You’ll probably really want to see these reasons to visit Vantaa after hearing that its the small suburb the airport is located, just outside Helsinki.

It’s not on more tourists radar! But like many places that aren’t, they are secret and just as special.

So, after spending two days there exploring, I’ve put together my favorite parts of the town and why you might want to make a trip. There are of course more than three things to see and do in Vantaa, especially for children. But, as most likely, your Finland itinerary will barely allow for time in Vantaa, you definitely will only want the best of the best things to do.

3 Unique Reasons to Visit Vantaa

There’s actually a museum here too, that focuses on performances and graffiti style art, but it was closed when we arrived. It’s called Artsi and the entrance is free. I’m not sure why it was closed, so you could ask your hotel to call them and check for you.

Literally getting like NO air in this pic. This was our group in Vantaa from the Nordic Bloggers Experience and they were such a fun group of girls! One of them took this photo on their camera but I don’t remember who.

Silvia from HeartMyBackpack shared about her time here in Vantaa, too! She’s the coolest and lives in Norway.. you’ll love her blog.

2. Jumping in FREEZING cold Lake Kuusijärvi

You guys, it’s utter nonsense.

LIKE WHY!? I’ll explain…

Finnish people are obsessed with saunas. I think they invented them! There are a crazy amount of saunas in Finland.

“The Finnish sauna is a substantial part of Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and over three million saunas in Finland – an average of one per household. For Finnish people the sauna is a place to relax with friends and family, and a place for physical and mental relaxation as well. Finns think of saunas not as a luxury, but as a necessity.” –Wiki

So the thing is after they sauna (and yes, they use it as a verb sometimes!), they are SO hot they run and jump into an ice lake to get the blood flowing and say it’s very good for your health.

The saunas are not like the type you see at hotels around the world. They are smoke saunas and actually, the one we first tried at Lake Kuusijärvi was so unbearably hot and smoky every single one of us had to leave it within 30 seconds. It’s unreal how hot these things are.

They had a normal sauna and we sat in there until we couldn’t take it any longer. Contrary to popular belief everyone isn’t totally naked, although some women go topless and men and women are separated.

I jumped in the lake. I thought eh, everyone is doing it, it can’t be that bad. Well, it was. The girls made a video and everyone is like “ohh, it was amazzzinng. I feel so fresh. It isn’t even cold after the sauna!” I’m like “F*ck this *#*$ *#*$&$&@*@($*$*” fill in the blanks with loads of curse words.

It was like pins and needles and I got out pretty quick to take a hot shower. Woah! It was crazy!

The area is very “local” and not touristy which makes it pretty cool. The lake is frozen so we also went for a nice walk on it. We had lunch here as well (which was decent, but nothing to write home about… except the donut.. that donut was the bomb).

3. Acting Like Kids at a Chocolate Factory

So, Fazer chocolate is the most famous chocolate in Finland and it’s made in Vantaa! You can go tour the factory and also do a chocolate tasting.

To be honest, the chocolate tasting was kind of common sense. I’m not interested in where my food comes from (I eat Indian McDonald’s chicken, guys) so it’s a lot of information if you’re not into that.

But, you can take what you want so if you’re not down with learning about where your chocolates come from, just go for the cafe which serves up awesome chocolatey dishes and coffees. Finnish people drink more coffee than any other nationality, so they say.

It was definitely like being a kid in a candy shop, well 100% like that, except everything was free! YUM! And no, not just for us bloggers. It’s free little chocolates all over and full size candy bars for people who come in to tour. We ate way too much chocolate.

So the best ones are the Fazermints (I bought two bags at the airport in Oulu before even coming to the factory), the gingerbread chocolates, and the 70% dark chocolate.

Things you need to know to visit Vantaa

I stayed at Flamingo Spa. It was great for people who have layovers and had a good view. Rooms were huge and I slept well. The spa in the evening was more of a party place (they serve alcohol) but the girls went in the am (I slept in) and said it was much more relaxing then.

For lunch near the train station, we ate at Wandas. I had a pizza and burger that I split with Silvia. I literally love when people want to split two things so you can order both the things you want! There was Finnish food too – but this was the end of my trip and I wanted something different.

You can get here via the train but we took Tixi Travel as we were a larger group of around 6 people.

Wanda’s burger

While a juicy burger is always enough to get me to a new location, I hope you’ll like these unique reasons to visit Vantaa.

Yeah, it’s a suburb, and I get that you have priorities. 

While it’s an awesome vibe, there is a LOT to see in Helsinki and Finland in general. You’ll want at least two weeks in Finland, and maybe try to visit Helsinki for just three of those days. My 10 days was not long enough. If you do two weeks, you can easily just spend your last day before you fly out in Vantaa, which is where the airport is located. If you don’t have enough time, then you might want to look for a local sauna/ice lake somewhere else!

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If you want to explore the “Arctic” then Finnish Lapland is the region you’ll probably end up looking at. Oulu is the gateway to the Lapland region and is an hour flight North of the capital of Finland, Helsinki. There are so many adventures to be had in Oulu and just near it, that you’ll have a hard time deciding what to do. Here are some options and a little guide to Oulu, including where to stay in Oulu.

