Finland Tour for Teachers

Serene lakes, enchanting forests, and crisp northern air that invigorates your spirit.

THIS, is FInland.

Finland, known as the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” is a breathtaking landscape of pristine waters, majestic pine and birch trees, and expansive skies that shimmer with the magical hues of the Northern Lights.

Here, you can experience the tranquility of untouched nature, with vast national parks and endless opportunities for hiking, kayaking, and unwinding in traditional Finnish saunas.

In winter, the country transforms into a snowy wonderland – offering activities like dog sledding, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing.

Finland’s cities, from Helsinki to Tampere, blend modern Nordic design with cozy, historic charm.

With its captivating beauty and emphasis on simplicity and balance, Finland is a destination that rejuvenates both body and mind — a place where you can connect with nature and experience a culture deeply rooted in well-being and warmth.

Beyond the beauty, Finland is a land of contrasts – blending the traditions of the Sámi with the modern Nordic lifestyle.

Teachers will love the opportunity they’ll get to tour schools, talk shop, and dream with fellow educators from the happiest country in the world.

This tour includes several days in Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle.

You can expect to have a classic Finnish Lapland experience!

Available Spots

As of November 18th, 2024, there are 27 spots available.

This is out of 30 spaces total (one trip host for every 9 travelers).

This trip is being sold in blocks of 6.

That means we’re keeping ratios small to ensure we maintain a “small group” feel for this tour.

The main itinerary for the group trip starts Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 – and ends on Saturday, November 29th, 2025.

What’s Included?

Here’s everything that’s included in the price in this Finland tour for teachers:

• On-the-ground support from a Trip Host to help you make your trip amazing
• Accommodations (checking in Sunday, 11/23/2025 – checking out Saturday, 11/29/2025)
• Breakfast daily (starting Monday, 11/24/2025 – ending Saturday, 11/29/2025)
• 4 lunches
• 5 dinners
• All tours and activities mentioned on main itinerary
• All ticket admissions to points of interest mentioned on main itinerary
• Transportation to/from the tour starting point on included day tours
• Exclusive, educational private tour of at least one school in Helsinki, Finland

What’s NOT Included?

Here’s everything that’s NOT included in the price for Finland teacher tour:

• Flights to/from Finland
• Transportation to/from the airport
• Transportation around Helsinki and Rovaniemi (unless indicated on itinerary)
• Lunches and dinners outside of inclusions for main itinerary
• Personal travel insurance (required for the trip)

What to Expect

This is considered a tour with a taste of adventure!

Note that comfort is not the main priority of this tour.

This tour includes a blend of professional development, deep destination exploration, and experiencing Finland like a local.

Accommodations

You’ll be staying in hotel rooms for most of this trip.

This itinerary also includes two nights in an overnight sleeper train between Helsinki and Rovaniemi (the Christmas Capital, located in the Arctic Circle!). The beds are very similar to what you might see in hostel dorms (bunk beds).

Most of the itinerary is set with a schedule. However, there will be days when you get to choose what you do, and you’ll have a few free evenings to explore where we are.

You’ll be sharing a room with other teachers on our tour, but you will have your own bed.

Bed sizes vary in Europe between a U.S. twin-sized bed, and a European double – which feels more like a U.S. “Full” or “Standard.” These are usually a bit smaller than “Double Beds” typically found in hotels across the United States.

Food

Finnish cuisine is known for its hearty, comforting dishes that use local ingredients and a variety of flavors.

Finns are known for using seasonal ingredients – including fresh fish, forest-harvested mushrooms, milk products, and berries when available.

You’ll also find all kinds of baked breads and sweets – especially in festive Rovaniemi!

If you love flavors meals that include salmon, licorice, dill, and cream – then you’ll love Finnish food.

The breakfast in our accommodations will vary slightly – but breakfasts at hotels typically include:

• Scrambled and/or hard-boiled eggs
• Cereal, muesli, and/or porridge
• Open-faced sandwiches with butter, cheese, ham, and cucumber
• Milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese
• Coffee and tea

Local dishes for lunches and dinner might include:

• Finnish salmon soup
• Karelian pie or stew
• Finnish meatballs
• Macaroni casserole
• Rye bread
• Sautéed reindeer

All of that said, Helsinki is a cosmopolitan city.

