Common mistakes people make when planning a trip to Lapland
Planning your first trip to Lapland can be quite overwhelming. There are so many beautiful places to visit, activities to choose from and different types of accommodation. And if you have never travelled this far north before, it can be difficult to know what to expect.
Since moving to Levi in 2018, Paul and I have welcomed visitors from all over the world to Foxfires. Over the years, we have heard many stories about how people planned their holidays, what surprised them and what they wish they had known before arriving.
Some of these stories have shown us how easily a small planning mistake can affect someone's holiday, sometimes leading to unnecessary stress, disappointment or unexpected expenses. And often, these situations could have been avoided with a little more information before travelling.
So we thought we would share some of the most common mistakes people make when planning a trip to Finnish Lapland, along with our advice on how to avoid them.
1. Underestimating how big Lapland actually is
This is probably one of the most important things to understand before planning your holiday.
Finnish Lapland covers more than 100,000 square kilometres, an area almost the size of England. The distances between popular holiday destinations can be surprisingly large.
Looking at a map, you might think it would be nice to spend two nights in Rovaniemi, another two in Levi and then continue to Saariselkä. And of course, travelling between different destinations can be a wonderful way to explore Lapland.
But you need to consider how much time you will spend travelling rather than enjoying the places you came to visit.
Public transport does not always connect destinations directly. For example, we know of visitors who planned to travel by bus from Rovaniemi to Levi and then onwards to Saariselkä. Without a rental car, their journey from Levi to Saariselkä required travelling back to Rovaniemi to change buses. A journey of approximately three hours by car became more than seven hours by public transport.
We also know of a couple who spent a week in Levi, then flew from Kittilä to Helsinki and back north to Rovaniemi for a few more days. They had not realised that Rovaniemi was only a couple of hours away by road.
These are extreme examples, but they show how important it is to check actual travel routes rather than simply looking at a map.
Winter also brings shorter daylight hours and the possibility of challenging weather conditions. Spending half your holiday travelling between destinations might not be the best use of your time.
Our advice: If you have only a few days, consider choosing one destination and exploring it properly. If you have more time and would like to travel around Lapland, plan a logical route and check transport connections before making reservations.
2. Booking activities without checking where they are
This mistake is closely connected to the first one, but we think it deserves its own section because we experience it at Foxfires.
Every winter, we welcome guests who travel from other parts of Lapland specifically to visit our Arctic Spa. Some drive for two or three hours each way, and we are always grateful that people are willing to make such a journey.
But occasionally, visitors only realise how far away we are shortly before their booking.
On one occasion, we received a reservation followed almost immediately by a telephone call from a surprised guest. They had discovered that our Spa was around four hours from their accommodation.
Their explanation was: “We thought you were in Lapland.”
Well, we are! 😃 But Lapland is a very big place.
We have also welcomed guests who travelled from Rovaniemi and only realised shortly before their visit that they would need to hire a car. Another guest drove from Saariselkä through a snowstorm to enjoy our evening Spa experience, followed by the long journey back. She later left us a lovely review saying it was worth the drive.
We appreciate that enormously, but we would never want somebody to make such a journey without understanding what is involved.
There is nothing wrong with travelling further for an experience that is particularly important to you. We often do that ourselves when travelling. But it should be a conscious decision rather than an unpleasant surprise.
Our advice: Before booking any activity, check its exact location and how you will get there. If transport is included, confirm where the collection takes place. If you decide to travel further for something special, allow plenty of time and consider exploring that area too.
3. Choosing accommodation without understanding the location
There are some wonderful places to stay in Lapland, from hotels in busy resort centres to small cabins surrounded by forest.
But the photographs are only part of the story.
Imagine booking a beautiful cabin in the middle of nature, looking forward to spending a week there. Then you arrive and discover that the nearest restaurant or supermarket is a considerable distance away, you do not have a car and taxis are expensive.
For somebody looking for complete privacy and time away from everything, that same cabin might be absolutely perfect.
The difference is knowing what you are booking.
We remember stopping for coffee at a hotel in a small Lapland village while travelling to Norway. During our conversation, the receptionist told us about a couple who had booked a week’s holiday but left after just two days because there was not enough to do nearby. They had expected more restaurants, cafes and a busy village centre.
What made the story interesting was that this particular destination is popular with Finnish and Norwegian visitors precisely because of its peaceful surroundings and access to Arctic nature.
The couple had not necessarily chosen a bad destination. They had simply chosen somewhere that did not match their expectations.