5 Adventures in Oulu

1. Searching for the Northen Lights on a Snow Mobile

We went searching, knowing that chances were pretty much zero to see the aurora borealis (Northern Lights). They are possible to be seen in September through March, and it’s almost a guarantee you will see them in the far North of Lapland, but where we were in Oulu it’s more up to chance if the sky is clear. This post explains better where to see the Northern Lights in Europe.

Regardless, snowmobiling was a BLAST. If you like jet-skiing, this is like 100x better and you’re going to love it. The paths were quite small and you don’t want to hit a tree so you have to be careful.

I didn’t really ever think about how a snowmobile worked, but it is actually on two skis so you have to think about how those could bounce around if you get off the path! It does take some muscle to drive and it isn’t as easy as it looks. We went about 35 km per hour which felt SO fast. I wouldn’t have gone any faster for fear of wrecking.

We did this through the safari options at Hotel Iso Syote.

2.  Dog Sledding with Siberian Huskies

I loved sledding with the huskies. It was by far my favorite thing to do in Oulu and Lappish Finland. I can’t recommend this enough and the huskies were SO excited to pull the sleds. It was a perfect day.

• See my whole article about how you can dog sled in Finland, too.

3. Visiting a Reindeer Farm & Riding in the Sleigh

Reindeer are so cute! It’s kind of strange because you will eat a lot of reindeer while you’re in Finland and also pet them… but, it’s a don’t miss. I mean it feels like Christmas which I think must release endorphins like exercise (lol jk) so it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

• See my whole article about how you can reindeer sled, too!

4. Snowboarding and Skiing in Syöte

I grew up snowboarding and skiing and lived just 15 minutes from slopes so was there all winter long with my friends. There were a couple injuries trying to do the same things my brother and his friends did, and it was just the coolest thing to get to snowboard all the time! I feel so bad for people who didn’t have a winter growing up! playing in the snow is the best.

The town of Syöte has two “fells”, or hills, that you can ski at. Iso-Syöte or Pikku-Syöte which are right near each other. They also happen to be beautiful regions with amazing lodging at them. We stayed at Iso-Syöte lodge.

The Iso-Syöte lodge has a variety of rooms like cabins for families, fancy rooms like the photo below that have glass windows looking out to the view of the Northern Lights, and rooms that looks like normal hotel rooms. The rooms were wonderful and designed so well. Super cozy! Also, breakfast and dinner in the lodge is really tasty and served buffet style.

5. Ice Fish at Nallikari Beach

Come to this beach in the summer and you can build sand castles and swim, but come in the winter and it’s frozen literally to Sweden.

It’s so frozen that you can drive your car or truck across it and there are set speed limits; they actually open it as a road for fisherman.

You can ice fish, ice skate, snowshoe, and many other things out by the lake. We walked out to explore then had a little bonfire to warm up. You can imagine that with the wind near the sea, it’s VERY cold. We changed into snow jumpsuits to stay warm. It was totally necessary. This was our first night in Oulu and we spent time sledding and playing in the snow!

More Adventures in Oulu and Tips for Oulu, Finland

There are even more adventures in Oulu to be had if you have the time. One thing I really wanted to so was ice-climb but we didn’t have time. I also wanted to visit those glass igloo hotels you always see on Pinterest, but they are about a four-hour drive North and we only had a couple days in Oulu. It’s a good reason to come back.

If you want to see these gorgeous snow covered trees, then Syöte fell is the area you have to check out! I was amazed by how pretty it was. When you get up close to the trees, there is actually like 8 inches of snow on each branch, frozen.

In Oulu town, the actual center of town, where you’ll fly in, there is a new hotel called Lapland Hotel.

The hotel was wonderful and the food there was super tasty! The breakfast was HUGE. Finnish people seem really into big breakfasts and small lunches, so keep that in mind if you join a tour and eat up when you wake up.

The hotel is walking distance to the center of town and near all the best restaurants. Really, the whole town of Oulu is walkable and they actually have a car garage underground. They are trying to make it a carless city.

Take time to eat at Sokeri-Jussin Kievari restaurant in Oulu town.

Of course, we had reindeer. I ate so much reindeer in Finland! It was all so tasty. My favorite things to eat here were the cloudberry jam (and they served a cloudberry ice cream here!) and the rye bread with butter than was served at almost every meal we had.

We also tried their local booze. I always think it’s hilarious when locals of every country introduce their local booze (moonshine of sorts) and tell you how good it is for the health! It was the same story in Turkey or Greece! haha, they basically always force you to take a shot. This was was smokey tasting and I cannot for the life of me remember the name. If you know, leave a comment.

This photo below shows you what Oulu city center looks like. It’s a small town and this little fat man is a statue in the center of town. He’s a policeman and kind of their logo.

The town is pretty empty I have to say! I didn’t see many people walking around… like 10!

It gets dark at 3 pm so it’s hard to get out, I guess. I went to bed early but the others stayed out at a bar and playing bingo. Random!