You can find find pizza, sushi, Korean BBQ, Italian, pasta, seafood, vegetarian, and vegan restaurants everywhere.

What Will We Be Doing?

You will absolutely LOVE this itinerary!

Here are some of the activities and day tours you can expect to participate in while in Finland

*Note that the specific itinerary is subject to change, and that on certain days, you might pick between multiple day tours or activities

Day Tour From Helsinki

On this day, you’ll get to choose between two itineraries – a guided trip across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, Estonia – or, a guided trip to medieval Porvoo, Finland with a VIP tour of Helsinki, along with a local food and beer tour upon arriving back in Helsinki.

You’ll have some time to choose before we depart, so you don’t need to pick right away!

Here’s a little more about each tour.

Medieval Porvoo

This option includes a meal (lunch).

You’ll get a touch of luxury on this private group tour.

See Helsinki Cathedral, Esplanade Park, Uspenski Cathedral, and Sibelius Park while on your way to the picturesque medieval Old Town of Porvoo.

Those who choose this tour will also have a food and beer tour hosted by a local, which includes an early dinner. This tour is approximately 2.5 hours long, and you’ll get a chance to explore the local markets in Helsinki!

This video gives you an idea of what to expect on the food and beer tour (Central Market, Helsinki):

The video below gives you a look at some highlights that make Porvoo so charming:

Here’s another video to show you a bit more of what you can expect from Porvoo in winter:

Beautiful Tallinn, Estonia

This option includes a meal.

Everything is taken care of for you – including transport to/from the hotel, the ferry between both countries, and a professional guide of Tallinn.

You’ll see Tallinn’s UNESCO-listed Old Town and more as a guide shares their history. The guided tour lasts for approximately 3 hours.

Then, you’ll have lunch with your group and Trip Host.

After lunch, you’ll have plenty of free time to shop, snack, sip, and explore on your own before sailing back to Helsinki.

This short video explains why this beautiful, well-preserved city is a living time capsule.

This other video by the same creators highlights the city of Tallinn in winter:

Experiences in Helsinki

We’ll have plenty of opportunities to experience Helsinki, Finland as well.

Local Sauna Experience

After a day of adventure, we’ll get together for a sauna experience that includes snacks and drinks.

Saunas are a huge part of Finnish culture.

In Finland, there are more than 3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million!

This short video gives you an idea of what to expect:

Educational School Visit

This is a trip we’ve been planning since 2019, and we’re very excited to bring you this professional development opportunity.

One day in Finland will be spent on a private tour of a local school in Helsinki, Finland.

This is something many American teachers dream of doing at least once in their professional career – and you’ll have the opportunity to do it.

Here is what to expect form our school visit:

8:30am – Pickup from Hotel Lobby

Transportation to the school from our hotel is included, so we’ll meet our school tour host in the lobby. On our way to the school, you will receive basic information about the Finnish educational system.

9:00am – Arrive at the School

We’ll hear welcoming words from the school principal or his/her representative, then we’ll visit different classes immediately afterwards.

11:00am – Open Discussion With Finnish Teachers

THIS is the best kind of professional development – when you get to talk with teachers, listen to how others do things, and see teaching in action. You’ll also have a chance to ask them questions and debrief what you noticed during your classroom observations.

11:30am – School Lunch (Included)

This is not like school lunch in the United States. These meals are balanced and nutritious, and they specialize in using fresh flavors with local ingredients. You’ll love their whole philosophy around school lunch time. This short video describes it perfectly.

12:00pm – End of School Visit

We say goodbye to our new Finnish friends, and receive transportation back to our hotel.

You’ll have time to relax in your room, or explore the city of Helsinki with other Traveling Teachers.

That evening, we’ll start our overnight train adventure to Rovaniemi – where we’ll head into the Arctic Circle.

The next few days are filled with winter adventure and holiday magic!

Experience the Arctic Circle

You’ll arrive in the beautiful village of Rovaniemi – known as the hometown of Santa.

Over the course of a few days in Rovaniemi, you’ll have the opportunity to go on several adventures.

