| | Winter wonderland | | by Brian Kelly | |  | This year and next year are projected to be peak viewing for the northern lights. I've had the good fortune of seeing the northern lights many times — my first time was in Tromso, Norway, which was epic. Tromso is a cute little town and the gateway to the Arctic. I've also seen them in Svalbard, Norway, which is very remote and a very cool place to visit, especially if you want to see polar bears.
In Iceland, I had a spotting of the lights by the Blue Lagoon as well as on a flight to Japan. In Greenland last summer, there was a supermoon in September and an unexpected sighting of the northern lights — I've gotten really lucky on my trips.
So my trip to Finland was to see the northern lights with a couple of friends but also to enjoy Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland in northern Finland. There's so much to see and do in this area, and you can get the full winter experience — dog-sledding, snowmobiling, visiting Santa's village, and just being in nature. It was really beautiful.
My friends at Finnair offered me a free ticket to check out the snazzy new-ish business class, so I decided to spend a few nights in Helsinki before venturing into Finnish Lapland for three nights.
In Helsinki, I stayed at the Hotel St. George — it's a Marriott property, and I highly recommend it. Helsinki is a cool city, and a highlight for me was visiting a sauna and doing a cold plunge outdoors afterward.
Up in Rovaniemi, I stayed at the Arctic Treehouse Hotel, which features really modern, modular glass houses along a hilltop. The hotel owners also manage all of the activities, so it was easy to reserve everything.
A great guy named Pol was our guide on a private tour around Rovaniemi, which ended in Santa's forest on a lake. We made a fire and enjoyed the northern lights lakeside. It was magical, and it always helps to have a great guide.
Our dog-sledding and snowmobiling adventures were fun but very cold. Be sure to wear layers! We also tried arctic ice floating, which was maybe my favorite activity — you wear a dry suit and float in a lake at night, and sometimes you can see the northern lights (which would be incredible). So, if you do go ice floating, be sure to go at night for a chance to see the lights. Trust me, it was an amazing experience.
The only issue I had was the extreme cold, which made it difficult to be outside for more than 20 minutes at temperatures that were 0 to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Overall, I loved the experiences and will bring Dean back in a few years when he's old enough to understand the joy of Santa.
Now, onto Finnair — I was nervous about the new business-class seats since I love to recline on a plane, but this new seat has a fixed-shell design, a lie-flat bed with mattress and direct aisle access in a 1-2-1 configuration. Since there are no mechanisms to take up additional space, you end up having more room than with business-class seats on other carriers.
The seat is already actually at a bit of a recline, and pillows are provided for additional support. I'm 6 feet, 7 inches tall, and I had plenty of space. I highly recommend that tall travelers choose a bulkhead spot as the footwell has extra space.
The service was nice and the planes were new. The menu, however, was a bit limited — dinner had only one option on the way over to Helsinki, which was a quiche. On the way home there were a few more choices, and the menu was very localized. You can watch the recap in my Instagram highlights.
A five-night trip to Finland was the perfect getaway and bucket list trip. If it's on your list as well, my friends at Finnair are offering 15% off flights for travel from Feb. 15-May 15 from select airports in the U.S. — Dallas Forth Worth International Airport (DFW), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). You must book by Feb. 17 using the code "FINNAIR15."
Have a great weekend,
BK
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