Overall, Oulu is a cute little town and the gateway to get to to the Finnish Lapland where all your adventures are going to start! Luckily, the adventures I’ve shared here are just outside Oulu and just require a 1-2 hour drive to see them all. If you want to see the Northern Lights, and you don’t want to chance it, you’ll want to move about four hours further North.

Pin adventures in Oulu for later:

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When you fly into Helsinki you can see clearly that the whole city is surrounded by nature making it really easy to find nature near Helsinki and a huge variety of outdoor adventure. I found my bit of nature with Piece of Forest, a cute little company I’ll introduce you to.

I love that you can just drive 20 minutes away from the city and you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

There are SO many options for adventure in Finland. We went up to Oulu in the North for huskies and reindeer, but that required a flight. If you want to go on a day trip outside of Helsinki to enjoy nature near Helsinki, then you want to look at Espoo, which is only 25 minutes away by car.

Finland offers a “stopover” program where if you fly Finnair they allow you to stay in Finland for a week without charging you more on your flight layover extension. There’s so much to do in Finland that a stopover might not be long enough!

They sent us visiting bloggers in groups to each of their “stopover” locations which are all able to be visited in one day from Helsinki. But, the good thing is if you do a stopover, you have more days to check out all the nearby attractions.

I apologize in advance for the number of photos in this post! I recently started shooting in RAW thanks to bloggers teaching me how to edit better and I was having a good time trying to be creative with my shots!

The girls who are running Piece of Forest have already won many awards for their project, and it’s officially been added to the Finland tourism website as a fantastic relaxing day to have in Espoo.

We started off the day by trying a shot of a local berry drink. It was really tasty! I love trying out new foods and drinks when I travel, but to be honest, I’m not that adventurous, I mean I don’t even like olives which made Morocco pretty boring haha.

I loved that Finnish food wasn’t really weird, but was healthy and fresh!

We next started out trek around the property. We had some photographers in our group who taught us a little bit about taking pictures in the snow. For example, it always looks really blue, so you have to make it warmer when you edit so that it’s not too blue. You also have to turn the exposure up because the snow will reflect and make the photo dark.

The lake was beautiful. It was not thick enough to go out and walk on it, although there was a local ice skating on the lake. It was like 8 cm they guessed. The walkway was really slippery all through the paths in the woods so wear good boots.

If you don’t have good boots, they actually have some you can borrow from them in various sizes.

photo taken by Fall Into Finland

You can walk as long as you want. There is a lot of land. But, you can also go back via the road when you feel like you’ve had enough cold. We split up our group, and half of us went back earlier to warm up by the fire.

Their little house was so cute and cozy. It actually started to snow while we were inside and it was beautiful!

We snacked on some chips and local rye bread until the group was all back and ready for dinner.

The tea we drank was extra tasty because we added the berry juice I mentioned earlier to the tea. What a good idea the Finns have! I love it. These little cups “kuksa” are totally Finnish. They actually carry them around and use their own cups when they are out and about. They use them for tea, coffee, and for some people, even booze.

We had potatoes for lunch which were made outside over a bonfire. Apparently, it’s a very Finnish thing to do. They love smoked salmon, so there was a salmon dip on the table that they put on top of the potato. There was also a tomato-based stew that we added to the potatoes!

They rye bread with butter was the bomb. I love that they use these little wooden knives for butter (everywhere I went in Finland). I actually bought one. They are so clever; the wooden knife doesn’t make the bread go crumbly.

Practical information for visiting Piece of Forest:

• You can contact the owner & guide, Elli, at elli@pieceofforest.fi. You can also get online and visit their website.
• They offer more than a walk with lunch. You can see all their excursions on their website.
• Check out another adventure: playing with reindeer!
• I was on this trip as part of my time with the Nordic Bloggers Experience!

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Dog Sledding in Finland was the most exhilarating thing I have done in a long time. I think part of it is because I love dogs so much and huskies are so cute especially when they are in the snow!

I did this activity in Oulu, which is about an hour’s flight from Helsinki. It’s in Lapland, Northern Finland, which is a region that crosses over to Sweden, Norway, and Russia. It’s the Arctic circle area.

When you think of Lapland usually Santa Claus, Reindeer, and Northern Lights come to mind. And of course, huskies! This was what I was most excited about in Finland.

Dog Sledding in Finland

These dogs actually LOVE the cold weather and it is okay for them to be in the cold; in fact, they would never come inside and sit by a fire. Their feet are made for cold weather and their little hairs are all hollow and allow for a kind of insulation.

The woman in charge, Husky Mama, loves her dogs. She knows them each by name and after our dog sledding adventure, she sat while we drank cocoa in a Lappish tepee and told us stories about some of the more outrageous things and trouble the dogs had gotten up to!

What it’s like husky dog sledding in Finland & how to prepare!

So, we showed up with our winter clothes on and were quickly told that we should change into their snow jumpsuits. It was about -12 but the wind made it feel a lot colder. We changed into the safari’s boots and snowsuits, plus added on their gloves and hats before going outside for our lesson.