Here’s a look at all of the adventures included on this tour, with the highlight of an additional adventure that’s totally optional.

Northern Lights Safari

This experience is included in the total price of your tour.

The Northern Lights are on the bucket list of so many teachers.

And for good reason! They’re beautiful and they can be elusive.

Even if you’ve seen a glimpse of them before from the states, it’s completely different seeing them in full force this far north.

While we can never guarantee the ability to view the Northern Lights (since it’s a natural phenomena that’s weather-dependent), we’re optimistic since we’ll be with a local expert.

Get a glimpse from this video: Aurora Borealis from Rovaniemi.

Husky Mushing Experience

This experience is included in the total price of your tour.

Dog mushing with huskies is a classic Arctic activity.

You’ll have the chance to pet cute huskie dogs and try guiding a sled or cart for yourself!

These dogs love to do this kind of work.

We encourage you to look up other videos of working dogs – because they’re so excited to pull the sleds, and it’s adorable to watch!

Reindeer Experience

This experience is included in the total price of your tour.

Reindeer have always been a huge part of the Finnish culture. Even before modern times, there’s been a constant connection between the Sámi (the indigenous peoples found across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia), and reindeer.

So during your time with the reindeer, you’ll gain insight into the daily life and traditions of this unique way of life – while also learning about the deeper, longer history.

If weather conditions allow, enjoy a magical reindeer sleigh ride.

This short video shares a bit more about the reindeer, and what you can expect during a sleigh ride.

Note that we’ll be visiting a reindeer farm – and if we’re lucky, during our other excursions, we’ll see them in the wild.

Arctic Ice Floating

This experience is included in the total price of your tour.

Take on a true Finnish adventure by floating in an icy Arctic lake while staying completely warm and dry in a special “float suit.”

Step into the chilly water for an unforgettable experience, then relax by a cozy fire – warming up with hot drinks and cookies.

This is an activity many don’t even think to do when visiting Finland – pure relaxation.

This short video gives you an idea of what to expect:

Snowmobile Arctic Safari

This experience is included in the total price of your tour.

Feel the excitement of speeding through a snowy landscape on this guided snowmobile safari.

Bundle up in thermal clothing, then hop on your snowmobile to follow a guide along a picturesque forest trail and across a frozen lake, all while admiring stunning Arctic Circle views.

After your ride, warm up with hot drinks and cookies.

This short video gives you an idea of what to expect:

The Vibe

We offer four travel experiences for Traveling Teachers:

1. Tours
2. Meetups
3. Retreats
4. Group trips

This is a tour.

Most of our itinerary is planned for the group – though we have also booked in some downtime!

Thankfully, we won’t have too many late nights followed by early mornings.

We’ve setup the schedule in such a way where you’ll have adventurous, action-packed days – followed by relaxing days where you can take it all in.

If you’ve been on group tours before, this will likely feel a bit more casual than those other ones.

But we’re not compromising quality!

You’ll love everything that you get to do on this trip.

And, we’re even balancing it with professional development – which means this trip will be eligible for grants, as well as funding from other sources.

Reach out to the Traveling Teachers team to learn more about fundraising and grants for this trip.

The Purpose

The goal of each tour is to create community and connections around unique experiences in a special place.

And that’s exactly what we’ve kept in mind throughout the entirety of planning this itinerary.

You’re going to get a deep, authentic, and immersive look into the daily life of Finnish culture.

You’ll enjoy meals, day trips, and personal experiences with Finns.

On top of all that, you’ll make lifelong friends with teachers who love travel as much as you do.

Cost & Payment Plans

You can pay for your trip in full using this booking page.

The total cost per person is $4,500.

However, through Cyber Monday – December 2nd, 2024 – 

You can lock in a price of just $3,000 with a 30% deposit ($960).

Extended payment plans are also available for this trip.**

These prices will go up as time goes on, and early bookers ALWAYS get the best deal.

Prices will be:

• $3,000 per person on or after Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024
• $3,700 per person on or after Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
• $4,000 per person on or after Tuesday, April 1st, 2025
• $4,300 per person on or after Tuesday, July 1st, 2025
• $4,500 per person on or after Monday, September 1st, 2025

To get a room to yourself, select the Solo Room Upgrade option at checkout.

