A 2-Day Finnish Happiness Camp invites you to discover what truly makes you happy, embrace the freedom of living without demands, and reconnect with clarity through nature, the Finnish way.
The Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® retreat is a slow travel nature immersion in the peaceful landscapes of Lake Saimaa, only 2 hours from Helsinki. It is your ideal place to chill like a Finn.
At Blueberry Villa we hang time in the air.
If you feel the need to pause and return to yourself, you’re warmly invited to this calming Finnish nature immersion. Finland has been the happiest country in the world for eight years, and the Luontopolku - Back to Your Senses® method grows from our quiet, lifelong connection with nature. As a Certified Transformative Travel Coach, author, and founder of The Journey Studio, my passion is to help you to return to connection with yourself and answer their inner calling through intentional, nature-based journeys.
Read the Finnish Happiness Camp: What Can Happen in Two Days? blog.
Explore the setting at The Journey Studio YouTube Channel.
This 2-day retreat takes place at Blueberry Villa by Lake Saimaa in Southern Finland, offering a peaceful stay immersed in forest and lakeside nature. Retreats are offered in 2026 and 2027 and its lenght can be extended based upon your wishes.
Arrival is arranged either by your own car or with a pickup from Lappeenranta between 12:00–15:00 (included in the price). For self-arrival, please arrive at the villa by 15:00.
Upon arrival, you are welcomed with a light refreshment, allowing you to gently settle into the surroundings and the slower rhythm of the experience.
During your stay, you’ll experience my Luontopolku – Back to Your Senses® guided process: a gentle, sensory immersion in nature designed to slow you down, awaken presence, and help you reconnect with yourself.
The retreat includes transformative coaching, full board with nourishing meals prepared together from seasonal and local ingredients—often featuring smoked, grilled, or oven-prepared dishes in a simple, authentic Finnish style.
Depending on the season, you may also experience foraging directly on the villa grounds, with wild mushrooms and blueberries growing in the surrounding forest. Breakfast includes local breads and seasonal berries, with fresh fruits available throughout your stay.
At the lakeside, you can enjoy traditional Finnish wellbeing: a wood-burning sauna with birch whisks, refreshing lake swims, and quiet moments by the water.
The private villa setting offers access to its own garden, shoreline, pier, rowing boat, and SUP board—inviting you to move at your own pace and follow what feels right for you.
Blueberry Villa is rooted in sustainability and respect for nature. Surrounded by diverse forest and natural landscapes, the villa operates with its own well water and wood from the surrounding forest, supporting a simple and conscious way of living in harmony with the environment.
Your 2-Day Experience
Day 1 – Arrival & Slowing Down
Arrival to Lappeenranta or Blueberry Villa
Welcome refreshment and settling into the villa
Luontopolku® guided reflective walk in nature
Time to unwind by the lake or on the water
Preparing and enjoying a seasonal dinner together
Evening lakeside sauna with birch whisks and optional swim
Day 2 – Integration & Return
Slow morning with breakfast including local breads and berries
Gentle reflection and integration of your experience
Time in nature, by the shore or on the water at your own pace
Return transfer to Lappeenranta between 11:00–12:00
Price
€720 for one person
€590 per person for two or three guests
(separate bedrooms available)
Available June–September 2026. You can now book for your 2027 stay with us with the same price until the end of August. Hurry to secure your desired dates.
If this feels right for you, simply fill in the form below and share your preferred dates, wishes, and any dietary needs. I’ll personally confirm the details and welcome you to begin your retreat.
Explore the Blueberry Villa and staying solo.
Tailor Your Finnish Happiness Camp
Fill out the form below and tell us a little about your plans, preferred dates, group size, and what you hope to explore during your stay.
The Finnish Happiness Camp can be adapted from 2 to 7 days for individuals, educators, researchers, teams, and small groups. Once we receive your message, we will get in touch to discuss your needs and shape a meaningful slow travel experience around them.
Experiences of Finnish Happiness
“I spent the weekend with Mirka for her Happiness Camp experience. I don’t say this lightly that I think it was a life changing experience and a weekend I will be thinking about for a long time. Mirka has a gift for speaking with people and asking the right questions and while she guides the experience, it is completely custom to each person. I want to bring back all of my friends and family so they can experience it for themselves! “ — Roya Fox
Read more customer experiences on our Google page.
For Educators, Researchers & Creative Sabbaticals
The Finnish Happiness Camp is more than a retreat; it can also become an immersive learning experience.
Whether you are an educator, researcher, creative professional, or simply someone seeking fresh perspectives, the retreat offers an opportunity to explore Finnish happiness not as a concept, but as a way of living. Rather than studying wellbeing from a classroom, you experience it firsthand through nature, local culture, slow travel, and guided reflection.
The program can be tailored as a 2–7 day immersive retreat, allowing time to both restore and investigate themes that matter to your professional or personal interests.
Participants often explore topics such as:
Finnish happiness and wellbeing in everyday life
Nature as a source of learning, creativity, and restoration
Slow travel as a meaningful learning methodology
Reflective practice and experiential learning
Finnish sustainability and seasonal living
Teacher and leadership wellbeing
Cross-cultural perspectives on happiness and quality of life
Creativity, life transitions, and professional renewal
Throughout the retreat, you are invited to observe, reflect, journal, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations inspired by your surroundings. Every forest walk, sauna, lakeside pause, shared meal, and quiet moment becomes part of the learning process.
Many guests describe returning home not only rested but with renewed creativity, deeper clarity, and practical ideas they carry into their work, research, leadership, or everyday life.
If you are applying for a teacher creativity fellowship, research grant, professional development program, or creative sabbatical, The Journey Studio is happy to adapt the retreat to support your learning objectives. We can also provide a description of the educational framework and intended learning outcomes for your application.
Guided by an Experienced Educator and Transformative Travel Coach
The Finnish Happiness Camp is hosted by Mirka Kristiina Bruun, founder of The Journey Studio and The Finnish Happiness Coach. Mirka is a Certified Transformative Travel Coach, author, international speaker, and lecturer with an MBA in International Management from the United States. Her academic and professional background spans business, tourism, education, and wellbeing, having lectured at both LUT University (Finland) and BRAC University (Bangladesh).
Drawing on years of experience in higher education, international tourism development, and coaching, Mirka creates a learning environment where reflection, meaningful conversation, and firsthand experiences become part of the educational journey. Rather than teaching Finnish happiness through presentations, she invites participants to explore it through immersion in Finnish nature, culture, and the slower rhythm of everyday life.
