Published on January 29, 2025, by Rhiannon Payne

This month, I traveled to northern Finland 🇫🇮 and Norway 🇳🇴 to see the Northern Lights. You know how most people say they went and never saw them? Well, we saw them over 20 times—and six of those were mind-blowing displays that looked even better IRL than on camera.

That probably sounds like we had insanely good luck. And yes, luck played a part (plus the fact that Aurora activity is particularly strong this season).

But luck wasn’t the main factor.

If you ask Aurora hunters or anyone who lives in the Arctic Circle, they’ll tell you that on a clear night this time of year, you’re almost guaranteed to see the lights.

But MANY tourists don’t.

If you want a great show, you have to be dedicated and prepared. And believe me, I wasn’t going to travel halfway across the world to one of the coldest places on earth (negative degrees FAHRENHEIT) and NOT see some mind-blowing Auroras.

My approach to Aurora hunting was serious—almost militant. (My travel companions definitely made fun of me.) But it paid off big time.

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Here’s how I made it happen:

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I maximized my chances

A lot of people visit Lapland for just 3 or 4 days. And I get it—it’s brutally cold, and there are only three hours of daylight. I could have done a short trip and then flown to Italy to sip an Aperol Spritz in a more comfortable climate. But that’s not how I roll.

Instead, I booked TEN nights in freezing Lapland and then another FIVE nights in freezing Tromsø, staying in rural Airbnbs. Because a few days didn’t seem like enough opportunities to ensure we got a great show.

Was it the most comfortable travel experience of my life? ABSOLUTELY not. Was it worth it? A thousand times yes, and I’d do it again.

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I did my homework

Months before the trip, I started researching everything: cold weather survival, the best gear for -20°F temps (I’m from Florida and California—this was not my comfort zone), and "aurora science."

As you can probably imagine, predicting auroras is a vague science and a “field” that’s not well understood. However, there are some key indicators you can watch: solar and geomagnetic activity, space weather, solar flares, solar winds, and of course, just normal weather (clear skies are probably the most important indicator of all!)

I downloaded the Aurora Pro app a few weeks before my trip, set my location to Lapland, and regularly tapped in to see the Aurora forecasts and look at live webcams. I got familiar with the data, learning what a great night looked like versus an average or bad night.

By the time we got there, I had a good feel for how to use the app and the trends. When we got a push notification on night one (“You may see the Aurora within the next hour if skies are clear”), I was ready to hit the ground running (literally RUNNING to the car to get somewhere dark).

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I found the right people

I didn’t just rely on YouTube videos for tips and didn't want to go on a generic Viator tour where a gap year student from Germany drives you around in a van for two hours. I wanted to talk to serious Aurora hunters—people who would literally drive across country lines until 6 AM for a good show.

So I did what any good millennial would do: I went on Instagram and started DMing Aurora influencers (yes, that’s a real thing), local ski resorts, and photographers in the area, asking for recommendations.

In my search, I found Eetu—a snowboarder and photographer who had lived in the region for over a decade and worked at a ski resort next to our Airbnb. On our first night, he swung by our cabin to chat with our group and give us Aurora hunting tips. He showed us places nearby to get away from light pollution and told us about Lappish huts—freely accessible huts in the forests with wood to make a fire.

Eetu's recommendations turned out to be crucial. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had a heading after getting an Aurora push notification. He also helped us realize that we didn’t need to drive far—we could see beautiful displays just 15 minutes away if we knew where to go.

And on our last night in Lapland, Eetu took us on a night hike to one of the most remote huts in the region. That night, we were very fortunate to have the best Northern Lights show of our trip, with the comfort of a fire and good company.

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I was patient

Standing outside in pitch darkness on a random hillside in 10°F weather is not fun.

…Actually, when I write it out like that, it sounds crazy.

But a big part of Aurora hunting is having patience.

A lot of people will get back in their car and drive home after 30 minutes of staring at the sky and not seeing anything. And honestly, that’s understandable.

But the best Auroras we saw came after an hour or more of waiting—sometimes after hiking miles through the snow or walking down creepy, desolate country roads and accidentally trespassing to get to a frozen lake.

And ultimately, the effort and discomfort made the show more rewarding.

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What does any of this have to do with B2B SaaS marketing?!

If you’re still reading this, you’re probably wondering… what the hell does any of this have to do with B2B SaaS marketing?

In Aurora hunting and marketing, in order to get the results you want, you have to be prepared, determined, and patient.

You have to seek out the right people to partner with.

You have to be willing to be uncomfortable.

You have to be passionate, relentless, and even a little weird—the kind of person others make fun of for caring too much.

Because that’s what it takes to make a brand, product launch, or marketing campaign as mesmerizing and unforgettable as the Northern Lights.

So mesmerizing that your ideal customer would travel to the ends of the earth, endure sub-zero temperatures, and spend weeks in darkness just to be part of your vision.

As a fractional marketer, that's what I want for my clients.

In travel and in business, I'm the quirky, slightly obsessed partner who will put on ten layers of thermals, watch the data relentlessly, and drag you out of your comfort zone in the middle of the night to get the results you actually want.

I'm not just going to shrug and say, "We didn't see the Aurora but had fun anyway."

I make sure magic happens.

And I like working with clients who are as passionate and adventurous as I am. So if I sound like the kind of person you would love to work with (or go on a trip with), you can reach out here or on LinkedIn.

I focus on fractional product marketing and content marketing services for startups in AI, developer tools, HR tech, and the future of work. My sweet spot is seed-stage through Series B, but I also have launch packages (and discounts!) for super early-stage clients.

Or if you just want Northern Lights travel tips, I'm happy to help with that too. :)

(Note: I didn't edit any of these photos. Enjoy!)

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