Do you enjoy spending your free time in the outdoors? Then I have some recommendations for you! The weather here can be quite intens, but do not let that hold you back. There is nothing like a long hike in the rain. Weather forecast that have been working for me and many are Storm and YR. When you are going out into nature it is nice to have a trip planned, apps like Maps me and UT can help you with that. However I can recommend you to just start hiking a trail near you and explore as you go since Norway is very safe. Talking about safety, if you are planning on going on extensive trips and are planning to go solo often, I can really recommend the app Hjelp 133. This app uses tracking information to be able to rescue you if you get lost or hurt. There are many possible tracking apps that you can use and it depends on where you are going if it is helpful to use specific ones. I know many people that visit northern Norway want to visit Lofoten and a specific app/website that is really fun to look at is Kuula.
Watch the colourful lights dance above you as you enjoy a hot chocolate milk. There are endless options within sightseeing the northern lights, but how can I spot them at their best? Apps and websites like the Aurora forecast 3d, Hello aurora forecast and Norway lights give accurate ratings for the northern lights. However it is also very important to look at cloud formations since they effect the visibility of the lights, a website I find helpful with that is YR.
Something that can be very overwhelming is transport. However there are many options to it here in Bodø. If you are lucky you will be provided with a bike by one of our colleagues Nils, this is an easy and comfortable way to get around Bodø. A faster and more adventurous way to get around the city is by electric scooters rented out by Ryde. The steps are spread around the city and easy to use since you can park them anywhere. It is a good way to practice on these vehicles since they are being used all over Norway and Europe. If you are looking for transport outside of the city you are looking at busses and ferrys. The train only goes to the south region of Norway, because you reached the outer point of the railway! Overall apps for these kinds of services are Billett Nordland, torghatten-nord and Rail.
Since you will most likely deal with a change in Currency it is good to invest in a way to safe money. Revolut is a bank where you can create a Norwegian account. It is possible to create multiple global bank accounts, so it is also very easy and convenient to have while traveling. Revolut automatically creates a virtual debit card for you, this is useful for online payments. If you consider downloading the app, we recommend you buying a physical card as well since you can use this for groceries and in store payments. Buy the card at least a month before you leave home, due to the arrival date.
Your usual apps like WhatsApp are not used as often here. Most people here use Messenger and Facebook to communicate with each other, so we definitly reccomend to downlaod those apps. Other medias like instagram, snapchat and bereal are used a lot under younger people to just share photos.