Here’s How a Trip to the Nordics Can Inspire a More Meaningful Way to Travel

In the Nordics, travel becomes a soul-stirring adventure—where sustainability, culture, and nature converge to create lasting benefits for travelers, local communities, and the planet.

Sweden

The largest of the Nordic countries, Sweden is known for its stunning natural landscapes, including coniferous forests and vast lakes, as well as a strong environmental commitment. The country’s sparsely populated northernmost part, Swedish Lapland, is a place brimming with local culture.

Encounter wildlife such as deer, European bison and mouflon (wild sheep) in its natural habitat at southeast Sweden’s Eriksberg Hotel & Nature Reserve, one of Northern Europe’s largest game enclosures. The property’s hotel Arken—opened in 2024—features three floors of close-to-nature suites, each with its own south-facing terrace overlooking the safari park's savannah. Or set out on a guided kayaking and wild camping tour among the Stockholm archipelago with The Kayak Trail, a small group of certified kayak and wilderness guides intent on getting curious souls to explore the thousands of islands extending eastward from Sweden’s capital city.

A person in traditional Sámi clothing stands beside a reindeer with large antlers in a snowy, sunlit landscape, holding a rope attached to its harness. — Experience Sámi culture in Sweden. © Anna Öhlund, Visit Sweden

Floating during summer, frozen into the ice in winter, the uniquely designed Arctic Bath is an “oasis of wellness” in the heart of Swedish Lapland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Activities such as nature hikes, moose safaris, and “fikas” (coffee breaks with others) abound at this nature-inspired spa retreat, where visitors can combine the soothing warmth of a dry sauna with cold bathing in the Lule River. Also up north, Nutti Sámi Siida AB is a renowned Sámi tourism company offering authentic experiences that preserve and promote the Sámi way of life. These include seeing newborn reindeer calves take their first steps in spring, hiking by torchlight in autumn to see the Northern Lights, and overnighting in a goahti or a lávvu (both traditional Sámi dwellings).

Easily accessible from Gothenburg, the carefully restored Gunnebo Castle and Gardens offers tours of its 18th-century estate, which includes gardens inspired by the Italian Renaissance and French Baroque styles, working farm animals, and an on-site eatery that focuses on organic ingredients—grown both onsite and by local producers.

Finland

This Nordic country offers a myriad of meaningful travel experiences and opportunities for exploring the unique Finnish way of life, from traditional saunas to husky sled rides and visits to reindeer farms.

Enjoy a walking, bicycling, and/or green public transit tour of Finland’s capital city with Happy Guide Helsinki, and get a local look into themes like design, food, and LQBTQ+ offerings. Located in Finnish Lapland, Harriniva Hotels & Safaris is a family-owned adventure specialist with three sustainably minded area resorts—Harriniva Adventure Resort, Jeris Lakeside Resort and Torassieppi Eco Reindeer Resort—for travelers to choose from, as well as activities like husky sledding, river rafting and hiking.

Two people in swimsuits sit in a sauna with a large window view of water; one pours water on hot stones to create steam. — A Finnish sauna at Harriniva Hotels & Safaris. © Visit Finland

Awarded the label of Sustainable Travel Finland in the spring of 2025, Helsinki’s Hotel St. George offers modern luxury lodging with a holistic lean. The property utilizes certified green electricity produced by wind, hydro, bio or solar power for its entire grid, uses refillable containers for its bath products, and highlights locally sourced ingredients—such as oat groats from Nurmijärvi and cold cuts from Kouvola—in its onsite bakery. Located just outside Helsinki in Nuuksio National Park, Haltia Lake Lodge’s hotel rooms combine Finnish design and furniture concepts developed together with a local recycling company. Travelers can also spend the night in one of the nature-surrounded glamping tents. Experiences such as forest yoga, guided birdwatching, and an ice climbing adventure in Nuuksio forest are all par for the course.

Porvoo’s Runo Hotel occupies the century-old, Art Nouveau-style Valtimontalo building, which was once home to this small town’s first inn. It’s also where Finland’s national poet, J.L. Runeberg (he wrote the country’s national anthem) stayed. From here, visitors can easily explore Porvoo on foot, traversing its cobbled streets, walking along its scenic riverbank, and enjoying its well-preserved wooden architecture.

