Soul Sister Sojourns: The Path to Happiness - Finland
There comes a point when travel isn’t about getting away — it’s about freedom. Freedom from everyday responsibility. Freedom from planning and coordinating. Freedom to focus on yourself for a change.
This small-group journey to Finland was created so you don’t have to decide, coordinate, or take care of anyone else. Everything is thoughtfully planned — you simply show up and enjoy the experience.
It’s for women who are curious, open-minded, thoughtful, and drawn to travel with intention. Women who enjoy exploring new places and cultures, learning through lived experience, and connecting through great conversation over a delicious meal — especially when someone else is doing the cooking.
You don’t need to come with friends. Shared experiences like these have a way of turning strangers into people you’ll actually want to stay in touch with.
Finland provides the perfect backdrop for this kind of journey. Often named the happiest country in the world not because life is flawless, but because people here prioritize balance, trust, creativity, nature, and connection.
Over the course of the week, we’ll move between vibrant city life and the quiet beauty of Finnish Lakeland, experiencing the country through food, design, culture, nature, and the people we meet along the way.
This journey is intentionally limited to 12 women, creating an easy, connected group dynamic.
Every detail has been thoughtfully handled so you don’t have to plan, coordinate, or manage anything.
We’ll spend time together as a group, and you’ll also have space for yourself to relax, explore independently, or simply do nothing at all. Everyone has their own room, giving you time to recharge and enjoy a little quiet when you want it — so when we come back together, the time we share feels natural and enjoyable.
All experiences are private and designed exclusively for our group, with private guides, vehicles, and drivers. We move comfortably and at our own pace, without crowds or large tour groups.
Luxury here is about how the trip feels: smooth logistics, beautiful places, meaningful access, and a thoughtfully elevated way of traveling.
As arrangements are finalized with local partners, the order or timing of some experiences may shift slightly to support the best overall flow of the journey. What won’t change is the intention — travel that feels engaging, well-paced, and deeply enjoyable.
After check-in, enjoy time to unpack, refresh, or unwind at the hotel’s spa and pool.
The St. George Spa offers a tranquil retreat in the heart of Helsinki, designed to restore balance between body and mind. Inspired by Nordic wellbeing traditions, the spa combines minimalist design, soft lighting, and natural materials to create a calm and deeply relaxing atmosphere.
Guests can enjoy a thoughtfully curated selection of wellness facilities, including a heated swimming pool, Finnish sauna, steam room, cold plunge pool, and serene relaxation areas. The swimming pool provides a peaceful space for gentle movement and unwinding, complementing the spa’s holistic approach to wellbeing.
We'll gather in the evening for a relaxed welcome dinner at a nearby restaurant — an easy introduction to Finnish cuisine and the beginning of our time together as a group.
This morning, we’ll explore Helsinki through the lens of architecture and urban planning on a privately guided walk through the city. With a professional architecture guide, we’ll trace Finnish design from the 19th century to today, exploring how values like balance, functionality, and equity are reflected in the built environment.
Our walk includes a mix of historic and contemporary spaces, from Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) architecture and Alvar Aalto’s modernist influence to some of Helsinki’s most thoughtful recent projects. Highlights include the Kamppi Chapel of Silence, the extraordinary Temppeliaukio Church carved directly into natural rock, and the award-winning central library Oodi Library.
We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant after the morning exploration before returning to the hotel for time to rest and recharge.
Gather for coffee and conversation with Miia Huitti, Sustainable Happiness Coach and Founder of The Finnish Happiness Institute.
Miia’s work focuses on sustainable happiness, stress management, and the realities of modern life in Finland — particularly for women navigating work, caregiving, and high expectations in a high-performing society. This session is intentionally designed as an open conversation rather than a lecture.
Over coffee and a traditional sweet bun — and possibly a gentle stroll through a nearby park — we’ll explore what happiness in Finland really looks like beyond rankings and headlines. There will be space for questions, shared reflection, and honest discussion around balance, wellbeing, and the habits and perspectives that help support a meaningful life.
We'll close the day with dinner at a local restaurant.
