PORTALBERITA.CO.ID - The journey to rediscovering adventure began for Sian Lewis and her husband, Jake, after emerging from the demanding fog of newborn life with their nine-month-old baby. Published on June 7, 2026, the couple sought a change of pace, initially setting modest goals for their trip to Finland.
Upon landing in Helsinki, Sian confessed her immediate priority was far from national happiness rankings, stating her ambitions were small: "a sunset beer, a walk in the woods, reading a few pages of my book uninterrupted," as reported by Sian Lewis.
Finland, renowned as the world's happiest country for nine consecutive years, proved exceptionally accommodating for their travel with an infant. The country’s robust support system, including generous parental leave and accessible public services, makes navigating with children relatively seamless.
The family settled in the vibrant Kallio neighborhood, staying at the Hobo Hotel, which catered well to their needs with amenities like travel cots and highchairs. They enjoyed the long July evenings at a bar named Holiday, where their daughter, Sylvie, contentedly occupied herself while they relaxed.
A core element of the Finnish experience they embraced was jokaisenoikeudet, or "Everyman’s Right," which grants universal freedom to roam the nation's forests and lakes. This freedom allowed them to hike toward Lake Kukuljärvi, with Sylvie comfortably strapped to her mother’s front.
At a traditional laavu—a simple shelter with a communal fire pit—Jake and Sian cooked sausages and brewed coffee over an open flame. Afterward, Sian took a refreshing plunge into the lake from a rickety jetty while Jake cared for their awakened daughter.
Seeking a more remote experience, the family stayed in small, off-grid cabins at Majamaja, perched on Baltic Sea rocks, offering a sense of wildness yet remaining only a short drive from Helsinki for necessities. As reported by Sian Lewis, the experience felt "truly wild, yet we were a 10-minute drive from Helsinki if we ran out of nappies."
Their final day involved a short ferry trip to Lonna island, a former military outpost now blooming with wildflowers and featuring a wood-fired sauna overlooking the water. Here, they observed the Finnish tradition of taking infants into the sauna.
Locals demonstrated the proper way to cool down their baby, showing Sian how to place Sylvie into a bucket of cool water. The infant reportedly spent the time "grinning with her four newly minted teeth at the sauna-goers smiling back at her," according to Sian Lewis.
