Hi JandP

Totally understand about time, perhaps you could do a week next year.
We are travelling for the first time and we too are concerned about clothing.
Some companies give you thermal suits included in the tour (check it out with your tour operator).
We have been advised that thermal underwear, t-shirt, long sleeve top, fleece and then our ski suit should be adequate. The secret is to have layers. Make sure you have really good socks, gloves and something to cover the head because then that is your base. If these 3 areas are warm and toasty you should be fine. Make sure your footwear has good grip and a thick sole.

Take a oil based moisturiser for your lips as well.
Yllas where we are going has snow already !!!!
Enjoy your day there, and don't forget to post us a report.

Bye for now x

Thanks enchanted.. very much appreciated and YES I'll be sure to post a report when we get back. Wish you a 'magical trip' also
Hmm with regards advice on which package to choose...

Well, as with all holidays, you could spend and spend and spend. I DID have a budget as I couldn't (at this time) justify spending 1,500.00 or more on a DAY trip. So wanted to keep it below that figure. I chose a couple below this, then read reviews and forums as well as speaking to the companies themselves. My tip would be to categorically confirm what exactly is included in the price. First Choice, for example, couldn't do this - so I anticipated spending a fortune to get out there only to find I would need to spend a fortune again to enjoy the day. Santatrips' prices are inclusive of everything it lists and this was confirmed when I rang them.

Hope this helps.

For all you snow seekers out there off to Lapland, visit http://www.levi.fi and there are plenty of web cameras to see how much snow is there.

Many thanks for that link Italian Ann. Lovely views of the snow on those cameras!

Kath HT Admin

Hi, there is another one that is very similar:

http://www.yllas.fi

There is plent of the white stuff out there --- yipeeeee

Oooooooooo just wait til you arrive and land in all that snow. We landed at Rovaneimi and looking down from the aircraft was just as you see iyt on the Christmas cards.
Make sure you take alot of pictures and then the following year you can make your own Christmas cards- the real thing

Hi!

I'm thinking of booking a day trip for myself, my boyfriend and his son to Lapland this December.

I've had a good look at the Internet and have found that each website offers about 9 different choices of excursions!!

How do I decide which is the best one?!!

Can anyone give me some feedback / guidance please?

Thanks

Any one be so kind as to reply to my query?!!! Thanks

Hi eiryld,

Hopefully someone will post a reply to you.
Our friends have done Cosmos and Canterbury Travel with their lapland breaks.....they go every year.
There is so much choice i know, but you may be best not to go for the cheapest but the one which includes more (hope that makes sense).
Good luck in your search.

Hi there,

I dont know which excursions you can choose from but I can offer my view.

I have been to lapland twice, once for the and once for the weekend.

For buzz and excitement the Skidoo ride is a must. If the son is too young they have a big sledge pulled by a skidoo.

I enjoyed the dog sleigh ride but as you are driving them yourself it is hard work.

A visit to santa claus I guess a must for the boy.

The reindeer ride round a lake is OK but nothing too exciting.

Try and find some time just to play in the snow with sledges.

Artic circle ceremony is just sitting in a cabin with some warm wine with some chanting in Lap.

What other choices do you have ? On a daytrip the itinary is normally pretty mapped out. Whereabouts are you going to.

On a daytrip if they provide clothing then you really just need jeans t-shirt jumper normal clothes plus good gloves and hat.

Kind Regards
Stewart

eiryld - I did make a brief post on Fri Nov 3... my main advice is speak to the companies themselves and find out what exactly is included.

The day trip we have booked is through Santatrips (Magic of Lapland), reasons for picking: EVERYTHING listed IS included and not just their suggestions of what you can PAY FOR when you get there.

The main clincher for us was the Reindeer ride through the forest following a candle lit path to Santa's log and then having a personal meeting with him. Most of the companies I spoke to seem to have Santa visiting a roomful of kids at the same time - and I sense him getting swamped. If your child is anything like mine, he'll stay firmly at the back refusing to fight to get to the front just to have a cuddle with santa.

Also on this trip there is a BBQ ALL day and not the standard set meal at the set time as with other companies, so whenever you get pekish you go and get something to eat and drink.

As I said before, I struggled to get my husband to agree to paying over 1,000 for A DAY... so I needed to get the best for my money and this is definately it.

