I’ve been sitting here patiently in DC, saving money, working on my cooking skills, celebrating Christmas. It’s been fun but I can’t lie, I am restless. The open road is calling to me… I even miss wearing a backpack, if you can believe it.
Thankfully I won’t be sitting still for much longer! I leave Feb 10 on a new, kind of terrifying adventure. My first trip of the year is somewhere surprising, even to me: Finland!
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Finland? In February???
Yup. Not just Helsinki either. Helsinki is practically tropical compared to where I’m headed: Finnish Lapland. I’ll be spending time in two very northern towns: Inari and Saariselkä, both in the Inari region. I’ll be over 1000 km north of Helsinki and 300 km NORTH of the arctic circle. Yup. I’m literally going to the arctic.
In February. I won’t lie, I am mega-intimidate, particularly when I read things like “sub-zero temperatures” and “frozen eyelashes.” I mean, I get pretty chilly here in DC and it hasn’t even snowed here this winter. I can’t even really wrap my mind around the february weather forecast:
Nonetheless I’ve been assured that February is a great time to visit northern Scandinavia. I’m excited to see what I will find. One convincing argument? The Northern Lights:
What Will you be Doing in Finland?
Mike and I will both fly into Helsinki. After a couple of days exploring the capital, he’ll head west and I’ll be headed way way way north. To the Arctic Circle (still sinking in). My trip is culture-themed, so I’ll get to dig into the unique world of northern Finland, known for it’s Sami culture and proximity to Russia. Up on top of the world I’ll get to do some really fun stuff like visit a reindeer farm, motor sledging on a frozen lake and panning for gold. I’ll also hopefully get to eat some interesting local specialties (I already know I like reindeer meat).
I’ll be doing some other things too, that you guys will get to vote on! Make sure you’re following my facebook if you want a hand in that action. You’ll also be able to follow along with the hashtag #VisitFinland on instagram and twitter.
After Finland, Mike and I will be sticking around Europe for a few more weeks, I’ll let you know more about our plans in a future post. I think this is the perfect trip to kick off 2013, a year that hopefully will be full of life-changing adventure!
What is Navigate Media Group?
I’ll be visiting Finland as a guest of Visit Finland, in conjunction with Navigate Media Group. Navigate is a new business that we’ve formed along with 7 other great travel bloggers. Our idea is that together we are stronger than any one blogger, and we hope to leverage the group into doing more exciting projects. Basically we are trying to move forward on a more professional level, which is good because I do enjoy eating and paying those student loan bills.
This trip will be Mike and my first with the group, and I’m really excited to see where it takes us.
As a reader you probably don’t need to be too concerned with the workings of NMG, other then hopefully it means I’ll hopefully have more exciting content and adventures to share. I will, as always, try to be as transparent with you guys as possible.
I Need Your Help
I think we can all agree that I’m definitely out of my element here. I’ve never been to Scandinavia and I’ve definitely never been anywhere this cold! So I’m turning to you guys.
Have you ever been to Finland? Do you have any tips for me? What should I do/see/eat?
What about traveling in extreme weather, any tips there? I’ve got my long underwear all ready to go, but packing is going to be a whole other problem entirely.
Have you ever been to Finland?
All photos by Visit Finland.
I have never been to Finland but planning it soon.waiting for your tips hope you will enjoy there
You are going to love Finland!! I studied in Helsinki from Jan – May 2010, and I visited Inari in March that year. The one thing I was thankful I brought with me were a few pairs of really thick hiking socks (and an extra pair or two to sleep in!).
If you’re feeling adventurous, you have break up your time in the sauna by rolling in the snow! There’s absolutely nothing like it! And if you need a break from being out in the cold, check out Siida: The National Museum of the Finnish Sámi. You can find out more about their exhibitions here: http://www.siida.fi/contents
Enjoy you’re time in Finland! Have some cloudberries for me!
Thanks for the tips! I’m getting excited.
I went to Finland last February but mostly just stayed in Helsinki and to the west.
Could not have met nicer people and to my surprise the weather was not that bad.
I was in the minus numbers I think around the -20c mark.
On paper comparing that to the temperature in the South of England it looks intimidating. However turns out that their – 20c actually only felt around the zero mark. I still believe England feels colder. I can’t really explain it.
Finland is cold, but it is a dry sort of cold where as in England it is a wet sort of cold meaning you feel it more?
Apart from the not so bad temperature, I recommend Laskiaispulla which is what the Finnish eat on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake day) 12th Feb. They are so delicious. My Finnish friends were pretty good at making them! Sweet buns with jam and cream!
Jealous you get to see the Northern Lights!
I’ve never been to Finland but here in Germany it’s a similar weather scene. My tip is – LAYERS! You can also buy gel heat pads to pop into your coat pockets.
The travel blogging group looks amazing. I’m an expat blogger who travels, I’d love to be involved in a group like that! As a 20 something single female traveller I think there is no such thing as too much information for people like myself.
I think Finland is an amazing place! And We actually leave the same day!! 🙂 but i’m heading to warmer climates! i’ve never been to finland but my ex was Scandinavian, wha i suggest is to buy a REALLY good thermic Jacket ! you don’t need to put a lot on you to keep yourself warm, unless you’re going to the artic region 🙂
wow you’re so lucky! Northern Lights are one of the most amazing phenomena in the world. I’ve seen some non professonal pictures and still, they were breath taking! Of course the cold climate is a bit of a down side, but for what you’re going to experience is so worth it!
I was about to comment that an average of -9 degree wasn’t too bad at all! And then I realised that those temperatures are probably in fahrenheit!! Well at least you’ll be the authority on how to dress for a Scandinavian winter after this!
I am very jealous – sounds like it will be an awesome adventure. Looking forward to hearing more!
I visited Finland last year and absolutely loved it (although I didn’t make it to Lapland). I look forward to following your adventures – they sound so exciting and interesting!!
Kate xo petite-adventures.blogspot.ca
This trip really does look amazing. I have been wanting to visit Findland for the longest time. When I do, I plan on catching the ferry to Tallin, Estonia.