So, you actually DO have to listen to the instructions before you start because if you don’t pay attention not only could you fall off and be left behind, but you could accidentally hurt the dogs.

You stand while you dog sled, which I didn’t realize ahead of time. You stand on the two sides of the sled and in the middle is a brake. So, when the dogs get any slack on their leads, then you have to brake a bit so that you can pull back the slack or they could get tangled and trip.

If you fall off, the dogs will just keep running; they won’t wait for you or even know/care you aren’t on the sled. But you’ll be left in the cold all alone! haha!

Before we took off, the dogs were tied to a pole so they couldn’t run off. They were yelping and crying just like my dogs do before I take them for a walk. Once that strap was released (and I was already standing), they took off like bats out of hell. You could just tell they were DYING to pull. It was fantastic! Such an incredible feeling.

It sounded like a little bit to worry about, but once we took off the dogs just know what they are doing. At one point, one kind of started to veer left, so the other dogs did, too. Then, we fell off the side of the path into the really deep snow and got stuck. But, you can’t get off the sled because then they will leave you, so you have to kind of stand on it with one leg and try and pull the sled up from the snow with the other. It worked but was nerve-wracking!

As you go through the paths, the husky mama is on her snowmobile leading the way. I am not sure the speed we were going, but it was fast. The trees were drowning in snow and it was just stunning. Really, it was the coolest thing I’ve done in so long.

Practical information to book dog sledding in Finland

I went sledding at Syötteen Eräpalvelut and only have nice things to say. It was fantastic and the people working there were so clearly loving their dogs. They have over 100 Siberian huskies here.

You can go early and help get the dogs set up in their harnesses. There is only 3-4 hours of sunlight in the winter, so you’ll want to plan accordingly.

There were puppies when we were there but they were too small to see guests. But, if you’re lucky you can play with husky pups!

We stayed in Oulu at Lapland Hotel, which was wonderful and right near the center of town – you can walk anywhere.

Read about more adventures you can have in Finland.

Pin dog sledding in Finland for later!

The post Husky Love: Dog Sledding in Finland (SO Amazing!) appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I went to Finland recently and had a blast exploring Helsinki and Oulu, but the actual purpose of the trip was to attend MATKA, a travel conference. I learned a lot about how to prepare and what to expect at MATKA Nordic Travel Fair as a travel blogger and am going to share that in this article.

I have personally only attended one other travel conference and that was TBEX in Bangkok which I wasn’t really a fan of. I have also spoken at the Gypsy Travel Fair in Mumbai. I haven’t attended huge travel fairs, like the ones in NYC and London.

What to expect at MATKA Nordic Travel Fair as a Travel Blogger

Chances are if you are attending this conference as an international, non-Nordic blogger, it’s because you are in the Nordic Blogger’s Experience (NBE) along with other selected invitees. This is why I was attending MATKA.

To be honest, I was so excited to go to Finland, I didn’t think enough about the conference and I regret that which is why I want to share my experiences.

If you are in the NBE then there are special days set aside for you before and after MATKA.

Networking Day for NBE

One important day is a speed networking day with select brands at the fair, which included a lot of tourism boards like Mexico Tourism, Czech Tourism, and more. You set these up ahead of time, online, and request 15-minute meetings with them.

DMO Breakfast at NBE

There is also a DMO breakfast which is a chance to speak with even more representatives from other countries. I even spoke with a killer hotel in Alaska that might want to work together.

You have coffee and such and walk to their tables openly to talk with whoever you please.

Exploring the Region with NBE

This includes a pre-tour (pre-MATKA fair) somewhere in the region (not necessarily Finland), a “stopover day” where you explore close to Helsinki”, and a post-tour (post-MATKA fair).

So, you’ll need about 10 days in Finland, but I suggest staying longer after it’s done to relax and explore Helsinki on your own as you don’t get much time to yourself.

Another benefit of being in the NBE are the blogger courses that are offered during the days of the fair and the day before the fair starts. Experienced bloggers and videographers give lessons on what they’ve learned from blogging. There were speakers talking about how to build a niche and more.

Compared to TBEX Bangkok, I found this much better and really enjoyed listening to how they grew their blogs into more than that.

The MATKA Fair & How Accepting Brands Are of Working With Travel Bloggers

Basically, I hadn’t seen a fair like this before and really didn’t know how MASSIVE it would be.

I actually thought that the networking meetings were kind of the end of it all, and that those 50+ tourism boards, tour companies, and hotels were the only ones there. That wasn’t the case at all. In fact, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of tour companies and tourism boards at the MATKA fair.

When I walked into the conference center I thought maybe another event was going on the same day.

It was set up by region, and I started on the International side. So what do you do? You literally walk up to the booths and tell them who you are, and why they might want to work with you/hire you + what you can do for THEM.

The place was packed and the energy was full-on! I was kind of in a daze walking around alone just talking to random companies and seeing what might come out of it.

Overall, people were interested in talking to me (as a travel blogger) but some were a little upfront that they don’t work with bloggers. You just have to ask and not get discouraged if they aren’t interested.

