I work in Lapland – this is what this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity looks like
- Travel blogger Lucy Blair has shared her start to life as a foreign tour guide
- She was immediately struck by the conditions that turned her eyelashes into icicles
A travel blogger shares her unique experience with the Arctic Circle during a five-week trip as a tour guide in Lapland, Finland.
Lucy Blair has documented the start of her ‘once in a lifetime’ stint in preparation for the festive season.
In the winter months, the northern region of Finland receives only two to four hours of sunlight and can experience temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius.
Lucy began her journey in mid-November and posted to TikTok: ‘A few months ago I had never heard of Lapland, but when I was offered this job, I thought it was a unique opportunity to experience something completely different.’
She was immediately struck by the conditions, with the remote environment wreaking havoc with allergies and freezing temperatures turning eyelashes into icicles.
Lucy Blair (left) has documented the start of her ‘once in a lifetime’ five-week stint preparing for the holidays in Lapland, Finland, where temperatures can drop to -40 degrees Celsius
The travel blogger works as an overseas representative at Arctic Sauna World (pictured) – a role that involves entertaining the party tourists, including by giving tours
To demonstrate the effort it takes to withstand the cold, Lucy shared the seven-minute dressing routine she goes through to prepare herself for the day.
On top of your standard thermal leggings and a top, you can wear a sturdier thermal, another pair of fleece leggings and a fleecy top, and then a snowsuit.
The outfit is completed by snow boots, an earmuff and snood.
The Australian travel enthusiast works as a foreign representative in one of the many resorts in the region: Arctic Sauna World.
“It was so exciting,” she said, “it’s a very, very remote resort, located on a frozen lake with saunas around it.”
But before moving into her new home, Lucy and all the other seasonal guides get a crash course in all things Lapland before the holidays are in full swing.
The role involves guiding and entertaining holidaymakers who have made the journey to experience the unique environment, find Santa and catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Extra hands are needed at this time of year as there were record numbers of tourists in Lapland last December Statistics Finlandwith 556,805 registered overnight stays – 80 percent of which came from foreign tourists.
In addition to brushing up on local knowledge, preparation includes creating ‘reindeer cloth’ and fake passports for their younger visitors.
Highlighting how cold it is, Lucy shared a video of her and her friend getting dressed for a day in the snow. The seven-minute routine involved donning three warm layers under a snowsuit
Last December, Lapland saw a record number of visitors in one month, with 556,805 overnight stays recorded
One of Lapland’s main attractions is the opportunity to see the Northern Lights (photo above)
Lucy also had to learn a welcome speech and some Christmas carols, which are not the same from one side of the world to the other, judging by the Queensland native’s first attempt to catch Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.
However, there is still plenty of time for the seasonal staff to enjoy themselves, as the group of twenty-somethings are all together in shared accommodation and have plenty of free time to enjoy their own snowshoeing, sledding and skating excursions.
And one night a week the local pub opens to make the most of the long winter evenings and give people time to relax and get that universal clubbing experience.
The rest of the evenings usually end with Lucy and her new colleagues relaxing in one of the resort’s many saunas.