Last week, we asked if you’d be up for the occasional opinion piece in this newsletter, reflections, observations and a few hot takes on travel.

Since many of you said yes, please…

Ask and you shall receive 👇🏻

xoxo,
Gabby & The TRAppe. Team

A travel playlist is never just music, it’s the mood, the moments, the kind of vibe you can’t quite put into words that gives your trip that extra oomph. And Kayla is one of those people who just get it... This week’s playlist was curated for her recent trip to Jamaica. Press play and come hang with us cool kids 😉

🎧 Share your go-to travel playlist or podcast with us. Whether it's road trip anthems or deep-dive travel stories, we want to hear and feature what fuels your adventures.

Latitude is a global gathering for responsible tourism professionals to connect, collaborate, and co-create. Last year, 320+ professionals from 48 countries generated over 3,000 new connections.

This March, they are back with two exciting virtual networking events. It’s an invitation to widen your view and engage with the people reshaping tourism’s future.

Transatlantic Edition: Wednesday, 25 March @ 17:30 EAT
Europe, Africa & Asia: Thursday, 26 March @ 13:00 EAT 

Get 10% off your ticket using TRAPPED10 at latitudetourism.org.

We’ll be there too and can’t wait to meet everyone!

I have a feeling Finland is about to have its moment in travel.

Not in a trending on Instagram, let's all go see the Northern Lights kind of way. But in a "if you're looking to slow down, this is where you go" kind of way.

Finland isn't trying to be anything.
And I think that's exactly why it's about to become everything.

We've recently started onboarding Finnish businesses onto TRAppe and the more I learn about the country from locals, the more convinced I am that Finland is not only at the top of my list for this summer, but is also about to become the place people turn to when they’re looking for something calmer, more intentional and more connected to how a place is actually lived.

Part of it is timing.

We've spent decades fighting for a spot on a crowded beach in 40 degree heat and calling it a holiday. Southern Europe is getting hotter, more crowded and frankly more exhausting every summer. And people are starting to wonder if there's another way.

I believe Finland is that other way.

And before you say anything about wanting a summer by the beach, Finland has those too. With 188,000 lakes and a Baltic coastline to choose from, the odds of having one entirely to yourself are better than you'd think.

The Finnish way of life is slow, and intentionally so. Very much aligned with everything we believe in when it comes to slow travel.

There's a deep appreciation for quiet, simplicity and nature. No obsession with rushing. No need to constantly fill silence. Being alone isn't loneliness, it's comfort. And nature isn't somewhere you go. It's simply part of everyday life.

You see it in how the locals move through the seasons. Skiing through silent forests in winter. Long summer days by the lake, swimming at 10pm, sauna with family and friends, just being outdoors without needing to be anywhere in particular. And foraging… the fact that everyday people just head into the forest to pick berries and mushrooms? I’m already sold!!

And then there's what people are now calling “Viking wellness” (kudos to whoever came up with that, you really sold it as a vibe).

Cold plunges, forest walks, saunas, slowing down.

What I find slightly bizarre is that these are the exact things many of us are now paying serious money for in the name of wellness.

Meanwhile, Finns have been living this way for generations. Not because it's trendy. Just because it's how life is.

Which probably explains why they're consistently ranked among the happiest people in the world. None of them signed up for a wellness programme. They just never stopped living well.

Honestly? I think we're all a little jealous of that.

And that's what makes Finland such a special kind of destination.

You’re not stepping into something created for tourists. You’re stepping into everyday life in Finland. The experiences aren’t staged or adapted, they’re simply how locals live.

Think about it. The sauna isn’t a spa treatment. It’s where families decompress at the end of the day. The foraging isn’t a guided wellness activity. It’s how people stock their kitchens for winter.

You’re not buying a tourist experience. You’re being invited into what people would be doing anyway.

And that’s becoming harder and harder to find.

So much of modern travel has become a performance. Destinations shapeshifting to meet tourist expectations. Experiences designed to look good, not feel real.

And I don’t think it gets more real than what Finland offers as a destination.

Also, a few locals have been telling me that Finnish summer is wildly underrated. Finland is often known as a winter destination, the Northern Lights, Lapland, the snow. But the Finns themselves will tell you summer is when the country truly comes alive. And honestly, if locals are telling you something is underrated, that’s usually your sign.

But to experience any of it properly, you have to unlearn the way most of us travel.

No packed itineraries. No trying to see everything. Leave at least a day or two completely unplanned and just be.

As our partner Wild Out Finland told me, "You need to become like an animal of the forest. You need to take the tempo of nature. If not, you are not experiencing Finland at all."

Honestly? I’m ready to be that animal in the forest 😌

Thanks for hearing me out, folks. Hope my little hot take lived up to your expectations. Till the next time I have an opinion.

xoxo,
Gabby

In this week’s What’s Hot & What’s Not, meet Beatriz, passionate about people, places and cultures.

Originally from Brazil, Beatriz has been living abroad since she was 18. Lisbon has been her home base for the past decade, but she has also lived in France, Germany, and Spain and more recently, she has been slow travelling through Southeast Asia while working remotely.

She is passionate about connecting people, places, and cultures. Remote beach destinations fuel her soul and she is now building her own brand and business consultancy to support purpose driven companies and create communities that truly connect.

🔥 What’s Hot

Remote island destinations. Slow travel and flexible itineraries. One-way tickets. Staying in small, locally owned homestays. Community-led experiences over curated tourist packages. Experience-led hospitality businesses. Trying local hobbies and activities. Eating in small local restaurants and street food spots. Meeting strangers and joining them for dinner. Joining community events — even in a language you don’t speak. Learning the basics of the local language. Word-of-mouth recommendations. Sharing rides. Leaving positive Google reviews to support local businesses. Carrying your own reusable water bottle. Powerful power banks (always 😅). Farm stays and regenerative tourism. Small-group retreats with intention. Brazil and Latin America rising as cultural destinations. Traveling with people you met in previous destinations. Wandering without a strict plan. Understanding local pricing without over-hustling every cent

❄️ What’s Not

Hyper-hyped Instagram/TikTok itineraries. Planning every single minute of your trip. Only staying in global chains. Not exploring local neighborhoods. Blindly trusting Google reviews. Mass-produced “wellness” retreats with no cultural integration. Overtouristed checklist tours. Tourist traps. Paying for unnecessary extra luggage. Long layovers and missed connections. Touching corals or disrespecting protected marine zones. Saying “it’s so cheap here” without understanding privilege. Complaining about visas while being a guest. Disrespecting local laws and culture. Behaving like you own the place. Not greeting strangers

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Psst… want to see what all the hype’s about? Flip through the Bali e-guide preview, to get a little taste of what’s inside: 100+ curated stays, eats, and experiences that are kind to the planet and good to its people ✌🏻

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