Offer Lithuanians the cheapest vacation plan – in Finland, everyone does it

Lithuanians experience stress from not being able to travel freely as usual. People are angry that they have not seen Turkey and Egypt this year, because it is not clear what will happen to the ski season. Burba is increasingly dissatisfied with being tired of living in the work-from-home mode and wanting to diversify his life in some way. TV gets bored, I don’t want to play with friends at the bar every day, I’m lazy to read books, what to do then, a lot of people complain.

After traveling to Finland, I found the answer, the way out for those who want a vacation and rest. What will help you recover morally will allow you to regain energy and will be very beautiful for the eyes as well.

Every year in late September and early October, the number of travelers to foreign countries decreases in Finland and everyone tries to stay in their own country. And this year, even no effort was needed: due to the spread of the COVID-19 infection, outgoing and almost nil. Airports are empty and quiet, but it is at this time that the great turmoil is taking place in Finland itself. Bruzda all over the country, from big cities to small towns. For Finns, this is a sacred period, which they call “Ruska”. It may be a strange word to the Lithuanian ear, many people will probably have associations with Russia, Finland’s great neighbor, but Ruska has nothing to do with this country.

The Finns themselves code the word “Ruska” differently. Some say that the so-called autumn color of the trees, all that variety. Others explain that it is much more than color, and the entire autumn period, when the trees change color, when they are painted in soft tones of nature and everything around them becomes magically beautiful.

When I asked Eevi, a waitress at the popular Kuukuu restaurant in Helsinki, to explain what Ruska was, she was surprised because she thought that people from all over the world knew about this Finnish phenomenon. “Ruska is the national pride of our country, it is a time when we all meet families and travel together to nature,” he explained. And he boasted that just a couple of days ago he returned from the forest, there he was with his parents and his brother’s family. “As the most important holidays of the year, the Finns look forward to the Ruska period, for many it is even more important than Christmas,” he tried to demonstrate the importance of this matter.

When planning an annual vacation, most Finns plan everything in advance to have a week off or at least a couple of days off in late September or early October. The most interesting thing is that the attraction of the autumn forest affects everyone, of any age, education, financial situation, etc. Executives at large companies and people barely making ends meet want to admire the faded sheets. Only everyone does the best they can. Some have enough forests and woods within a hundred kilometers from the house, while others choose the most beautiful forest in the country – they travel to Finnish Lapland. According to some Finns, it is in Lapland that the real “Rusk” can be seen. As it should be. As a result, this sparsely populated region has been crowded for a couple of weeks. They can be found everywhere, even in very deep forests. Just pitch a tent there and stay a few days until your food runs out or you need to get back to work and science.

What I liked the most was that under an unwritten Finnish rule, all people in the forest are and should be the same. While enjoying their own “Ruska”, they try not to dress in expensive clothes, not to jump with colors, so that, God forbid, they do not darken the trees.

“Visitors to the forest should look as simple as possible to blend in with nature. Usually we dress in special hiking clothes that are not blown away by the wind or rain, ”says Juhanis, a Lapland resident in Finland’s northernmost province. He recalls several cases in which two tourists, students from Japan, unknowingly adorned the forest in a luxurious and fashionable jumpsuit bearing the emblem of a famous brand. “They got into social networks and were reprimanded for it, because such behavior is unacceptable in our country,” Juhanis reiterates.

Finns are quiet people, they don’t need big shows and glitters to have fun, that’s why the “Ruska” period has neither beginning nor end of concerts, nobody organizes gala dinners and there really are no fairs. Of course, it could happen, but it would hardly receive due attention, it would probably be the other way around: a blanket condemnation that someone from “Ruska” dares to make money. Even hotels, motels and guesthouses in Lapland do not raise prices, although they are aware that they will receive a large influx of local tourists. “People are not stupid, they will not pay much for the night, because during the” Ruska “period no one stays in hotels for long, they only stay overnight and go to the forest; “Every day is the same program, from morning to night,” says Fredrika, manager of a small hotel in Rovaniemi.

Interestingly, even the weather conditions do not affect the Finns: it can rain a lot or even snow (sometimes in early October); those who want to admire Ruska will definitely do so. This year, nature was no joke, the weather was ideal, three weeks in which the Finns floated in the forest, the sun was shining and the temperature had not dropped below ten degrees during the day.

Berries and mushrooms are possible during this special period, but not all do. Some explain that gathering forest goods is distracting and he cannot sincerely focus or communicate with the forest. After all, “Ruska” is meant for people to not only take care of their autumn colors, but also cleanse themselves spiritually.

“There is a special energy in the forest, many Finns even talk to the trees or hug them to gain strength,” says Juhanis, who advised me about this important autumn period for Finland.

“Ruska” is also called the time of the unification of the nation in this country, because people make new friends in the forests, and even new love stories are born while walking there. Another great advantage is meeting families who usually do not find time to stay together. And here everyone walks long kilometers together, talks, spills accumulated pain, gets angry and calms down. When you return home from the forest, many things come much closer.

When I heard all these stories, I thought that in our country, Lithuania, there is also the “Ruska” period, because the trees also change color, because they are also extremely beautiful, only for some reason few people notice it. After making a living, they don’t see those beautiful colors and only a few people go out for a walk in the woods, and everyone can.

Best of all, it costs nothing. The budget for such a holiday, both for us and for the Finns, can be absolutely minimal. Just basic food, well, and a place to stay if you don’t have your own tent or it’s too cold for you.

The Finns, by the way, are changing places to stay. The owner of one farm accepts the owner of another farm or the villagers settle down with people who have houses in the forest and, in return, invite them to visit them themselves later. This is not just another way to save, but also an opportunity to make new friends.