Like last year, the core of my travels this summer was a bucket list item – and also like last year, I couldn’t resist overcomplicating things… This report actually covers two trips, in that I returned to the office between them. But a joint report gives me a bit more of an excuse for taking so long to write it all down, and as a combined itinerary, this project represents both the furthest north and south that I’ve ever been.
I achieved these extremes without ever leaving Europe, thanks to a pair of far-flung islands. Gran Canaria is Spanish, but if you head east you make landfall in Africa’s Western Sahara. The high arctic island of Svalbard, is governed by Norway, but others made their mark here too, most notably Russia.
Be it climatically or culturally, these destinations would already feel worlds apart. But the nature of the visits differentiated them too. I had been considering – with varying degrees of seriousness – a trip to Svalbard for most of a decade. Once I decided this would be the year, I designed endless permutations of the schedule and routing, with potential bookends in Norway, Finland or both. I would be travelling alone, looking for adventures to fill my time and mostly dependent on organised tours to do so. As usual, the whole trip would be made possible by cashing in a chunk of various loyalty programme balances.
Conversely, I would be visiting the Canaries with my now-fiancée, which introduces some constraints to the ‘getting there’ part (but makes the rest much simpler). She prefers not to fly, and so we needed somewhere with direct service, which would be straightforward except we would be starting in Holland and ending in the UK. Throw in a desire for plenty of sunshine and a coastline, and Gran Canaria – never previously on my radar – emerged as an ideal candidate. The rest of the trip fell into place within a couple of evenings – our plan was to do as little as possible once we got there, and we were happy to trust the wisdom of crowds by selecting a promising-looking independent hotel via Trip Advisor.
So: one solo trip, one duet; one cold, one hot; one planned meticulously, one built on a whim. But both Europe, both islands, and both highly enjoyable!
Each would also be indirect from the UK. As mentioned, my partner and I would be visiting the Netherlands first; and in order to get to and from Svalbard, I would be passing through mainland Norway. Although I had visited Oslo back in February – another factor that nudged me towards the arctic - I built in an extra day for summer sightseeing there too. Here, then, is the final routing:
and here’s what I’ll therefore be covering in this report!
- Planning
- London to The Netherlands (Eurostar Business Premier lounge, Eurostar Standard Class, Thalys Comfort 2)
- Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- The Netherlands to Gran Canaria (Aspire lounge 26 AMS, Transavia Economy)
- Hotel: Gold by Marina
- Maspalomas, Gran Canaria
- Gran Canaria to London (Sala Galdos lounge LPA, Iberia Express Business)
- London to Oslo (Aspire lounge LHR T5, British Airways EuroTraveller)
- Hotel: Radisson Blu Plaza, Oslo
- Oslo, Norway
- Oslo to Longyearbyen (Norwegian Domestic Economy)
- Hotel: Radisson Blu Polar
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard
- Pyramiden (via the world’s northernmost fjord cruise)
- Hotel: Svalbard Hotell and Lodge
- Longyearbyen to Oslo (Norwegian Domestic Economy)
- Hotel: Park Inn by Radisson Oslo Airport
- Oslo to London (OSL Lounge, British Airways Club Europe on midhaul A321, Club Millesime arrivals lounge LHR T5)
Be warned, there’s over 18,000 words here! If you’d prefer a less technical treatment (with more photos) there’s extended versions of some of the destination / activity highlights over on my blog (mods, I hope this dual coverage is ok!):