Lapland: Santa & Sledding

Delish food, fascinating culture and the most attractive people you’ve ever seen – welcome to Sweden! Pull on your beanie and your biggest coat and meet us in the iconic city of Stockholm. First things first: say ‘hej’ (pronounced ‘hi’ = win) to your fellow explorers and then get pumped for the adventure ahead over an included group dinner. This is gonna be EPIC... 

Dust off those brekkie crumbs and pull on some warm and comfy shoes – today, we’re kicking things off with a morning walking tour with our Trip Leader. Check off Gamla Stan, Parliament House, Riddarholmen Church and The Royal Palace – then, the rest of the day is up to you. Ready for your next feed? Seek out some authentic Swedish meatballs – ‘nuff said. Later, we’ll get cosy in our bunks on the overnight train. Our destination? The BEAUT coastal city of Lulea – aka the getaway to Swedish Lapland...  

Rise and shine! You’ll have a few hours to gaze out the train window at some seriously eye-popping views before we roll into Lulea around midday. Then, stash your luggage at the hotel and grab a snack at a local bakery (cinnamon bun, anyone?) before we hit up the city’s best bits on a walking tour with our Trip Leader. Fun fact: Lulea is built on an archipelago made up of over 1000 tiny islands just below the Arctic Circle. Plans for this arvo? You’ve got options. Check out the city’s 6-kilometer-long ice track for ice skating and sledding. Later, you’ll have your first opportunity to see the Northern Lights on an optional snow scooter tour. Or pull on some snowshoes and head out into the snowy wilderness on foot. Prepare to be WOWED. 

Wrap up warm, we’ve got another day of outdoor discovery. First up is screen-saver worthy Gammelstad – a UNESCO World Heritage church town packed with quaint 16th century buildings. We’ll soak it all in on a walking tour with our Trip Leader, including a stop at Nederluleå Church to check out its beaut medieval interiors. And later? Hop on an optional icebreaker cruise with some insane highlights. Think: walking on the frozen sea and swimming in an ice-free patch of water that’s been cleared by the ship’s path (don’t worry, you’ll be wearing an insulated floatation suit). Tonight, if the skies are clear, we’ll hop on the coach and go hunting – for the Northern Lights, that is! Keep your eyes peeled for those dazzling colours (and don’t worry if they're feeling a lil shy – there’ll be more chances to spot them later in the week). 

Today’s an early start – but we promise it’ll be 100% worth it.  Shotgun a window seat and watch out-of-this-world scenery whizz past as we cross the border into Finland. Before we wave a tearful goodbye to Sweden, we’ll visit an indigenous Sami family and tuck into some traditional snacks. Then onwards to our next destination: Rovaniemi – aka the official home of Santa Claus (yep, really!). Your inner child will be crying tears of joy cos we’ve got an entire afternoon in the town’s storybook Santa Claus Village. Meet the man himself in Santa’s Office. Step over the official latitude line into the Arctic Circle. Or shop for handmade (sorry, elf-made) souvenirs at Santa’s Gift House. Got an appetite after all that excitement? We don’t blame you. Luckily, there’s an included dinner on the agenda at a local restaurant. Then, you’ll probably wanna hit the hay early. Why? Cos we're snoozing in I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E glass igloos. Keep your eyes peeled for the Northern Lights (or just the stars) while snuggled up in bed. Fact: it’ll be a true pinch-yourself experience.

Still vibing from the dreamiest night of your LIFE? Laze around in your glass igloo a little bit longer and soak up views of the enchanting snowcapped forest. Can’t get enough of Santa Claus Village? It’s only a five minute walk from the hotel if you still need to grab some souvenirs for the fam back home. Then, it’s nearly time to move on to the next stop on our wintery adventure. But first: a chance to meet some of the awesome locals at the Ranua Arctic Wildlife Park. We’re talking arctic foxes, grey wolves, snowy owls and polar bears. Next, it’s onwards to Oulu: Finland’s cultural capital that’s perched right on the mouth of the Oulujoki River. Keep your eyes peeled for Rudolph during an optional outing to a local reindeer farm where you’ll have a chance to feed these majestic creatures. Then, gather your trip mates and seek out a bowl of rössypottu – a heart-warming Finnish stew flavoured with smokey bacon. Yum!  And tonight? It’s our last opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Huddle together in the winter air as the skies *fingers and toes crossed* transform. Magic. 

What’s that? A free day to delve deeper in Oulu? And you’ve got plenty of options. You could also hop on a snowmobile and explore more of Finland’s wild beauty. Expect views your mates back home won’t believe. Later, there's an optional dinner and sauna sesh on the cards at Maikkula Mansion. You’ll tuck into some delish local grub – think fresh salmon and steak. After, pull on your bathers and prepare for total bliss in a relaxing wood-fired sauna just steps from the frosty Oulu River. Moments like these? Next level.

After another included brekkie, we’ll wave goodbye to Oulu and board the train for Helsinki – Finland's quirky capital city. This is your chance to catch up with the rents and swap tales with your trip mates. When we arrive this afternoon, we’ll get our bearings on a city walking tour. Tick off the A-list sights with your Trip Leader, including the historic Senate Square, the eye-popping Uspenski Cathedral and the space-age Oodi Library. Tonight, we have one final dinner together. Cheers (soz, kippis) to a road trip none of us will ever forget! 

9 unbelievable days. Two magical countries. Endless wintery vibes. And just like that, it's time to say goodbye. Get down to breakfast and swap those socials – you’re gonna need them for next year’s reunion trip. Not ready for the adventure to end? Western Europe is just a stone’s throw away...