As it’s a Nordic travel fair, you have to understand as an international blogger, not from the Nordics, you might not have as good of luck. Each tourism board represented, send their Nordic representative and they are looking to promote their region to the Nordics, not USA, UK, etc.

I did have some brands ask why the NBE had international bloggers come, which was a little rude. But, overall, most Nordic reps were more than happy to pass my information along to their USA or India colleagues and getting that connection makes such a difference when you send over a pitch.

Also even if your connections from the MATKA fair didn’t work out for you, the pre and post tours with NBE are incredible and the networking is fantastic. You can go just for that.

Tips for how to prepare for MATKA Fair as a travel blogger

1. Do it alone. You’re going to make a lot of blogger friends at the conference but when you walk around the fair you don’t want a buddy. You want the 1 on 1 attention with the brand and to seem independent and go at your own pace.
2. Bring more business cards than you think you need. Bring 200! I ran out.
3. Be sure to introduce who you are, that you are a travel blogger, and your niche. Think about what you’ll say before you walk up to the booth.
4. Don’t be afraid to say your numbers if they are something you think would help. I told them a few stats about my blog and my page views monthly.
5. Print a few media kits for the meetings that are going REALLY well, but for everyone else show them the media kit on your tablet. This worked out so well and it helps to have something tangible in your hand for them to look at.
6. There’s no point in saying right away that you charge for a per diem on trips, etc. They aren’t going to remember and it might seem off-putting at first introduction.
7. Carry a little backpack to keep all the pamphlets they give you. It’s pretty rude to not take it when they offer as you are meant to be looking interested in their destination!
8. Take a note on every business card you get so you remember what was said. Maybe they wanted to connect you with a colleague or they talked about a specific upcoming FAM with dates. It’s so important that you have a little reminder with a personal note to follow up with them.
9. The entire MATKA fair is pointless if you don’t follow up. I ended up with 54 connections that seemed important enough to follow up and see if it could go somewhere. I sent e-mails to them all about 5 days after the fair. It was worth the two days of writing! Send them a copy of your media kit and your normal pitch plus personalized message at the beginning so that they remember you.
10. Get there early and scope it all out. You want all the time you have there and you want to know the important brands to talk to. By the late afternoon, people are tired and it gets harder to get people’s attention.
11. If you are with NBE you get a coupon to check your coat for free. You also get lunch coupons to eat anywhere in the building. There are restaurants, buffets, and cafes inside the conference center. It’s huge.
12. To get to Messukeskus where the MATKA fair takes place in Helsinki, you can take any letter train (A-Z) from the central train station to the stop. It’s easy and they’ll give you detailed directions + a local transportation pass so it’s free of charge.

I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect at the MATKA Nordic travel fair as a travel blogger. It’s a great opportunity for both new and experienced travel bloggers. I DID get some really great contacts here and even have a few trips in the pipeline (fingers crossed).

The post Travel Bloggers: What to expect at MATKA Nordic Travel Fair appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I would imagine just the thought of seeing reindeer would already have you interested, and you are already pretty much dying to play with some reindeer (no? just me?). But, in case you’re not, these other photos will serve as more reasons to visit a reindeer farm in Finland.

It’s basically Christmas again and you get “all the feels” as it’s so popular to say – and now I actually understand that saying!

Visiting a Reindeer Farm, Finland

The farm we visited (information all at the bottom of the post) was authentic in that it’s a working farm, not just there for tourists. That means that they actually do sell the reindeer meat (I know, I know, but this is what it would mean to visit a farm!).

In Finland, it’s not just for tourists curiosity that they serve reindeer. They actually eat it all the time; it’s very much a part of their diet. We also ate moose!

At the farm, you can walk around with the reindeer, feed them, and pet them. It’s sooo much amazingness all at once. It’s a lot to handle!

How beautiful is this farm!?

I adore the whole property, with its red wooden cottages, rivers, and Christmas lights, as well as the friendly staff (family) that run the place.

They let you in the gates with the reindeer who do get pretty excited about the food and might seem scary at first- but they are actually really chilled out. I didn’t totally relax, though, since their antlers were huge.

Reindeer photo bomb! 

Make sure you dress really warm when you visit. Oulu is in Lapland and is pretty much in the Arctic Circle so yeah, it was COLD. It was -12 not counting the wind chill. You need to bundle up. You’ll be sitting on a sleigh; therefore, your butt will be really cold! You should wear a long coat like a parka so your butt is covered. Also, hats and gloves of course.

It is pretty damn photogenic here, huh!? I love it! The sky was perfect. The sun is only up for 4 hours in Oulu in the winter. That means if you want photographs you need to plan the drive out accordingly. It’s sunny from around 11 am- 3 pm.

You’ve GOT to visit a reindeer farm while you’re in Finland. It’s a very memorable experience and one you won’t regret, plus it doesn’t take up but maybe half a day out of your vacation. If you have kids, they’ll love it (or if you’re a kid like me).

Reindeer Farm, Finland

Details of How to Visit a Reindeer Farm in Finland:

I visited this amazing farm in Oulu, which is a flight North of Helsinki. I stayed at Hotel F6 in Helsinki for a quick overnight, then back to the airport to fly up here. It is in Lapland which is considered the Arctic Circle. You don’t need to stay here long; two hours would suffice! It’s a beautiful region and I have more articles on what you can do in Oulu like huskie sled rides and searching for the northern lights.

