Solo travelling Lapland as a woman

Whenever you travel solo as a woman there is always a bit tiny more thought put into it. Although I personally prefer to ‘not live my life thinking in fear’, as a woman I can not deny there will always be some more things to think about whilst travelling alone.

Of course, as a 24-year-old white bisexual woman, I have the privilege to escape the extra worry about racism and I don’t have a lot of experience with homophobia. Therefore, I will speak about my experience that is limited in comparison to some other women.

If you are a Queer women or woman of colour, I am sure you’re used to do way more research than I do. I recommend looking for some more experiences of solo travelling woman with experience regarding racism and homophobia! I personally have no idea what that is like.

Now on to my personal experience here in Lapland!

Travelling in Scandinavia; Safety

Scandinavia in general is seen as quite a safe destination. So, when I was looking for an internship in one of the Scandinavian countries, I knew I would not need to worry which one I ended up going to or which specific city. I lived in Milan, Italy in that time, my first time living abroad.

Before going to Italy, I searched a bit more extensively for which areas of the city were safe. In Milan there was quite some theft and robbery, most of my friends were robbed once during their Erasmus there. (Milan ranked highest in 2020 crime rates of Italy. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/664040/top-provinces-for-crime-rate-italy/) In Rovaniemi however, I did not look into safe areas or housing. I ended up choosing for student housing provided by DAS.

The DAS student house where I’m located in is located near the Hospital and Ounasvaara. Surrounded by other students it is for sure a safe place to live. Living a bit further outside of the city does mean I often have to walk home 30-40 minutes in the middle of the night. Something that I absolutely wouldn’t try to do alone outside of the historical city centre in Milan. There sadly isn’t a lot of other options here in Rovaniemi. The public transport often doesn’t drive any later than 20:00h and although there are regular busses during the day, there are a s good as non in the evenings.

Walking home alone at night

I walked home a few times from the city centre to the Kuntotie (street name) DAS student house and I didn’t feel unsafe at all. Even when I was walking home at 3h in the middle of the night completely alone, I didn’t feel worried, didn’t encounter any strangers or creepy streets on my way home. I think this says a lot as I don’t even feel safe to do that in my hometown in Belgium. I would not recommend that in any bigger cities in Belgium, but here in Finland I haven’t found myself stressed or worried while walking home.

This does not mean I’m not staying cautious while walking home alone no matter what time! I always make sure my phone is fully charged when I know I will walk home alone a bit later in the night and have multiple Taxi services saved in my phone in case I do not feel comfortable. Do not hesitate to call a taxi if you’re unsure or feel unsafe. There is absolutely no amount money worth saving when we are talking getting home safe.

Booking activities as a solo traveller

My biggest frustration traveling here alone, especially during winter, is booking activities. The minimum requirement for doing any of the popular winter activities is 2. This means if you want to do a Husky ride or Reindeer ride on your own it most often means you must pay a ‘single drivers fee’. You pay therefore approximately 50€-100€ more than if you would have a partner or friend with you. Sometimes it even means you must pay for 2 people instead of one. There are a few companies were there are no extra fees, but they are in minority…

My tip is to try and find another solo traveller to join you when you want to do activities. Although I must be honest this can be a bit challenging.

Same counts for renting a car to travel around Lapland. When you cannot share the costs, it can quickly get very expensive. Especially since the gas prices are quite expensive here. There are some carsharing services here in Rovaniemi, but they are sadly very limited. They are less expensive than renting a car though.

Making friends

I consider myself a very sociable and more extraverted personality. I am never afraid I won’t meet new people or make new friends. My previous experiences in this have given me only more confidence and I am therefore not afraid to start a conversation.

Despite this I have to say Lapland can be a bit more challenging to make friends. Especially with the locals. In general, locals prefer to be more on their own and will not immediately start a conversation. Cultural differences, in my personal experience, make it sometimes a bit more difficult to start friendships with men.

Women are slightly more open to start a conversation with other woman whilst it for men seems like here it is seen as ‘hitting on someone.’ Therefor men will be not always the ones starting a conversation or approaching you. This is of course very generalising and of course doesn’t mean this is the truth. It is just what I personally experienced in general this far. I had lovely conversations started by Finnish men that were not shy or made it feel inappropriate to talk with.

Start the conversation

But most of my encounters that were not initiated by me were with women. Although these experiences it seems hard to stay connected with the locals compared to what I was used to in Belgium and Italy. Compared to my previous experiences I had to put in a bit more effort to stay connected. This means; messaging first, starting the conversations, asking to do something together etc. I have met some of the loveliest people here though!

Most of my encounters that lasted where with fellow foreigners that I randomly started to talk with at an event or on a hike. Other were locals that initiated to talk with me! So do not be afraid, get out of your comfort zone and start the conversation! It is worth it!

Do not be afraid to take an invitation and show up alone to parties or gatherings. You’ll be fine! Listen to the ongoing conversation and hope in or ask questions about the topic if you really do not know anything about it.

In the outdoors

Lapland is a beautiful destination which you go to mostly for its beautiful nature and outdoor activities. AI chose to move here although my more limited outdoor experience, I love a challenge. I love even more to put myself out of my comfort zone and experience new things.

I would not describe myself as a city girl though. When I was young I grew up in between the horses and other animals in a small village in Belgium. I spent my youth in between all sorts of animals, climbing our own treehouse and making wizard wands of wood.

We camped a bit and hiked quite some miles when I was younger, but as I grew older that lessened. I still would choose a nature bound destination over any big city. The outdoor experience like here though, is not something I’ve had lots of experience with before moving here.

Going on hikes alone

I have never made as many fires and bought as much outdoor gear as I did while living here in Finland. Every moment spent in nature feels as a blessing and I am planning more and more trips to go hiking and explore wilderness. I have made some friends here by now that I might ask to join, but despite having made some nice friends, I would love to do some exploring alone as well.

Although I would not go walk in the busier small forests in Belgium until late evening alone, I’ve walked some miles in nearby woods here on my own and felt quite save. I always take a picture of the hiking routes and maps, take an external battery for my phone and when I plan to go on further hikes, I inform some people where I go and when I plan to return.

There are some bigger hikes on my to do wish list when the temperature rises and I would love to stay in a cabin overnight. I looked up a few tips and tricks from other solo travelling female hikers to prepare. I will be sure to write about my experience when afterwards!

Tips and tricks

Tips and tricks I can already give the more city galls with my more limited outdoor experience is: Take a good pocketknife, a lighter or matchsticks and a bag to collect your rubbish (Keep the outdoors clean!). Do not forget to take enough water and food when you go on longer hikes and wear sturdy shoes. Bring an extra layer on longer hikes and a backpack big enough to carry all that. You really do not want to be cold.

Tell other people where you plan on hiking when going alone. It does not matter if it’s your parents or a friend that is not nearby. Check beforehand where the parking places are and if you are going far; take a printed map and compass if possible.

Enjoy!

Last but not least… Enjoy! Lapland is beautiful! I have had the most magical moments discovering places and hiking places alone. I can take my time, go and my pace and stare 10 minutes at something I find beautiful and there is no one that needs to wait for me or that I need to wait for. When a problem rises, I am the one that needs to solve it and the fulfilment all those things give is immense. Solo travelling makes you feel like you can conquer the world, like you can go anywhere at anytime and be more than okay! It’s a freeing feeling. And it is way easier to meet new people than when you’re accompanied along the way!

You will meet the loveliest people and most importantly, you learn that one of them is also you.

⇐By: Kaat Vandeweyer/Visit Lapland⇒