I don’t think I’ll be moving here either, but it sure was nice to be back for a bit.
Atlantic Ocean Road
Another area of southern Norway that I do love is Molde, Kristiansund, and Norway’s famous Atlantic Ocean Road.
I decided to spend a night on each side of the road, first in Bud, and then a bit farther north in Halsa. In Bud we stayed at this little rorbu on the water, which I mostly chose because it was cheap but I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful views. And in Halsa we stayed in this barn, which had a great kitchen for baking some Christmas cookies!
Trondheim
Trondheim was the first place I lived when I moved to Norway in 2015, so it felt fitting to return on this new search for a home here. That and I wanted to stop in a city with a cinema so I could see the new Wicked movie.
I walked with Alfie through my old neighborhood and was kind of shocked by how little I remembered – I couldn’t even recall the name of my old street, though I did eventually find it. I only lived here for a few months before moving down to Telemark to work in a supermarket for a year, but still!
Alfie and I stayed at the Scandic Bakklandet, near my old neighborhood (Møllenberg) and with an excellent breakfast!
Salsbruket
I always say that North Trøndelag is the most empty part of Norway, and while the Golden Detour is something to do there, I’m not sure it’s quite interesting enough to serve as a reason to visit.
And in proper Trøndelag fashion, about an hour after I had turned left off of the main highway I was trying my best not too skid off of the super icy roads, noting that I had no mobile reception and had yet to pass another car.
I did make it to my destination just fine, but I also decided that it would be a good idea to share my location with my friend Samantha. So if you ever need to know where I am, ask her! Let’s hope that the answer is never a ditch in North Trøndelag.
But actually, I think I finally found a good reason to visit! I spent two nights in this lovely cottage, which was one of the most special places I’ve stayed in Norway. Each room has been designed with such thoughtfulness and love, and exploring all of them felt like wandering through a house sized treasure chest.
Bindal
And then I finally crossed into Northern Norway and my favorite region in all of Norway – Helgeland!
I knew I was nearing Helgeland when I arrived at the ferry port in Geisnes. There were a few cars in line ahead of me, but all of their drivers were outside chatting with each other. Because as an old supermarket colleague once told me: the friendliest people in Norway are on the Helgeland coast.
Alfie and I spent four nights at this log cabin in Bindal, and perhaps I was feeling emotional being back in Northern Norway, because I was moved to actual tears when I arrived to a roaring fire in the fireplace. If you’ve ever struggled to get a fire started in a freezing cold cabin after a long drive you might also understand my overwhelm. Northerners are so kind!
One thing my arrival here made perfectly clear: I absolutely want to live in Northern Norway. In retrospect it feels almost silly that I ever thought I should live in the South, when I love the North so much.
That sentiment was reiterated the next morning when daylight revealed the dramatic mountain views from the cabin. Bindal sure is pretty!
Mosjøen
The event I actually first planned this entire road trip around was Mosjøen‘s Christmas porridge table on December 5th. Every December the town organizes the world’s longest Christmas porridge table to celebrate the start of Christmas.
It’s a super cosy event and one of the many reasons I love Mosjøen so much. I shared a video from the the porridge table here.
When I decided I wanted to attend this year, I immediately booked this house downtown that I had stayed at twice before and loved. It’s a big house, so my friend Em decided to join me the evening after the porridge table to make dinner and have a little slumber party.
That night she kept asking why I wouldn’t just move back to Mosjøen, when I clearly love it so much and keep visiting – usually multiple times a year.
She’s right, I do love Mosjøen, and it probably is my favorite town in all of Norway. But it’s also a small family town – all of my friends in Mosjøen have kids, and either they or their partners have deep roots there. I really admire Mosjøen’s tight knit community, but in my two years living there I always felt that I was admiring it from the outside.
But I will say that I left Mosjøen with some things to consider.
Ammarnäs, Sweden
I had originally planned to spend Christmas in Senja, but Norway was having such a rainy December I decided to postpone Senja and head inland towards colder temperatures – in Sweden.