• Poro-Panuma
• tiedustelut@poropanuma.com
• Laasenraitti 40, 93140 Kipina
• Stay in Oulu at Lapland Hotel. It’s fantastic!
• If you want a tour, check out these ones on Viator: reindeer, huskies, and even Santa are on there.
• Make sure you have travel insurance: I use World Nomads because they cover adventure sports. Get a quote here

Pin for later!

The post Visit a Reindeer Farm in Finland For The Cutest Day Ever appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

My time in Finland was spectacular and I have so much amazing information to share with you so that you can do some of the cool things I got to do on the Nordic Blogger’s Experience, which I was invited to this year.

If you’re like me and have a wanderlust for everywhere, then it won’t take much to push you over the edge to book a flight to Finland! Here are 20 photos to inspire you to visit Finland!

20 Photos to Inspire you to Visit Finland

a traditional lappish teepee, where of course you drink Fazer hot cocoa!

my new bestie!

blueberry juice is totally Finnish and you’re going to have it a lot on your trip!

the backgrounds are just stunning

In Vantaa, near Helsinki, there is SO much amazing graffiti to explore and photograph, and yeah I’m getting like NO air lol 

You can stay in the cutest log cabins, too!

Helsinki is a hipster paradise

They love breakfast here and it’s SO full of flavor. Don’t miss the cloudberry jam!

Reindeer sledding is a MUST

Ever heard of a kuksa? It’s a little wooden cup that Finns carry around with them to drink tea and coffee. Of course, I bought one.

It’s only sunlight from 11 am to 3 pm in the winter so you’ll definitely be awake for the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. 

reindeer photo bomb!

dog sledding with huskies is an unbeatable experience

From dogsledding with huskies to riding on a sleigh with reindeer, there is so much adventure to be had in Finland! I hope these photos to inspire you to visit Finland, worked!

I loved every moment of that, but actually just seeing the snow-covered trees and being in crisp, cold, fresh air, was enough to make me love Finland. The blueberry juice, cloudberry jam, and delicious rye bread were some of my favorite foods.

Finland is easy to get to with budget flights from WOW Air in the USA or Finnair in Finland. From India, Jet Airways will get you to Amsterdam with ease and you can take Finnair from there.

For more on Finland, check out my other posts:

• Visiting a reindeer farm
• 5 adventures in Oulu
• Dogsledding with Huskies
• Packing for Finland
• A Forest Adventure
• Tips for Helsinki
• Vantaa Tips

The post 20 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Finland appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I flew in early to Helsinki before I headed up to Oulu, so needed somewhere to go for just a night. I checked into Hotel F6 and wasn’t even planning on writing a review, but after leaving thought wow it was really cool so here is my Hotel F6 review! I only had a few photos because I wasn’t actually planning on writing this. Make sure to click here for rates and availability. 

Hotel F6 Review, Helsinki

Upon check-in, I was given an upgrade since the hotel wasn’t full. I love when hotels do this! The room was really big and there was a note from the hotel dog (how cute is that) with some chocolates. I had just had a long flight, so didn’t even go back downstairs all evening.

I love the wallpaper with trees on it. The whole place was designed really nicely. I found that Finnish design, in particular, is really spot on and they really follow trends like copper and upcycling! I also love the velvet pillow and just bought some myself.

The bathroom was your basic bathroom. Simple and white which is how they should be! The products were nice and the towels and robes were fluffy.

The downstairs are gorgeous and I woke up early to go sit in the lounge area and work on my laptop, whereas normally I like to work in bed. It just had such a nice vibe though. I made some cocoa on their coffee machine and spent a couple of hours working before I had to be back at the airport.

The location of this hotel is awesome and when I came back to Helsinki, I had time to explore more and realized just how perfect this spot was. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to explore while I was here – but did do so when I returned.

The kitchen is open style with a chef making breakfast while you pick what you want. Finns are all about fresh berries, salmon, and tasty muesli. Of course, there is also reindeer meat.

I loved the berry yogurt and after having it here, ended up having it with muesli every morning at every hotel I stayed at, but this one seriously was the best.

This hotel was perfect and I actually have nothing negative to say about it (and they didn’t even ask for this review!).

Highly recommend it. You can book Hotel F6 here. Rates are as low as $175 per night which includes all the fees, taxes, breakfast, and WiFi.

The post Hotel F6 Review | Helsinki’s Newest Boutique Hotel appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Helsinki is easy to get around and not somewhere that’s difficult to travel, like most European cities. But its way up North so people get nervous! Here’s a little intro to Helsinki to help you get ready for your trip. This is titled my “handful of tips for visiting Helsinki” instead of a guide to Helsinki for a reason. I was only there for a week, so I didn’t really get to see everything there is to see. I will share everything I know, though!

Finnish people come off a little shy and maybe more like introverts as they often joke about. But, unlike other places in Europe where they do double cheek kisses, they mostly offered me huge hugs!

