A globetrotter confessed his trip to the “strangest place on the planet” left him utterly “mind-blown”.
Phil Carr, a seasoned traveller who frequently shares his worldwide adventures on social media, took to TikTok to recount his experience in Longyearbyen, Svalbard – a Norwegian archipelago nestled in the Arctic Ocean.
“My mind has been blown,” he stated in a caption accompanying his video, adding: “The most northerly settlement on Earth, and it’s quite easy to come and visit!”
He kicked off his clip by stating the town is just “a few miles south of the North Pole”, humorously suggesting it’s so far north that “even Iceland may as well be on the equator and is “so remote that even the Scottish Highlands look like they’re in central London”.
Despite its breathtaking landscape, Phil exclaimed: “It’s brutal, it’s dangerous.” Enjoying a pint of beer, he went on: “I was here in the polar summer so it was a permanent daytime and a balmy six degrees [Celsius].”
On the flip side, he clarified any winter visit would be in “permanent darkness” and “at 78 degrees north it can get a little bit nippy”. Phil revealed the first piece of information he received upon arrival concerned safety around polar bears, meanwhile.
“If you leave the clearly marked safe area, you must either be armed or with someone who is,” he said. “There are thousands of polar bears on the island and people – like every other creature here – is very much on their menu.”
Phil continued, sharing footage of a luxury dining experience and his visit to the North Pole Expedition Museum – where he highlighted further the potential risks of encountering a bear, but reassuring if you “stick with an expert you’ll be fine”.
He then delved into Svalbard’s mining past and mentioned no visa is needed for entry. “It’s Norwegian, but it’s kind of not,” he tried to clarify. “You fly up here from Norway for a couple of hundred pounds return, but Svalbard is a bit like international waters.
“Norway are like custodians of the island – they protect the wildlife, the landscapes, ensure fair opportunities for all countries and guarantee it stays demilitarised so the US and Russia can’t exploit its location.”
Phil then felt compelled to share some “serious advice” about the dangers one might encounter in Svalbard if you “do something stupid”. “You can get into a lot of trouble and fast,” he warned, before listing the various activities tourists can indulge in.
“There’s boats, bikes, trekking, snowmobiles – just book,” he suggested. Phil’s first stop was the Global Seed Vault, also known as the ‘Doomsday Store’, which he found terrifying for a different reason. “Tunnelled deep into the mountains is where they store seeds from all plants and crops on Earth,” he disclosed. “The seeds might be needed after a regional natural disaster somewhere on Earth – or brace yourselves – a meteor strike.”
Phil concluded by lauding the “amazing” pubs and restaurants on the island, attributing their charm to a blend of global tourists, locals, hardcore explorers, scientists, and workers. Despite the chilly climate, Longyearbyen offers camping facilities, bunk houses, hostels, and hotels, with Phil shelling out approximately £230 per night for his stay.
The town also boasts schools, a ski slope, a leisure centre, a tax-free shopping centre, and many more amenities, according to Phil. “Probably my main bit of advice if you come here is to make sure whoever you’re coming with is equally as excited,” he closed. “Don’t drag anyone here against their will – we’re a long way north, it’s very isolated and they probably wouldn’t enjoy it.”
“Wanted to do this for years,” one TikTok user penned in response to the video. “It looks so remote that there’s not very much to do other than what’s in this video, BUT I’d still really want to go,” confessed a second. “I just can’t justify spending like £950 on it. Wonder what their nightlife is like.”
“There is a reason I follow you and I love the fact that you are expanding boundaries,” hailed a third TikTok user. While a fourth admitted: “This looks like heaven.” Elsewhere, and contrary to Phil’s claim, others suggested the most northern settlement on the planet is in fact Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.