Travel Agent Dunshaughlin

I think I might possibly be one of the few Irish people to have visited Lapland on 3 separate occasions! In my previous job, we arranged day-trips to Lapland so it was my responsibility to meet with the ground handlers (otherwise known as “elves”) to make sure that everything was perfect for our Irish visitors.
The flight from Dublin to Rovaniemi takes approximately 3 and a half hours but it is the most fun filled time I have ever spent on a plane. It was hard to know who was more excited about visiting this magical place – the children or the adults.

On arrival in Rovaniemi, we were brought to the resort centre and provided with our thermal suits to keep us warm. As a sun lover, I was amazed just how warm and cosy I felt in my lovely outfit. Then came the most important part of our trip – meeting Santa Claus himself. To keep the children busy while they waited, they could take part in the snowmobile rides and husky dog sleigh rides. I was blown away to see the reindeer roaming around - it certainly brought out the child in me! The (real) children and the adults waited patiently to meet the man himself and they were so excited to receive a very special present. We had soup and pancakes by the campfire and drank hot berry juice. The food was not exactly to my taste but it was very traditional and definitely warmed me up.

We were then brought to Santa’s Village where we could send postcards home and buy souvenirs and we each received a certificate to show that we had crossed the Arctic Circle.

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to the airport to make our way home to Dublin. The whole trip had gone by so quickly yet we were all so exhilarated by the events of the day. The flight home was a joy as the children told their version of events and showed each other their special gifts from Santa. I honestly think that any child who had doubts about Santa before coming to Lapland went home convinced of his existence.

It is a long day and it’s not an inexpensive trip, but if your children are the right age, I cannot recommend this trip highly enough. If the day-trip doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps the overnight stay or the 4 night Magical Experience would suit better. This certainly is a once in a lifetime experience.