Arctic Guide

Rovaniemi, Finland — Winter Season

For five months in Rovaniemi, I worked as a guide with Wild About Lapland running Northern Lights tours along with snowmobile safaris, ski trekking, and snowshoe trips.

Every day was spent outside. I was driving, navigating through forests and frozen lakes, or moving slowly through deep snow with a group. Conditions changed constantly, so plans did not mean much because you had to adjust as you went.

A lot of the job was paying attention to the weather, the light, the people, and the timing. These are small things that add up. At the same time, you are responsible for the group by keeping them safe, keeping things moving, and making sure the experience still feels worth it even when nothing goes to plan.

The work was repetitive and sometimes long with cold nights, back to back tours, and a lot of waiting. Over time you get sharper. You start to read conditions better, make quicker decisions, and stay steady when things do not line up.

Nothing about it was guaranteed. That was part of it.