Before booking accommodation, think about how you would like to spend your days.
Would you prefer a large holiday resort with numerous cabins, restaurant and organised activities all in one place? Or would you rather stay in a small, independently run boutique guesthouse or private cabin, where the experience is more personal, peaceful and private? Both offer very different ways to experience Lapland, so it is worth thinking about which suits you best.
For anyone planning to stay in Levi, we have written a separate guide, Where to stay in Levi, Finland: A guide to choosing the right area, explaining the different locations and helping you decide which would suit your holiday best.
Our advice: Choose your accommodation based on the kind of holiday you want, not only on how beautiful it looks in photographs. Check the location carefully, especially if you are not planning to hire a car.
4. Leaving important bookings until the last minute
Lapland is not quite like booking a weekend in a large European city.
During the busiest winter periods, particularly Christmas, New Year and February, popular accommodation and activities can be booked well in advance.
This is especially true for smaller places with only a few rooms or cabins, and experiences that accept a limited number of guests each day.
We know how disappointing it can be when somebody finds accommodation or an experience they really love, only to discover that it is already fully booked for their dates.
We have even had people knock on our door because they thought something was wrong with our website. They were trying to book our Arctic Spa for the following two weeks but could not find any availability. Unfortunately, there was nothing wrong with the website. At that time, our Spa was fully booked almost a month in advance.
Of course, last-minute holidays are possible. But leaving everything until the last moment means you may have fewer choices.
We have also witnessed visitors spending hours of their holiday desperately trying to organise activities, contacting one company after another, only to discover that everything they wanted to experience was already fully booked.
Instead of enjoying their time in Lapland, they were spending it stressfully trying to arrange the holiday they had already arrived for.
A little planning before travelling can save a great deal of frustration and leave you with more time to actually enjoy being here.
Our advice: Once you know your dates, start with flights, accommodation and transport. Then research the activities that matter most to you and book those in advance. You do not need to organise every hour of your holiday, but securing the important things early gives you more freedom later.
5. Trying to fit too much into a short holiday
This is something we feel quite strongly about.
When people begin planning a trip to Lapland, the list of things they want to experience can become very long. Husky sledding, reindeer, snowmobiling, skiing, Northern Lights tours, ice fishing, snowshoeing, sauna…There is nothing wrong with wanting to experience as much as possible. After all, you have travelled a long way to be here.
But filling every morning, afternoon and evening with organised activities can become exhausting. You may find yourself constantly checking the time, rushing between appointments and worrying about being late.
And somewhere along the way, you might miss one of the nicest things about being in Lapland: simply spending time here.
A walk through the forest, stopping to admire the winter light, warming up by a fire or enjoying a proper Finnish sauna can be just as meaningful as a booked activity.
It is also worth remembering that winter weather can affect your plans. Allowing a little flexibility makes it easier to adapt.
Since moving to Lapland, Paul and I have learnt to appreciate the quieter moments much more. They are part of why we chose to make this place our home and why we created Foxfires the way we did.
We want our guests to enjoy the activities they came here for, of course. But we also hope they will find time to experience the quieter side of the North.
Our advice: Choose the experiences that genuinely interest you, rather than trying to do everything. Leave some free time. You do not have to fill every hour to have a wonderful holiday.
6. Expecting the Northern Lights to appear every night
We understand why the Northern Lights are so important to visitors. They are extraordinary, and seeing them is something many people dream about for years.
But one of the most common misunderstandings is believing that travelling to Lapland during winter means you will automatically see them.
Unfortunately, it does not work like that.
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon. Their visibility depends on several factors, including solar activity, darkness and cloud cover.
Even when conditions look promising, nobody can guarantee that they will appear.
Another mistake is assuming that a quick look outside is enough to know whether the Aurora will appear that evening. Sometimes patience is essential, and understanding how to interpret the conditions can make a real difference.
We have met visitors who were disappointed because they had not seen the Northern Lights, but when we asked how they had been looking for them, it turned out they had only checked the sky briefly before going to bed.
Sometimes the Aurora appears early in the evening. Sometimes you need to wait until much later. And sometimes, despite all your preparation, the sky remains cloudy or the Aurora simply does not appear.
We have written a separate article about How to increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Lapland, where we explain this in much more detail.
And if you would like to understand the Northern Lights properly before your trip, Our Winter Guide to Levi Lapland includes an extensive chapter dedicated to the Aurora. We share knowledge gained from years of observing the Northern Lights and professionally chasing them during private Northern Lights experiences. We explain how to understand the conditions and avoid common mistakes that can reduce your chances of seeing them.