Norway

Whether it’s taking in the country’s exquisite natural beauty from the water or on foot, or having an authentic cultural encounter with the indigenous Sámi people, Norway’s opportunities for meaningful travel abound.

Get closer to nature with Brim Explorer, a maritime company offering silent, sustainable fjord cruises in the country’s north as well as Oslo. Set out onboard electric and hybrid ships from the Lofoten Islands, home to steep mountains and historic fishing villages, and Tromsø for midnight sun in summer and frolicking sperm whales and humpbacks come winter. Family-run wilderness company Tromsø Villmarkssenter is home to 200 Alaskan huskies. Choose from dog sledding trips and aurora storytelling tours depending on the season, stay overnight in a traditional lávvu tent, or enjoy a husky hike and puppy visit.

A calm lake reflects snow-capped mountains and a small village at their base under a clear, sunlit sky. — The Lofoten Islands, Norway. © Pete Oswald, Visit Norway

Based in Norway’s Sunnmøre region, the place where the mountains and fjords meet, adventure tour company Uteguiden AS features both regular and tailor-made trips, from fjord kayaking to an eight-day cycling expedition on gravel roads, as well as climbing, rafting and hiking. Visit Natives promotes sustainable tourism that benefits and preserves indigenous peoples. This includes providing income for families that act as hosts. Stay with a Sámi reindeer family and learn the traditional tasks of herders—everything from taming a reindeer to pull a sled to catching one via lasso—

firsthand. Down in southern Norway’s Setesdal, Brokkestøylen offers lodging in eco-lux nature pods in the middle of a tranquil forest. While here, travelers have access to fishing in crystal-clear rivers, canoeing through mirror-like waters surrounded by majestic mountains, hiking, climbing, and swimming, and an array of wild and farmed food.

Denmark

Although it’s the smallest of the Nordic countries, Denmark is chock-full of ways to engage in meaningful travel, whether it’s bicycling through the countryside or embracing the Danish concept of “hygge,” which is essentially creating a cozy environment by surrounding yourself with the people and things that make you feel good.

Bornholm Food Tours combine local flavors and fascinating stories to showcase the gastronomic world of Denmark’s Baltic island, offering guided excursions showcasing everything from Bornholm’s wild herbs to its sustainable food initiatives, including packaging and waste management. Or join biologist and trained nature guide Susanne Rosenild on a journey through Dark Sky Møn, learning about Møn at night and how nature changes for both animals and plants, as well as humans, under the cover of darkness.

In northern Denmark, you'll find beautiful sandy beaches, charming seaside towns, popular surfing spots, and the vibrant city of Aalborg. A highlight of the city is the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, an architectural landmark designed in 1972 by world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, with Elissa Aalto and Jean-Jacques Baruël. It is the only museum building outside Finland created by Aalto. Along the harbor, the Utzon Center stands as the final work of Aalborg native Jørn Utzon, famed for designing the Sydney Opera House. Completed shortly before his death in 2008, the center is both a tribute to his legacy and a hub for architecture and design.

A canal in Denmark, specifically Københavns Kanaler, with kayakers and boaters on the water, lined by trees and buildings including a red brick structure with a green spire, under a partly cloudy sky. — Copenhagen's canals, Denmark. © Visit Denmark

Part of the larger Østsjællands Museum, the Stevnsfort tells the story of Denmark’s and NATO’s defence during the Cold War. Embark on a guided or self-led tour in the footsteps of the soldiers and experience what life was like in this retired nuclear bunker, which sits approximately 60 feet below ground and includes more than a mile of underground corridors, all built to withstand nuclear war. The nearby Stevns Klint showcases the impact of the Chicxulub meteorite that crashed into the planet at the end of the Cretaceous period (about 66 million years ago), and what remains from the asteroid. This includes fossilized snails, sea urchins, and crustaceans, as well as the remains of mosasaur reptiles.

Copenhagen’s Cykelkokken (The Bicycle Chef) combines cycling, city life and gastronomy. Take a ride through the city’s streets, stopping at five selected spots along the way, each with a food and beverage pairing prepared right onsite from the chef’s own mobile kitchen. It’s a full-on sensory experience.