Finland offers free trip to celebrate happiness title

Finland named World’s Happiest Country for ninth year running

Finland has been named the world’s happiest country in the World Happiness Report 2026 for the ninth consecutive year. 

The report highlights the negative impact of social media and constant connectivity on wellbeing, while Finland’s approach emphasises disconnecting from screens, slowing down, and spending time in nature.

Happiness in Finland is rooted in simple pleasures such as swimming in lakes, enjoying saunas, walking in forests, and gathering with friends.

To celebrate, Visit Finland has launched the “Chill Like a Finn” challenge, offering participants the chance to win a seven-day summer stay in Finnish Lakeland, promoting its nature-focused lifestyle as an antidote to digital overload.

The 7-day Chill Like a Finn challenge

For Finns, happiness is often built from simple routines that leave space to rest, reset and reconnect with nature. 

The Chill Like a Finn challenge invites international participants to experience this way of life for themselves during a seven-day summer stay in Finland’s Lakeland, a region known for its thousands of lakes, vast forests and peaceful cottage life.

Rather than a packed itinerary, the experience focuses on mastering the essentials of Finnish relaxation:

● Lakeside cottage living

● Traditional sauna and refreshing lake swims

● Time spent in forests and nature

● Seasonal food and good company

● And, perhaps most importantly, putting the phone away for a while

“In Finland, we don’t really chase happiness – we tend to find it in small, ordinary moments,” says Heli Jimenez, Senior Director, International Marketing at Visit Finland, “When life feels overwhelming, sometimes the best way to feel better is simply to slow down, step outside and chill a little - like a Finn.”

Apply to take the challenge

Applications for the Chill Like a Finn challenge are now open. People around the world are invited to apply and explain why they could benefit from a proper summer reset.

Selected participants will travel to Finland this summer with a plus one to spend seven days learning how to truly chill like a Finn in the Finnish Lakeland, experiencing everyday rituals often linked to Finnish wellbeing, from sauna culture to long, quiet days by the water. 

The application period runs until 29 March 2026, after which the chosen participants will be announced. -TradeArabia News Service