Finland

Finland was a relatively quick stop on my journey. My friend Harry, a travel influencer from the UK, had just started a Europe trip with me, and we decided to take a day trip by ferry from Estonia to explore Finland's capital, Helsinki. The day nearly started with disaster: I overslept, missed my alarm, and we sprinted from the hotel to the ferry terminal, making it aboard with only a few minutes to spare.

Once we arrived, we were lucky enough to have a local friend waiting for us. Through my work on the board of NomadMania, the world's largest community for extreme travelers, I'd become friends with Anna-Katri, a Finnish traveler who had also visited every country in the world. She generously offered to show us around her hometown. We wandered through Helsinki's waterfront and market square while she introduced us to a few local delicacies, including reindeer and bear meat.

After parting ways with her, we had one more experience waiting for us: a sauna boat, exactly what it sounds like, a boat with a sauna built inside, arranged for free thanks to Harry's work as an influencer. It was the perfect way to experience a country famous for its sauna culture. We cruised through the Helsinki archipelago, alternating between the heat of the sauna and plunging into the cold water outside. It was a uniquely Finnish experience and one I’ll always associate with my time in the country.