Off for the Holidays

Holiday is a loaded word, especially when it comes to travel. Our holiday trips often carry expectations far beyond the journey itself. During the dark months, we dream, plan, compare destinations, make reservations, and wait for that special moment when we can finally close our laptops, lock the front door, and head off toward something we have been longing for.

The Travel Anxiety We Rarely Talk About

Yet when the time finally arrives, beneath the excitement there can also be apprehension.

Will everything work out? What if there is an airline issue? Will we make the connection? Will the weather cooperate? Will the accommodation be what we expected?

Whatever may happen along the way, travel anxiety is often less about the disruption itself and more about the pressure we place on ourselves to keep everything under control. Delays, cancellations, and unexpected changes can trigger stress that was already present before the journey even began.

I have learned that much of our discomfort comes from the belief that a successful holiday depends on everything unfolding exactly as planned.

Taking a Sensory Pause

One practice I use myself is what I call a sensory pause.

Instead of immediately trying to fix the problem or search for solutions, I step outside, take a slow walk, and consciously notice what I can see, hear, smell, and feel. The warmth of the sun on my skin. The sound of distant birds. The scent of rain or pine trees. The feeling of my feet meeting the ground.

More often than not, clarity arrives when I stop fighting the situation.

I also try to focus on what remains within my control rather than what has been lost. This is one of the reasons I love slow travel so deeply. Leaving space between destinations and allowing time for the unexpected creates room not only for practical solutions, but also for experiences that could never have been planned.

What Is Perfect, Anyway?

Many travelers today feel pressure to make every trip perfect. Yet some of the most meaningful experiences emerge from unexpected detours.

Perhaps there is a hidden place you would never have discovered otherwise. Perhaps there is a conversation, a landscape, or a moment of stillness that was quietly waiting for you all along.

Travel is not only a journey across places. It is also an opportunity to notice how we ourselves, and those traveling beside us, respond to uncertainty.

Sometimes the most important question is not:

"Why is this happening?"

But rather:

"What is this moment inviting me to notice?"

These are the real treasures we bring home from our travels. Not the perfect itinerary, but the moments that changed how we saw the world, and ourselves.

If you wish to explore personal travel coaching, read on here.

You Deserve Luxury

This month, I have been in the luxurious position of hosting visitors in my garden, forest, and lakeside world here in Finnish Lakeland.

Together, we have followed the movement of rainbow catchers dancing in the breeze and sparrows building their nests.

We have listened to young owls calling from the evening forest, picked and preserved spruce tips, gathered nettles, prepared the herb garden, collected horses from their pastures for forest rides, rowed to 5,000-year-old rock paintings, heated the wood-burning sauna, and swum from the shore beneath the midnight sun.

Most importantly, we have paused for meaningful conversations along the way.

Why are we here?

Why does the lake call us more strongly than the forest path today?

What is it about a particular flower, tradition, scent, or place that awakens a memory or stirs something within us?

The Caretaker's View

Looking from another perspective, I am also the caretaker and keeper of this place.

I mow the grass, trim the forest, carry firewood, water seedlings, rake leaves, plant flowers, clean rooms, prepare meals, and varnish terraces.

Yet there is beauty in all of it.

It is the kind of quiet happiness many of us in Finland seek.

There is something deeply satisfying in slowly heating the lakeside sauna, making a birch whisk for a gentle blessing in the steam, arranging wildflowers on the terrace table, or watching the garden flourish through the season.

When I work with my hands, I feel connected, to nature, to myself, and to something much older than either.

I am reminded of both my smallness and my responsibility.

In caring for my surroundings, I restore a little of myself as well.

Giving Attention

When visitors arrive, they receive my undivided attention.

Whether we are walking to collect the horses, preparing dinner together on the terrace, making birch whisks, exploring island landscapes, or sitting quietly by the lake, there is space to simply be.

It is remarkable to think that people travelled these same waters over 5,000 years ago.

Lake Saimaa was the highway of the first settlers.

Along its shores, they left us messages in stone; rock paintings depicting people beneath the waves and hunters pursuing moose for their livelihood.

The waterway was important then, and it remains important now.

It is where the midsummer sun sets in a blaze of red before rising again just a few hours later.

It is where stories have always travelled.

What Luxury Really Means

To me, luxury is not found in excess.

Luxury is breathing in the fresh wind.

Walking barefoot through the morning dew.

Taking a swim when the feeling arises.

Picking chanterelles or berries along the trail.

Napping on a warm terrace.

Listening to waves beneath a pier.

Watching salmon slowly cook in a traditional smoking pot.

We do not need very much.

The greatest luxury may simply be presence.

Being fully present with yourself and with those around you.

No roles.

No expectations.