This morning, we’ll explore Helsinki’s Design District on a privately guided walk through one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods. Home to independent studios, galleries, and iconic Finnish brands, the Design District offers a window into how design, craftsmanship, and daily life intersect in Finland.
Rather than focusing on shopping alone, we’ll visit a curated selection of local designers and creatives to gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of Finnish design as a philosophy — one rooted in functionality, sustainability, and harmony with nature.
We’ll enjoy lunch together in the Design District before some free time to wander, explore, or simply sit and take it all in. This part of Helsinki invites you to slow down and notice how design shapes everyday life here.
In the afternoon, we’ll take to the water on a one-hour private cruise through Helsinki’s archipelago, passing islands such as Suomenlinna, Vallisaari, and Kaivopuisto, and seeing the city from a new perspective.
We’ll then step ashore on Uunisaari for a private urban sauna experience by the sea.
Private Sauna Session
Finnish sauna culture is still guided by a variety of ancient regulations that aim at maintaining the balance between human life, nature, and the universe. Especially in women’s sauna traditions, balance and nature play a crucial part. The sauna traditions of women play an important part in connecting generations, of sustainable development, passing on traditions, and preserving ancient connection to nature – all values worth preserving especially today.
For Finns, the sauna is much more than just a place to get warm, it’s a sacred space where some of life’s most important moments happen. It has been a place for birth, healing, reflection, and even saying goodbye. If you want to understand Finland, you need to understand its sauna traditions.
The Uunisaari sauna is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sea. Located right on the seashore, its soft baths offer a peaceful archipelago atmosphere at its best. After the sauna, guests can take a refreshing dip in the sea or relax on the sauna terrace while admiring the views.
Meet Anna, one of the founders of Terhen (Bathe Like a Finn), for a guided sauna ritual and storytelling experience. Through her personal journey and professional insights, Anna shares how sauna is deeply woven into Finnish life—not only as a tradition, but as a vital part of modern urban wellbeing.
During the ritual, guests will learn how sauna offers a pause from the pace of city life, creating space for calm, reflection, and human connection. Anna will explore how sauna culture supports balance, mental clarity, and everyday happiness in urban environments, transforming the city into a place of restoration rather than rush.
This immersive experience invites you to slow down, reconnect with your senses, and discover how sauna continues to shape healthier, more human-centered cities in Finland.
Terhen is a Finnish sauna and wellness concept company which offers a range of high-quality, certified natural cosmetics designed specifically for use in authentic Finnish sauna rituals and spa treatments.
After our time at the urban sauna, we’ll linger on Uunisaari Island for a relaxed dinner, letting the sea views, seasonal food, and conversation carry us gently into the evening before heading back to the hotel.
We’ll pause along the way for a relaxed lunch at Tertti Manor, a historic family estate known for its seasonal, locally sourced cuisine, before continuing on to our lakeside home for the next four nights at Kuru Resort.
The afternoon is intentionally unstructured — time to rest, explore the grounds, or simply take in the stillness of the lake.
We’ll gather for dinner at Restaurant Solitary, currently ranked #9 among Finland’s Top 50 restaurants, located right at Kuru Resort. Led by head chef and owner Rémi Trémouille — whose career spans top kitchens in Finland and around the world — the menu blends seasonal Finnish ingredients with global influence.
With lakeside views and an unhurried atmosphere, it’s a beautiful way to ease into our time in Lakeland together.
This morning begins gently on the water with a guided canoeing experience on Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake, led by an expert local guide. We’ll paddle at an easy, relaxed pace through the serene landscapes of Linnansaari National Park, taking in forested islands, quiet bays, and the stillness of the lake. No prior experience is needed — this experience is about presence, not performance.
After returning to the resort, we’ll enjoy lunch followed by time to rest.
Later that afternoon, we'll gather for a private, two-hour lakeside sauna experience reserved exclusively for our group.
Set right on the shore, these traditional Finnish saunas invite us to move slowly between warmth and water, with time to enjoy the heat, cool off in the lake, and relax outdoors as part of an unhurried, shared ritual.
In the evening, we’ll gather for dinner at Järvisydän’s Fire Kitchen, where seasonal local ingredients are prepared over open flames. After canoeing and time at the lakeside sauna, it’s a relaxed, welcoming place to wind down together.