Our advice: Learn about the Aurora before your holiday and be prepared to make an effort to see it. But also plan a trip you will enjoy regardless of whether the Northern Lights appear.
7. Planning your holiday around photographs rather than the season
Social media is a wonderful place to find inspiration. We share photographs and videos of Lapland ourselves (@levifoxfires), and we love showing people what life here looks like throughout the year.
But there is something important to remember.
Lapland does not look the same every month.
The deep snow-covered trees you might see in photographs are associated with particular conditions and locations. The beautiful pink and blue light of midwinter is very different from the beautiful bright sunshine and long days of March and April.
Even within the same month or a day conditions can vary from year to year.
Sometimes people choose their travel dates based on a particular photograph without realising when or where it was taken.
And even during your holiday, the landscape can change considerably. One day you might wake up to beautiful pink skies and snow-covered trees. The next day everything might look grey and monochromatic.
We find those grey days beautiful too, but they might not be what somebody expected after seeing only perfectly edited winter photographs online.
Rather than looking for the single best month to visit Lapland, think about what you actually want from your holiday.
Do you dream of experiencing the Polar Night? Would you prefer longer days for skiing and exploring? Is Christmas atmosphere important to you?
We explain these differences in our article When is the best time to visit Finnish Lapland?
Our advice: Choose your travel dates based on the experiences and atmosphere you would like, not on the expectation that Lapland will look exactly like a photograph you have seen online.
8. Not preparing properly for the cold
This is another subject we often discuss with visitors.
Some people are frightened by the thought of temperatures dropping below -20°C or -30°C. Others underestimate how important proper winter clothing is.
You do not need to be afraid of the cold, but you do need to respect it.
Good winter boots, warm mittens, thermal layers and protection for your head and neck make an enormous difference to how comfortably you can spend time outdoors.
One thing worth remembering is that different activities require different clothing. Walking through the forest keeps you moving and generating warmth. Sitting in a reindeer sleigh or standing outside waiting for the Northern Lights is a very different experience.
And while some activity providers supply thermal clothing during their excursions, you still need suitable clothing for the rest of your holiday.
We recently wrote a detailed article about what to pack for Lapland in winter, including practical clothing advice and what we have learnt from living here.
If you would like more specific recommendations, Our Winter Guide to Levi Lapland goes much further. We share the clothing brands and equipment Paul and I personally use, including what we wear during the coldest winter days, along with a complete packing checklist to help you prepare for your holiday.
Our advice: Prepare properly before travelling. Being warm means you can stay outdoors longer and enjoy your holiday instead of constantly thinking about how cold you are.
9. Choosing activities without researching the providers
There are many activity companies operating across Lapland, from small family-run businesses to large tourism operators.
We always encourage visitors to look beyond the photographs and prices when deciding who to book with.
Find out who operates the experience. Read about the company, what is included, how many people will be joining and whether the activity suits what you are looking for.
A small-group experience may offer something quite different from a large organised excursion, even when the activity itself sounds similar.
We also believe that supporting genuinely local businesses matters. When you book directly with a small local operator, you are supporting people who live and work in the region, and often gaining access to their first-hand knowledge and experience.
That does not mean every small company is automatically better than a larger one. It means it is worth doing a little research before making your decision.
Our advice: Do not choose an activity simply because it is the first result you find or the one you have seen most often on Instagram. Look for a provider whose approach matches the experience you want and your values.
A little planning makes a big difference
We hope these tips help you avoid some of the mistakes we have seen over the years.
There is no single right way to experience Lapland. Some people love busy days filled with activities. Others prefer independent exploring, quiet walks and time to relax.
What matters is understanding the destination, choosing what suits you and arriving with realistic expectations.
If you are planning your first winter holiday, we have put together Our Winter Guide to Levi Lapland, based on our years of living here and welcoming visitors to Foxfires.
It covers everything from choosing your travel dates and accommodation to getting around, activities, winter clothing, Northern Lights and many practical details that are easy to overlook when planning from abroad.
We hope it helps you spend less time worrying about the arrangements and more time enjoying being here.
And remember, leave a little space in your plans for the unexpected. Sometimes those moments become your favourite memories.
See you in Lapland,
Aggie, Paul & Gooseberry
Every photograph in this article was taken by us in Levi, where we have lived since 2018.