No performance.

Just being.

Meeting Yourself Again

This is midsummer in Finland.

This is what happens during the reflective moments of the Luontopolku – Back to Your Senses® method.

This is what my Finnish Happiness Camps are about, whether you join for an afternoon nature walk, a day retreat, an overnight stay, or a longer slow travel experience.

Because it is not only me that you meet here.

After a long time, you may also meet yourself.

Creating Space for What Matters

I believe in creating high-value, sustainable experiences that respond to the growing desire for wellbeing through authentic places, meaningful encounters, and a genuine connection with nature.

Rather than trying to do more, I focus on helping people do less, with intention.

To slow down.

To restore themselves.

To reconnect with what truly matters.

You can find my services through The Journey Studio or through the Travel Coach Network.

Alongside my Finnish Happiness Camps and Slow Travel Horse Holidays, there are still a few dates available this summer for reflective nature experiences and private retreats.

I am also beginning to share more stories from this corner of Finland through my YouTube channel, documenting the landscapes, traditions, wildlife, and everyday moments that inspire this work.

Until then, I wish you a beautiful Finnish midsummer.

Take a moment to pause.

Listen to the wind.

And believe in a little magic again.

Mirka Kristiina Bruun
Founder, The Journey Studio

Back in Time

A Saturday at Xaló Market

I return to the Xaló Saturday market every so often.

Sometimes I go searching for something particular. Most often, I go simply to wander along the riverside; to enjoy the music, the hum of mixed European languages, and the possibility of unexpected treasures.

In sunny February, when spring quietly breaks winter’s spell and almond trees begin to bloom, the village feels especially alive. Cyclists move through the narrow streets. Conversations flow in Spanish, Dutch, German, French, English. The market becomes a meeting place of seasons and stories.

A Gift of Time

This week my son is visiting with his friends. I asked him to find a birthday gift during our Xaló day; something I would buy for him, a small reminder of time spent together here.

I wasn’t looking for anything myself. I was simply following the young ones, enjoying their reflections, their laughter, their rhythm.

And yet.

It didn’t take long before I found myself standing before a stack of vinyl records. Ever since restoring the old record player at Blueberry Villa, these records have been quietly calling me.

Recently back in the western saddle with a new quarter gelding as a coachee, I instinctively picked up My Country – Songs, die dir Freiheit geben, with voices like Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers.

Two euros later, “Country roads, take me home” accompanied me along the riverbank.

Treasures That Carry Stories

There is something about touching and even smelling objects from the past.

They carry lives lived.
Dreams pursued.
Time that has passed and yet lingers.

I have never felt lighter than I do now. Owning less. Needing less.

I admire the handbags I once collected. I smile at the Tiffany lamps I once searched for. Letting go has brought me closer to what truly matters.

I bought one more thing: Jules Verne’s Viaje al Centro de la Tierra in Spanish. It feels like a promise. This will be the first full book I read in my chosen language.

And then, a simple green glass jar for the stones I collect during my walks. It has been empty for a long time. Now it waits again.

The Village That Holds Stories

Our final stop was the Xaló vintage store, always worth visiting. Its owner, a photographer, once captured Finnish band Hanoi Rocks in the 1980s. The shop feels like a museum disguised as a boutique.

Whenever I bring people here, we rarely leave empty-handed. This time, my son found a shirt that felt right. Not because it was needed but because it resonated.

What Is Calling You?

During my retreats, I bring guests to this market at the end of their stay.

Before we begin wandering, I ask them to pause.

To listen.

What is calling you here?
What do you want to carry forward, not just in your bag, but into your life?

It is always meaningful to hear why they choose what they choose.

Often, the object is small. The shift behind it is not.

Choosing How We Spend Our Days

We all choose, every day, how we spend our time.

Slow markets.
Shared afternoons.
A record.
A book.
A jar waiting to be filled.

I have become ever more mindful of how I spend mine.

And if you ever feel called to wander these riverbanks, listen to what is asking to be noticed, or experience the rhythm of this valley more deeply, you are welcome to join me.

Sometimes a market is just a market.

Sometimes it is the beginning of something quieter, and more meaningful.

You can explore further here.

Happy Valentine’s Day to You

A different kind of love story

It’s a day we may love or hate, celebrate with friends the Finnish way or with someone dear to us.

Over the past year, I’ve often spoken about a love story when sharing my path of leaving and returning with purpose. Not the kind of story we usually expect, but the one that changed everything.

For years, like many of us, I gave and gave. I handled, managed, waited.

Until one day I realised: it was me who had to let something go.

Choosing time

When I took my sabbatical travels, I gave up a lot. Income, yes. Certainty, maybe.

But time? That was priceless.

