White Space Travel: Why a Finnish Winter Is the Most Restful Trip I've Ever Taken

When your world gets small

One of the things I realised when I became a mum, over a decade ago, was that my world got small. When your kids are small, your world is small, and I felt everything shrink. Before children I travelled a lot, to so many countries and continents, meeting people from all walks of life. Then the kids came along and all of that stopped.

A decade on, my world is opening up again. The children are that bit older. They can carry their own bags and, more importantly, they don't need me to carry them.

Last year we took them on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Finland. Santa Claus had invited them for being such well-behaved kids (ha ha ha), so of course we had to go and see him! We spent a whole year planning, reading and joining forums to create the best trip possible for our family of six. I dread to think how many hours I spent researching. This was before AI came along with perfect holiday itineraries, so I chatted online with other families and found out the places best suited to our little tribe.

We had the most incredible time. Who knew Finland was such a magical place? Santa did come to our cabin, sang a few songs and gave the kids some rather scratchy, knitted socks, so you can imagine that the trip was about so much more than him. It was an environment none of us had experienced before.

White space travel: why a Finnish winter felt so restful

When I look back, I think what Finland gave me was the awe of a winter wonderland. I've since learnt there's a name for it, white space travel, and it made complete sense the moment I heard it. Room in the landscape and room in my head. Fewer people, fewer decisions, less noise, more sky. For the first time in years I wasn't thinking ahead to the next thing. I've had beach holidays that left me just as tired as when I arrived. This was different. I came home rested right down to my bones.

Here's what I loved most.

The cold. The cold is cold, but you're so wrapped up in layers that you don't notice it. You go out for short spells, then come in to warm up with the lovely hot blackcurrant juice they sell everywhere.

No deciding what to wear. You have your thermals and your ski gear, and you wear them every day. As a mum who has to make so many decisions, not having to decide what to wear is like a holiday in itself.

The cabins. They're designed to be warm and comforting. The lighting is low and moody, so your eyes don't have to adjust as you come in from outside. Everything is subtle and relaxed, and the wooden floors with underfloor heating help too.

The moonlight and the snowlight. I had never appreciated moonlight before I went to Finland. The moonlight is so bright and so powerful that it barely feels dark. Then there's the snowlight, the light that bounces off the snow and sparkles even at night. It's quite incredible.

The pace. You go slow. You can't go fast anywhere when it's minus 30, so you take your time. Your pace is relaxed, so you feel relaxed.

The snow itself. The sight of snow-drenched trees takes your breath away. The crunch of snow underfoot, that crisp, sharp thud, reminds you that you're somewhere special. Who knew a walk in the snow could feel so restorative? It's like a spa treatment, a treat for all the senses.

Northern Lights. If you are lucky enough to see them, they are as incredible as you imagine. I've got goosebumps thinking about the time we saw them, just the once, and fleeting but wow!

The sauna and cold plunge reset

Saunas. Need I say more? Well, I will, because a sauna in Finland is like no other. It's something everyone does daily, as is the cold water dip afterwards. There's no bravado. You just get on with it, and it's beyond incredible. You acclimatise so quickly that by the end of the week my husband and I were dipping in the frozen well first thing in the morning without the sauna, running across the snow without a care in the world.

Since coming home I've read about why it feels so good: how cold water is said to stimulate the vagus nerve and help the body settle after stress, and how many women find contrast therapy benefits them through menopause. Honestly, though, running barefoot in the snow with my husband, to dip in the well, laughing and gasping in the half-light, I wasn't thinking about any of that. I just felt completely alive.

Join me on a Finland winter retreat this February

So it's easy to say we had a wonderful trip, one we were sad to leave. When the opportunity came to return to Finland and run a yoga and wilderness retreat, and not only in Finland but in the exact same village where I took my family, I jumped at the chance.

Ever since we got home, I've wanted to share it. I've told anyone who'll listen about the moonlight and the snowlight, the saunas and the icy dips, with frozen hair! Some places are too special to keep to yourself, and Finland is one of them.

What a privilege it is to go back. Taking grown-ups this time means we get to do all the things I didn't get to do last time, because kids get cold! Snowshoeing, husky sledging, cross-country skiing and wilder excursions into the wilderness. I can feel my heart soften as I write this. Just thinking about being there soothes me: log fires, active times followed by relaxed times, crisp fresh days and awe all around. I cannot wait for this retreat.

I could talk for hours about how magical this place is, but some places you have to feel for yourself. When did you last give yourself a week of snow underfoot, quiet all around and nothing to decide?

If ever there was a place to rest and retreat, it's Finland. I'm so excited to be back there in February, and I'd be honoured if you'd join me.

It's all once in a lifetime, and it's a trip, and memories, that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Finland Winter Yoga Retreat · 20–26 February 2027 · Only 6 of 12 places remain. Read more and book your place HERE