This morning we head out on a guided Saimaa ringed seal safari, cruising the vast waters of Lake Saimaa with an experienced local skipper.
The Saimaa ringed seal is one of the world’s rarest freshwater seal species and lives exclusively in this region, making this a uniquely Finnish experience.
We’ll travel by boat toward the quiet shores of Linnansaari Island, an important habitat for the seals and a protected part of the lake system. The pace is relaxed, allowing time to take in the forested islands, open water, and sense of scale that defines life in Lakeland. Along the way, Sawolax espresso and light Nordic snacks are served, reinforcing the easy, unhurried rhythm of the morning.
After returning to shore, we’ll enjoy lunch at the resort before continuing on to the afternoon’s activities.
Later, we shift from nature to history with a guided visit to Sulosaari Island and Olavinlinna Castle. Our walk through Sulosaari introduces the area’s early 20th-century spa culture, when these islands were a retreat for rest and renewal.
We then continue to Olavinlinna, Finland’s most iconic medieval castle, dramatically set at the meeting point of water, land, and trade routes.
After a full day exploring the archipelago and visiting the castle, we’ll keep the evening simple with dinner at the hotel — a chance to rest, share stories from the day, and enjoy each other’s company.
Later, we’ll head into the forest for a private guided walk with Reetta Ranta, who joins us in Lakeland to help bring together the themes we’ve explored throughout the journey. Part storyteller, part modern-day nature guide, Reetta weaves Finnish mythology, cultural tradition, and lived experience into a reflective walk through the forest.
Through quiet conversation, storytelling, and time in nature, she offers perspective on how Finnish happiness is rooted in everyday rituals, connection to place, and a deep relationship with the natural world.
This experience is less about learning something new and more about integrating what you’ve felt and experienced during the week — and considering how it might carry home with you. The walk concludes with traditional Finnish coffee and a light picnic by an open fire.
We’ll gather for dinner at Kota Restaurant, a warm, intimate space rooted in Finnish tradition. Dishes are prepared over an open fire using seasonal, local ingredients, and the atmosphere invites conversation, laughter, and ease. It’s a simple, grounding way to end a day shaped by nature and shared experience.
Enjoy breakfast at the resort before we leave Lakeland for Helsinki and our return flights home.
After breakfast, we’ll check out from Kuru Resort and travel by private group transfer to Helsinki Airport (HEL).
To ensure a smooth and unhurried departure, guests should plan flights departing after 4:00 pm. This timing allows for a relaxed morning, comfortable transfer, and buffer for traffic or airport formalities.
Final transfer details and recommended departure windows will be confirmed closer to travel once group flights are known.
7 nights accommodations in Helsinki and Finland’s Lakeland region.
Airport transfers- Private airport transfers on scheduled group arrival and departure days.
Ground transportation- All private group transportation, including transfers between Helsinki and Lakeland and transport for included activities.
Private guided Helsinki Architecture Tour.
Private guided Helsinki Design District Walk and visits with local creatives and shop owners.
Guided discussion with Miia Huitti, Sustainable Happiness Coach and Founder of The Finnish Happiness Institute.
Private guided Archipelago Cruise. Private urban sauna experience in Helsinki.
Private guided canoeing experience in Lakeland region.
Private traditional and heritage sauna experience in Lakeland, including whisking rituals.
Private guided forest hike and picnic in Lakeland.
Private guided visit to Olavinlinna Castle and Sulosaari Island.
Guided seal safari in the Saimaa region.
Meals- 7 breakfasts at hotels, 6 group lunches and 7 group dinners as outlined in the itinerary.
Beverages with meals- Still/tap water, tea, and coffee included with meals listed as included.
Trip hosting by Kiron, with support before and throughout the trip, and on-the-ground coordination with trusted local partners.
International or domestic airfare to and from Finland.
Meals and beverages not specifically listed as included.
Alcoholic beverages unless explicitly stated.
Optional experiences not listed in the itinerary.
Additional sightseeing or vehicle use outside the planned program.
Travel insurance
Personal expenses such as spa treatments, laundry, shopping, room service, or phone/internet charges.