Helsinki, to me, had a very hipster vibe. It is hard to sight-see and have the energy to go out because it was only sunny like 4-5 hours of the day.

When people visit Finland they go for Helsinki, the North (Lapland), the Lake region (Turku), and the

Places for tourists to see in Helsinki

I feel like in Helsinki its more about just experiencing life rather than seeing landmarks, but there are some places you might want to check out.

Helsinki Cathedral – It seems like this is the biggest attraction. It is pretty impressive but I only saw it in the dark. 

In the Sokos Hotel on the 10th floor is a restaurant called Loiste. A local told me it had the best viewpoint and she was right!

Visit a sauna! You HAVE to do this in Finland because they invented them and it’s a serious part of their lives (seriously… they are mad about them). There is a huge modern public sauna called Loyly that we went to. You eat dinner, sauna, jump in an ice lake, and drink. 

If you walk to Aleksanterinkatu Road, you’ll see the Christmas lights while you do some shopping. It’s great!

You can also check out the Ateneum Art Museum, Kamppi Chapel of Silence which is a gathering place, Old Market Hall to see the local produce and seafood, and visit the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (UNESCO site) which I saw other bloggers do and their photos were amazing.

Day Trips from Helsinki

There is SO much to see outside of the city center and I highly recommend you focus on that rather than being in Helsinki all the time. There are SO many day trips and you can see them all in the Finnair stopover program as it’s their focus. I got to do two as part of the Nordic Bloggers Experience and I’ll be writing about that in two separate upcoming posts: Vantaa & Piece of Forest.

Here is a list of the day trips that you can take outside of Helsinki.

Food in Helsinki

I found that food here reminded me of the freshness of Latvia. Breakfasts were yogurt, rye breads, muesli, berries, and fruit. Meals consisted often times of reindeer, salmon, and potatoes. On Finnair they offer blueberry juice and they even put blueberry flavour into their tea.

Finns are OBSESSED with coffee. It’s a full addiction over there. They also drink it out of the cutest little wooden cups that many of them carry around. Seriously!

We had a great meal and party at a place called Shelter.

Getting to Helsinki & Away

I came from India, so for fellow India-based people, you can fly Jet Airways to London, Paris, or Amsterdam and connect from there. I connected with KLM (their code share partners), but you can also connect with Finnair and other airlines.

I’ve flown Jet dozens of times over the years. There are many reasons I keep going back to them.

• They allow two pieces of 23 kilo luggage which is ideal especially when I fly from the USA. Most airlines have cracked down on this.
• They route through Europe and fly 46 destinations within India and 20 more globally. They are international, so have that type of customer service, therefore even their domestic flights are always my top choice. To Amsterdam from India, they fly the newest Boeing 777 and it’s NICE! haha, I love a new plane!
• They have JetScreen. You can download the airtime player app and watch TV shows and movies on your tablet or phone during the flight on the short connection planes that don’t have TV’s. On the long flights they have tons of new movies.
• Indian hospitality in luxury hotels and airlines is always top-notch. The food is designed by location so if you go to the Netherlands it will be Dutch wheras flying to India, it’s Indian.

If you’re coming from the USA, you might consider Finnair as they have a stopover program and you can go onward through Helsinki. I checked out the Finnair Lounge when I left Helsinki as they invited all of us bloggers to try it. The food was good, chairs were comfortable and I had cocoa – but it was very crowded and noisy as it was in a small space.

There are taxis around town, but you can also download and use Uber while in Helsinki. I partnered with Helsinki Limo (not in an actual limo) and they arranged my airport pickup and drop-off, which is great for business travelers.

You can walk almost anywhere in the city center. It’s not very big. There are also local buses, trams, metro, and trains you can take to get outside the city center. I noticed bicycle lanes too but didn’t see any rental places.

*During my layover in Amsterdam, I stayed at the Hilton Airport Hotel because I had 12 hours and it was just a 3-minute walk from the terminal. It was my first time staying at an airport hotel! I will definitely do that again. So much better than being exhausted in a lounge.

Where to Stay in Helsinki

F6 Hotel

I stayed here just one night before heading off to Oulu. It’s the newest boutique hotel in Helsinki. I wasn’t asked to, but liked it so much I wrote a whole review about it. Book here

Forenom Apartments

These are “pop-up” apartments that many of the bloggers stayed at. I didn’t. Sylvia from Heart My Backpack did and said it was nice but basic. Breakfast wasn’t included here. Book here

Klaus K Hotel

I stayed at Klaus K Hotel for 5 nights. It was a great hotel. The breakfast was SO good. The rooms were a little small, but I think I had the lowest rate room, so you can always upgrade. The location was great and it’s a design hotel. Book here

Clarion Hotel

This is brand new and has a crazy amazing pool. We went here just for the closing party but many bloggers stayed here and raved about their huge rooms and bathtubs! Book here

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little tips for visiting Helsinki. There is so much nature and beauty to see just outside the city center, so don’t let the darkness get you feeling like it’s not a cool place. It’s got a LOT to offer (and some killer coffee shops).

