The first week of February Noelle and I headed on a dream trip with Origins to Lapland, Finland. Lapland is the not most region of Finland bordering Norway, Sweden and Russia. And let me tell you something, it’s within the Arctic Circle so it is COLD af. Temperatures range from 14°F / -10°C to -10°F / -23°C so I knew I’d have to be very prepared with my outfits so I wouldn’t freeze!
Our resort: We stayed at the incredible Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort which is one of the most famous places to stay in Lapland. The lodges we stayed at were in the ‘West Village’ and called the Kelo-Glass Igloos. These rooms were incredible. The front most part of the interior is very rustic and traditionally Finnish and the back of the cabin is a heated glass dome so you can see the Northern Lights. The cabin was super spacious for two since it could probably sleep a whole family! The room also has a fireplace and a sauna in the bathroom and the rooms are kept nice and warm so you’ll never be chilly despite the chill outside. It is definitely a rustic experience. To get your bags to your room, for example you would have to sled them to your room (that’s the sled I’m sitting on below), Origins paid an extra fee for them to have it done for us (thank you!) because we had a lot of luggage! There is no wifi but fortunately Noelle and I both had service throughout the resort (she has Veriozon and I have AT&T and we both used our international day plans – about $10/day and we would tethering our phones to our computers using Personal Hotspot). Another thing to keep in mind is that your phone will NOT be happy when you are outside. Our iPhones would completely stop working after about 10 minutes or less when exposed to the outside temperatures and they take a while to heat back up – it’s best to put the phone against your body to help warm it back up.
Sleigh all day. Outfit: sweater: JOA sold out similar here & here // leggings // boots // earmuffs (when I wan’t taking photos I was also wearing this coat over this outfit)
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
I can’t get over how amazing the glass bubble was. Honestly one of my favorite accommodations I’ve ever stayed in. Outfit: Sweater (under $50) love yellow it really stands out!
How to dress: Noelle and I were super keen on getting some serious snow gear. We didn’t really need snow gear as much as we thought because most of the snow you’ll be walking on is a frozen trail but hey we looked badass in our snow suits. I mean this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip so we were decided to GO FOR IT. The first morning when we rolled into breakfast wearing these retro snowsuits looking like Charlie’s Snow Angeles, we certainly got some looks 😂 Under the snowsuits we wore a later of thermal leggings and a thermal turtleneck. This was the day we went snowmobiling so we also wore several layers of socks, as recommended. Honestly I wish I would have worn MORE socks, but more on that later.
Another one of my favorite activity was visiting reindeers at the Reindeer Sanctuary with the Sami (Native Finnish people) I can’t deny that at first I was a little nervous and apprehensive (their horns are huge in real life!) but they were so sweet and gentle. We got to feed them moss and watch them prance around.
If you’re curious about how I edited this photo (or my process for editing any of my photos – see here)
My outfit for hanging with the reindeer: sweater // leggings // boots // coat // hat (sold out – similar here)
The craziest thing I did the whole trip was The Polar Plunge
Going in was PAINFUL. My swimsuit & hat (similar but just as cute!)
Coming out – actually feeling super refreshed but also freezing!
Some of my other outfits:
One of my toastiest outfits – this coat is SO warm.
sweater: JOA sold out similar here & here // coat // leggings // bag (found pre-owned for $305) // boots (literally $15 and so warm I highly recommend)
And here’s what NOT to wear unless you are crazy bloggers who love the movie Frozen like Noelle and I! This was a crazy idea of mine and I just loved recreating this Anna & Elsa look. We set up a tripod wearing coats and gloves over these dresses and then got set up in our positions and there the coats off just before clicking the remote for the camera.
What to pack for Lapland, Finland
- A super warm coat. Look for longer down coats that go below the tush that are waterproof or water repellant.
- Thermals. Noelle and I both wore Uniqlo heat tech thermals every day under our outfits.
- Warm socks. Each day we each wore 2 or more pairs of socks. Look for wool and/or ski socks.
- Thick waterproof boots. True snow boots are your best bet from brands like Sorel or Hunter. Noelle loved her Moon Boots.
- Mittens, hats and scarves. It’s important to make sure no skin is showing if you’re going to be out for an extended period of time.
- Snowpants are a great choice – Noelle and I both wore this inexpensive pair from Amazon that were very warm because they’re double insulated . Avoid jeans or cotton as they can freeze when wet.
- A swimsuit. This might seem insane but if you want to check out the traditional Finnish saunas or try the crazy polar plunge like me you’ll need a swimmie. I recommend a one piece.
Hope this helps and huge thanks to Origins for having Noelle and I on this incredible trip!See my travel blog below!