There was no other way I could have bought the learning, clarity, and courage that came from travelling solo. I needed that time out.

And the love story I found was the most profound one of all: finally choosing myself.

Doing what I had long wished to do.
Investing in my own wellbeing.
Getting a little lost, only to find my way back home, within.

That journey was the best wellness retreat I could ever have given myself.

From travel to transformation

It’s been a year since my sabbatical ended, and so much has changed. Clarity has formed.

Travel gave me new insight, not only about the world, but about ourselves. That curiosity led me deeper into my Travel Coach Network studies.

Once a travel director, I now design experiences that don’t just take you somewhere, they take you deeper into yourself, into place, into culture.

Once a manager and supervisor, I now guide people to pause. To listen inward. Whether travelling far or simply walking a familiar forest trail.

Sometimes we look at ourselves in the same mirror for too long. We swim in the same fishbowl.

But when we step into a new environment or meet someone who truly sees us, our vision clears.

Reshaping life gently

Last year, I gently reshaped my life. Not overnight, not dramatically, but consciously. I built a structure that supports a lifestyle “on a journey every day.”

I started telling my story. Asking for help. Preparing ahead.

And interestingly, when we speak from the heart, the right people appear.

Not everyone needs to change their life completely, move countries, or leave their job.

But everyone deserves more peace. More balance. More small moments of happiness.

Courage looks different for each of us

Sometimes it’s a sabbatical.
Sometimes it’s a mindful morning.
A new hobby.
A quiet weekend trip.
Or simply a gentle pause.

Small acts of self-love, repeated throughout the year.

If you ever feel the call to create space for yourself to reflect, reset, or redesign your path, I’m here to walk alongside you and share what I’ve learned.

We don’t need to carry heavy bags.

Awareness leads to courage.
And courage grows step by step.

With love

Sending love to you this Valentine’s Day.

The Circle Closes

This January 2026, I am returning to Helsinki Matka Nordic Travel Fair an altogether different role: as a fellow traveler.

Once a travel executive and promoter of the Lake Saimaa region, I now stand here to tell how travel can take us to places, but more importantly, how it can bring us back home, within. When we travel intentionally, paying attention to ourselves and our surroundings, connecting with people and places, we also journey deeper into ourselves. Travel shows us how else life could be. It takes us off autopilot, sometimes even out of our comfort zones. In doing so, it resets us, supports our wellbeing, and invites reflection: are these new experiences something we want more of in our lives?

Travel as a Counterbalance

While the world speeds ahead and constantly pushes our boundaries with its demands, travel becomes a counterbalance, a resetting force that allows us to slow down and return to something that calls us. A feeling. A place. A moment where we see ourselves glowing again. As travelers, we are free, at our purest. When nobody knows us, we can shed our masks. We no longer need to play roles. We can simply be.

And we do not need to travel far. Or for long. We only need to turn our ear inward and allow ourselves the moments we truly need.

Nature as the Way Back

For me, nature has always been that place of return. It has echoed my answers back to me, allowed me to be alone in safety, and reminded me of who I am. Solo moments in nature; walking trails, slow rituals, quiet reflection, inner conversations bring us back to our own path. The more often we return to nature with a question in our hearts, seeking clarity, the clearer the picture becomes. Our breath softens. Our direction sharpens.

I believe it can be that simple.
Our nature is calling us all.

Listening Instead of Performing

We do not need yoga or breathing techniques, although I know they are wonderful and do much good. We can simply begin by giving ourselves time. By walking. By listening. By allowing what moves us to guide our choices and, in time, our travels.

A Year of Transformation

Last year marked a profound turning point for me as I founded my own business as a transformative travel coach. It has been a year of change, of reconnecting with wonderful people, both familiar and new, and of building wellbeing-focused travel experiences in Finland and abroad.

Returning to Helsinki Matka Nordic Travel Fair

At Helsinki Travel Mart this year, I am speaking as the founder of The Journey Studio, sharing my story and my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method. I am also honored to represent my dear partner Aktiv-Resor, speaking about how travel can bring wellbeing into our lives through experiences such as our “Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa” retreat.

I will be available to meet from Friday 16 January to Sunday 18 January, and on Saturday 17 January from 13:00 to 14:30 you are warmly invited to join us at the Aktiv-Resor stand 7p128 for a connecting hour with my inspiring friend Saimi Hoyer.

Back Where I Belong

Travel and taking time for myself brought me back to where I belong: happy, present, and on a journey I now build consciously, day by day.

I look forward to meeting you at the fair, later this year, or wherever your path may take you. I would be honored to walk alongside your journey.

Happy travels,
Mirka

Read more about:

Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa retreat.

Plan your own journey.

Pohdi omaa matkaasi kanssani.