Pin for later!

disclaimer: I was given a complimentary flight by Jet Airways, who I fly with consistently in and out of India. They are a favorite airline of mine and all opinions are my own! 

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When you live in Southern India, you don’t have a lot of options of clothing for cold weather, especially attempting packing for Finland in winter. So, I did the best I could and because I was highly unprepared, I can help you know what to pack – because I definitely knew what I was missing out on!

The key is layering.

Packing for Finland in Winter

TOPS

So, for tops you don’t really have to over think it. I don’t have “warm” tops and I was fine because I layered with a tank top and wore a really warm coat. While in Finland, even in Oulu (arctic) I was okay and as you can see, my tops weren’t exactly winter friendly!

What you SHOULD take: 2 layering tops, like thermals!

This is literally all I had to work with (ha!) I don’t think the reindeer noticed.

BOTTOMS

This is where I do recommend going all “traveler” and getting legitimate winter pants to keep you warm. With t-shirts and tank tops layered under my tops, I was warm up top but jeans only cut it in Helsinki.

What you SHOULD take: warmer leggings made for cold weather.

Once I got further North, the jeans just weren’t warm enough. 3/4 the pairs did not have holes by the way (lol). They were too tight for leggings underneath. A lot of the Nordic girls had on special black leggings that were made for cold weather and really warm. I was too jealous! North Face makes a pair of [easyazon_link identifier=”B017RCNCC6″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]warm winter tights[/easyazon_link].

SWEATERS

Over my tank top, t-shirt, and long-sleeve shirt, I wore sweaters. The ones below did fine. I didn’t need the leather jacket because it definitely wasn’t warm enough, but it was all I had for transit. I had a coat delivered directly to Finland to wear over all this!

What you SHOULD take: 2 wool sweaters! If they aren’t wool then just some that are really warm.

Below are all the leggings I took. I needed two pairs one for the flight there, and one for the flight back. The extra pairs were unnecessary because I didn’t work out and they didn’t fit under my jeans.

The OTHER stuff

Undies, bras, and yes a swimsuit (okay 3).

Finnish people love saunas. It’s literally their thing. There are saunas in the little cottages in the middle of nowhere, in every hotel, and even in hotel bathrooms sometimes. They sit in the sauna and fry then jump in the freezing cold arctic temperature lakes. It’s insane, and yes I did it (and hated it).

What you SHOULD take: I have a pair of [easyazon_link identifier=”B01F47LZQQ” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]DarnTough Wool socks[/easyazon_link] in America that I was dying for! I ended up buying wool socks. 100% necessary.

COAT

The coat is SO important. I worked with Arctic Bay as a partner on this trip to Finland because I wanted a legitimate parka. It was perfect and kept me really warm, but of course, it would at the price tag. I was so lucky to have this coat.

LUGGAGE

I took my [easyazon_link identifier=”B00VISP3A0″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Delsey 25″ Helium[/easyazon_link] check-in luggage. Shoes take up the most space, and I”ll get to those later.

I use [easyazon_link identifier=”B01AH2SIU4″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]eBags packing cubes[/easyazon_link] which are basically my favorite thing ever and if you don’t have them yet, you’re missing out.

SHOES & BOOTS

I took 4 pairs of shoes.

• Steve Madden black ankle boot
• UGG brown boots (lifesavers)
• UGG suede tan shoes (could have left, only wore them once.
• UGG black high top sneakers (favorite & great for the plane!)

Cold Weather Accessories

You can’t forget things like hats and gloves. I recommend taking actual winter gloves you would use for skiing or playing in the snow, not just cotton ones.

For hats, any wool hat will work! My hood was really good, but it was still important to have a hat.

TOILETRIES

I took the basics! Check out my winter skin care routine in full here.

• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00MPP3MB2″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Wet Brush[/easyazon_link] which detangles like a charm
• Tungbrush because I love fresh breath!
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01C8277TE” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Clarasonic Mia Fit[/easyazon_link] … absolutely needed this for how the cold damaged and dried out my skin.
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00VK5RN7M” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Dr. Brandt oxygen facial[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B0051SZB14″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Clinique moisture surge[/easyazon_link] (it’s my favorite)
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00COSM108″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Bumble & Bumble shampoo and conditioner travel set[/easyazon_link]
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B00B86JN4E” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Darphin facial oil[/easyazon_link](Moisturizer wasn’t enough for this dry weather and this oil was amazing. I wear it to bed at night.)

TECH

Well, I won’t bore you with the details since you can see it below and there is SO much of it. I took a small backpack that I could use daily during all the hikes we did (camera gear doesn’t fit in a purse anymore. I had to take a rolling carry-on because I had so much techy stuff I didn’t want to put in my checked luggage.

I took way too much stuff to Finland!

Some of the important/new things below are:

• [easyazon_link identifier=”B000KFRSG4″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Gorilla tripod[/easyazon_link] (super cool, ben got it for me for Christmas)
• TEP device
• [easyazon_link identifier=”B01JGMPM4G” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Panasonic Gx80[/easyazon_link]

Pin it for later:

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