Finland Is Offering Free Trips to Promote Happiness

For the past seven years, Finland has been recognized as the happiest nation in the world, according to the annual World Happiness Report. Now, this northern European country aims to help travelers uncover their inner joy by understanding why its citizens maintain such a positive perspective.

This week, Visit Finland, the country’s tourism promotion organization, launched a new initiative called “Happiness Hacks”, set to take place this summer in Helsinki.

From June 9 to 14, 2024, a fortunate group of travelers will visit Helsinki to learn “new happiness hacks to enhance their daily lives”—completely free of charge.

They will stay at the stylish boutique hotel St. George Hotel in the heart of Helsinki. From this base, travelers will immerse themselves in the city’s rich nature and culture, participating in activities like wild swimming in natural pools, biking through forests, and enjoying Helsinki’s lively arts, design, and food scene. Local experts, known as “happiness hackers,” will guide them, sharing how they’ve discovered joy through nature, movement, and culture.

Those wishing to join must apply by April 4, 2024. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and may apply individually or with one other adult. The application process consists of two steps. The first step is to complete a straightforward online form that includes your name, date of birth, and email address.

The second step involves a social media challenge. Applicants are invited to share their happiness hack on Instagram, explaining why they deserve to be selected for the in-person experience in Helsinki this June. Visit Finland will review the submissions and choose participants based on their entries. (Details about the social media challenge can be found on Visit Finland's Instagram account.)

The World Happiness Report compiles data from the Gallup World Poll, ranking countries based on how residents rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10, where 10 represents the best possible life and 0 the worst. While these results are derived from self-reported data, the report indicates that several factors typically lead to higher happiness ratings, such as increased GDP per capita, robust social support from friends and family, longer life expectancy, greater personal freedoms, lack of corruption in government and business, and acts of charity.

“Finnish happiness centers around life’s simple pleasures: connecting with nature, nurturing one’s mind and body, and cherishing the design and art that surround us. True happiness can be found in moments of tranquility, whether it’s during a bike ride through a forest with your favorite playlist or savoring a post-sauna sausage on a lovely summer evening,” remarked Heli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland, part of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

In Finland, there's a widespread belief that happiness is “a skill that can be cultivated,” according to Visit Finland.

This article was initially published in March 2023 and updated on March 20, 2024, to reflect current information.