Arctic Tourist Traps

A great Postmark from Northcape - forget it !!!

by globetrott

At many places people will advertise the rare and very special postmark from the Northcape as collector's items, but they simply dont look good, nor are they made with any special care, just take a look at my main photo.When travelling by Hurtigruten you have to post your letters untill a certain deadline in order to get "this very special postmark from the Northkapp", they even sell a stamp with the picture of the Hurtigruten-ship you are sailing with (for extra money of course) and at the end you almost cannot read that postmark. I think it is not worth to send any extra postcards for this postmark ! Dont expect anything special and you will not be disappointed.In case that you want to bring some nice souvenir for stamp-collectors, there is a good choice of letters prepared by the local post-authorities, but they are quite expensive ! (see my last photo!)

Arctic Circle certficates

by call_me_rhia

you can buy them everywhere, with all sorts of designs and in all sorts of shapes... above the arctic circle, lacking real tourist traps (as in places to see), the ultimate trap is to buy these useless pieces of paper.. that you'll forget about once you get home. Please note that I even forgot to fill my name in. A waste of dollars, for sure! Don't buy one - you don't need it post your foolishness on VT

you MUST be prepared very...

by lukeduke

you MUST be prepared very carefully. If you arent, the nature can be a big trap, and an adventure turns into a disaster. If you go there for the first time, take only guided trips. Plan at least 1000 USD per week of stay without luxury, but with guided tours.Pic: this glacier wall is about 20 metres (60 feet) high!

trapped in Spitzbergen

by globetrott

on one of my first cruises the ship ran on a sandbank and was trapped there for the whole dayMore infos and pics of that special cruise are on my Spitzbergen-page !

You'd definitely want to avoid...

by bebop88

You'd definitely want to avoid this one.

NorthFace's Tourist Trap Tip

by NorthFace