It can be hard to find cabins available over Christmas, so I decided to stay at the same cabin in Ammarnäs where I spent last Christmas. And oh what a good idea that was! Returning here really did feel like coming home (haha moving to Sweden would be such a plot twist in my life), and Alfie and I were greeted with cosy Christmas decorations and spectacular northern lights.
And when I asked the owners if I could extend my stay for a few more days, instead of asking for payment they simply wished me a Merry Christmas. So kind!
And in fact they’re not the only people who have offered to extend my stay for free on this trip. I will forever be humbled by the kindness of strangers on my solo (or in this case, with dog) travels.
Bodø
I strongly considered moving to Bodø when I left Mosjøen in 2020, but ultimately I decided I am not quite tough enough to withstand those strong winds. It’s such a windy city! But I do enjoy Bodø when I visit, and this time was no exception.
I also love that it’s just a ferry from the Lofoten islands as well as the Helgeland islands, and it has an airport and a train station.
Wait, do I want to move to Bodø? I go to the gym more than I did in 2020, so perhaps now I could handle those winds!
Alfie and I stayed at the Thon Hotel Nordlys, which still has my favorite hotel breakfast in all of Norway.
Steigen
After loving Steigen last winter I had to visit again. Steigen really is so beautiful! It’s quite remote, so might not be the easiest place to live. But oh what beautiful views I would enjoy there.
We stayed at this lovely little cabin right on the sea.
Kvæfjord
When I told my downstairs neighbors in Bergen that I was considering moving back to northern Norway, they suggested I move to Harstad. Since I had visited before, this time I decided to spend a few days outside of Harstad on the little island of Kvæøya in Kvæfjord.
Okay and maybe I also wanted to stay in Kvæfjord because of Norway’s famous kvæfjordkake (also called verdens beste, or “world’s best”) which is the national cake of Norway!
Alfie and I stayed in this old farmhouse and since I was a bit under the weather while there I had to enjoy the northern lights from the living room window (which luckily had an excellent view!).
Evenes Airport is nearby, as well as express boats/ferries to Tromsø and Lofoten. It is a great option on paper, but to be honest, I don’t find Harstad that interesting.
Andørja
This lovely cottage on the small island of Andørja has been another favorite of this trip! The inside was so cosy and Alfie and I especially enjoyed walking around the island.
Andørja is apparently Northern Europe’s most mountainous island, with 20 peaks over 1,000 meters – impressive for such a small island! It might be a bit too remote for me to live here (though the ferry connection to Harstad certainly makes it less remote) but I would love at least to return here for some summer hikes.
Senja
I originally planned to stay at this cabin on the island of Senja for Christmas, and so when I arrived a couple weeks later the owners had a Christmas present waiting for me! They gave me the sweetest hand knit mittens, which I have been wearing nonstop lately because it has been in the -30s and mittens are so much warmer than gloves (actually I’ve been wearing the mittens over my gloves).
Senja is such a fun island, and while I most enjoy visiting in the warmer months because of all the amazing hikes here, it’s so lovely in the winter as well. I’ve shared a complete guide to visiting Senja here, and a guide to visiting Senja in winter here.
But could I live on Senja? I think I maybe could!
Tromsø
When I first decided to leave Bergen I thought I might leave Norway altogether and move somewhere else in Europe. But then it occurred to me that I could move back to Tromsø! And for a while that was my plan.
Eventually I realized I probably didn’t want to live in a city again, but I was still excited to return to Tromsø and see how I liked being back.
I moved from Tromsø at the end of 2022 and wow, a lot has changed there in the past three years. I knew I’d be visiting during peak northern lights season, but I was still blown away by how many tourists filled the streets. Apparently Tromsø gets about five times as many northern lights tourists now as it did when I lived there.
So I don’t think I’ll be moving back. But more significantly, this visit showed me that maybe I don’t want to live in one of Norway’s many tourist hot spots. I’m definitely leaning towards moving to one of Northern Norway’s many underrated areas that would be so fun to share with outsiders.
But for now I’ve taken a break from that search and driven east into Sweden and Finland! I hope to catch you up on this past month soon, but until then you can always follow along with my most recent photos and videos on Instagram.
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