Hope this helps.

Hi all just found this forum while looking to book for lapland.
I have been lucky enough for my father to offer to book me and my son aged 8 a trip to Lapland next month. The holiday he had in mind was the Cosmos one. However have spent all day looking at various options - need to fly from Manchester and looking at some of bigger tour operatives trips first choice etc... they do give you "time at leisure" which I would think means booking on another trip such as snowmobiles/husky sleighing......... with of course additional costs. I wondered about emagine as there trips seem to ecompass more. However I realise my son won't get to santas post office/ toy workhop but knowing him he would rather ice fishing sleighing ang stuff. Just wondered ( sorry realise this a bit rambling) whether there will be other kids on the less santa type trips?? also never seen reviews for syote ? flying to kuusimo? anyone tried it ? or should we just take cheaper trip to yllas and buy xtra trips?
Any help really appreciated as it will be a trip in a lifetime and I want my son (and me) to enjoy
Thanks in anticipation
Kerry

I thought I would jump in with a suggestion to all you good folk who are interested in visiting Lapland. I know package holidays seem like an easy option, but you should really think about going it alone, as it is so very easy (I have done it several times to Lapland) and in many cases MUCH cheaper that the package deals. You can get direct scheduled flights with Inghams (http://www.inghams.co.uk/) for between £200 - £250 per person return (often cheaper if last minute) or scheduled with Finnair (via Helsinki) and you can rent a real log cabin in Akaslompolo/Yllas for example (the exact same cabins that Inghams use) with the local company (http://www.yllas-travel-service.fi/) for between 600 and 800 euro (£400-£550) for a cabin that sleeps 4 people. This cost is for a whole week, and some of these 1 day package tours are more expensive for a family of 4 than the direct option is for a whole week! The activities/excursions are much cheaper once in resort too as there are several companies who run them competing for your business. Lapland is a wonderful destination and definitely deserves more than a 1 or 2 day flying visit (there is just too much to do) especially if you are only going to go there once in your life.

With regards to the Levi v's Yllas(aka Akaslompolo) discussions, I would say that Levi is more touristy particularly where nightlife is concerned, whereas Yllas is a lot more Finnish with a much more sedate nightlife. Downhill skiing is comparable in both, X-Country skiing is better in Yllas and activity options (e.g. huskies, snow mobiles etc) are about the same in both. So if you want something traditionally Finnish and are not a party animal, then I would choose Yllas, but if you are more interested in partying the nights away then go to Levi. You can check out each resort a bit more here.. http://www.yllas.fi and http://www.levi.fi (both have union jacks that you click on at the top right of the pages to view them in english)

I love Finnish lapland and I am utterly jealous of each and every one of you going! Have fun

Have just stumbled on this website and ideas about the best way to keep warm if you're off to Lapland etc etc. It's been really useful for us and thought it may be of some help to others.

Thanks to the author who, we think, does a great job of helping fellow travellers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(If anyone disagrees with any of this please post as it sound pretty good to us and we will be following the advise!!!!!!!!! We are NO experts at all and need all the help we can get!)

http://www.aliscorner.myby.co.uk/arcticwear/

Brilliant.......well done presto, just we need to help us on our way.
19 days now til we go to Lapland
Panicking now though because sooooo much to do.
Thanks for info

Hi there. I'm off to Saariselka on 14th December - bit worried about the lack of snow!!!! Lapland is unusually warm this year.....let's hope we dont need to pack umbrellas instead of snow gear!!!!

Bev

Hi Bev, how far is Saariselka from yllas then?
I have just looked at the snowcam for yllas and there is heaps of the white stuff...........

Hiya. Saariselka is in northern lapland, dont know how far from Yllas... yes, there looks to be loads of snow on the webcams there doesn't there? (Maybe theres hope for the rest of us then)....There is no snow in Rovaniemi at all and we have been watching it melt daily in Saariselka!! Lapland is unusually warm all over and there have been some very disappointed travellers this week. There seems to be wide spread panic on all the other Lapland forums! Hope things improve all round. When are you travelling?

what is the link to view the snow in Rovanneimi please?

Hi Bev,

We go December 17th ......... 17 days and counting !!!!
When are you off. Do hope you get snow......fingers crossed for you, and hope that ours does'nt all melt (i would be sooooo cheesed off)