Finland is often known as the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” though in reality it has more than 188,000. Its Lakeland region, in the central and eastern parts of the country, is the largest lake district in Europe. Many Finns spend their summer holidays there to slow down, relax and reconnect with nature.
Now, the country’s official tourism board is inviting six pairs of travelers to compete for an all-expenses-paid trip that includes accommodations, saunas, cold-water dips and water activities, along with kayaking, rafting and cycling. The package also includes a rental car for a road trip, allowing participants to explore the region in full.
The trip will last seven days, including two nights in Helsinki and five days in the lake district. The planned itinerary begins with arrival in Helsinki on June 11, 2026. On June 12, winners will travel to the lake region, returning to the capital on June 17.
Participants are responsible for their own insurance, visa and travel documents. Anyone wishing to continue traveling independently after the campaign ends must do so at their own expense.
Applicants must be 18 or older and citizens or residents of countries other than Finland. At least one participant must hold a valid driver’s license recognized in Finland. Basic English proficiency is required, as well as consent to be photographed and share the journey on social media, since the campaign is promotional.
The application process includes a social media challenge. Applicants must submit a joint video featuring the pair — whether partners, friends or family members — introducing themselves and answering how they imagine a Finnish summer vacation in the lake region.
The video must be uploaded to a public Instagram or TikTok account, tagged @ourfinland on Instagram or @visitfinlandcom on TikTok, and include the hashtag #ChillLikeAFinn. Applicants must then complete an online form on the official campaign website and include a link to the video.
Registration is open through Sunday, March 29, 2026. Winners will be announced on April 21, 2026, and selected based on creativity, authenticity and originality.
For eight consecutive years, Finland has ranked first in the World Happiness Report, published annually under U.N. auspices. The consistent ranking is not necessarily due to exceptional material wealth but rather a combination of factors that support a stable quality of life.
The report, based on extensive surveys, measures indicators such as social support, healthy life expectancy, personal freedom, generosity and very low levels of corruption in both the public and private sectors.
Finns themselves often attribute their well-being to high levels of trust in state institutions and in one another, a culture of modesty and contentment, and a deep, direct connection to nature.
It is difficult to discuss Finland without mentioning the sauna, which is far more than a heated room — it is an integral part of Finnish life. Official figures underscore its central role: in a country of about 5.6 million people, there are more than 3.3 million saunas, averaging more than one sauna for every two residents. In practical terms, that means there is enough capacity for the entire population to use a sauna at the same time.
For Finns, the sauna is not a luxury but a basic necessity — a place for socializing, physical and mental cleansing and at times even business meetings. Its cultural significance is so profound that in 2020 UNESCO recognized Finnish sauna culture as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting its unique status as a tradition passed down through generations.
Finland’s natural environment further reinforces this lifestyle. More than 75% of the country is covered in dense forests, making it the most forested country in Europe, alongside its more than 188,000 natural lakes. This ecosystem, which includes dozens of national parks open to the public, offers what global studies repeatedly describe as some of the cleanest air and water in the world.
During the Finnish summer, daylight stretches so long that in large parts of the country the sun barely sets — a phenomenon known as the midnight sun — allowing for hiking, boating and swimming late into the night.
What makes Finland’s nature especially accessible is a longstanding legal and cultural principle known as “Everyman’s Right,” which allows anyone — local or visitor — to roam freely in most forests, pick berries and mushrooms, fish with a simple rod and camp, as long as they do not harm the environment or disturb landowners’ privacy.
This freedom to move through nature, combined with the sauna tradition that often ends with a refreshing plunge into a lake, makes time outdoors a way of life — one that helps explain, at least in part, the country’s enduring reputation for happiness.