You also have the option of making payments.*

• The first 30% of the trip is due at the time of booking
• The remaining balance of the trip is due Friday, October 31st, 2025.

*You can setup a payment plan through PayPal which will show on our side as paying in full, or arrange one with us – just make your deposit below, then we’ll reach out to you about setting up a payment plan.

**If you’d like to setup an extended payment plan (which results in smaller monthly payments), reach out to Brittany. She’ll setup your payments manually – which means you could secure your spot for as little as $320 when you register before December 3rd, 2024.

Refund and Trip Cancellation Policy

Here’s everything you need to know about payments and refunds with us.

Our Deposit Policy

As soon as your booking is made, we get to work reserving the elements of your spot on our group trip.

When you make your deposit, that deposit is held with us to your account until you take a trip with us.

This means, should you need to cancel this trip with us, your deposit is safely held to be applied to your next trip.

Note that, should a refund request be made for the deposit, a cancellation fee equal to the amount of the deposit will be assessed.

Our Cancellation Policy

We understand that things happen – and for this reason, we require every traveler to have personal travel insurance for the duration of their trip.

We recommend a policy that immediately gives travelers cash advances, should something happen during your trip.

Note that Traveling Teachers will not and can not be held responsible for travel to/from the starting point of our trip.

Your insurance policy needs to cover travel to, from, and within Finland, including your flight(s) – as well as the ability to receive a payout for cancellations, since we are unable to issue refunds.

Should you need to change your plans, we can transfer your payments to another traveler if the request is made before Friday, October 31st, 2025.

You can read the full policy on trip booking terms, cancellations and refunds here at this link.

About Our Trips

Our trips are specifically designed with teachers in mind.

We’re often asked if people can come if they’re not teachers, and the answer is yes!!

Friends and loved ones of teachers are more than welcome to join us.

However, for this specific tour, please note that only teachers will join the educational tour of a Finnish school.

Friends, family members, and loved ones of teachers will have this day free to explore Helsinki, Finland.

About Finland

Finland is a true treasure in Northern Europe.

This country offers it all—stunning natural landscapes, a rich cultural history, delicious cuisine, and some of the friendliest people you’ll meet.

And because Finland is part of the EU, travelers from many countries can visit with minimal hassle.

You’ll find everything priced in euros, making transactions easy.

While Finland can sometimes be pricey, there are certain things, like public transportation and nature activities, that keep it affordable.

One fun fact—Finland’s public transport is efficient and well-connected, especially in Helsinki, where you can hop on trams, trains, and even ferries with ease. And the prices are quite reasonable, especially for an EU country!

Now, let’s talk highlights.

Ever heard of Lapland?

This magical region in the far north is the home of Santa Claus, and it’s the place to go for those famous Northern Lights, midnight sun in summer, and endless winter wonderlands.

It’s like stepping into a winter fairy tale – with snow-capped forests, reindeer herds, and cozy cabins with crackling fireplaces.

And for history and culture buffs, Helsinki is a must!

The capital city is packed with gorgeous architecture, like the Helsinki Cathedral and the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress – both UNESCO World Heritage sites, where you can soak up centuries of history.

Stroll along the vibrant market squares, where Finnish design, modern art, and centuries-old traditions come together in a fascinating blend.

About Your Host

You’ll likely have more than one trip host for this tour!

So this section will be expanded as new hosts are added.

Meet Brittany!

Brittany is the founder of Traveling Teachers, and a very experienced traveler.

She’s traveled more than 20 countries, and she’s hosted trips in 5 of those countries.

She considers herself a professional travel enthusiast.

She prefers the term “enthusiast” over “expert” because the focus is on curiosity and discovery – over what somebody already knows.

As a teacher yourself, you know that we’re all lifelong learners!

This has always been her approach to travel, and with her trips.

She has an idea – a vision of what a trip or experience could be.

Then, she sets out to see if she can make it happen.

She’s been planning this tour for teachers since 2019, and she can’t wait to make it all come to life for you.

If you’d like to connect with her on Instagram, you can find her at @brittanygoesabroad.

You can always learn more about our trips on Instagram at @teacherretreats.