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Do you accept Debit/Credit cards?
Yes we accept Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club and American Express credit cards. We also accept Delta, Solo and Maestro debit cards.
Is it like visiting an amusement park?
Most certainly not!! If you are seeking commercialisation and lots of artificial electrical lighting, these are not the tours for you. We try to keep everything natural. Lighting, for example, is by fire and candle, and activity programmes, where possible, are not at touristic centres, and we try to provide a total lack of commercialisation providing the opportunity for fantasy to merge with reality.
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Will we find Santa Claus?
We all know that the real Santa Claus is compassionate, loves children and is full of kindness. By tradition he always has presents for all children (aged 2-11 years inclusive) visiting him here in his Lapland Home. Yes therefore for sure, we know we will find him, but when and where, that is the question.
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Do they speak English?
Surprisingly the answer is yes!! For overnight tours most staff on the Luosto complex speak good English. Similarly our day tour personnel are equally conversant in English.
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Will it be cold?
Naturally you are visiting an environment where temperatures regularly fall to -15 degrees C and have been known to reach as low a
-45 degrees C. However, on all our tours Canterbury Travel provide warm all-in-one suits and boots on loan. Whilst variations in Arctic weather conditions make it totally impossible to provide a guideline to temperatures on any given day, as a general guideline we would say that it tends to be warmer towards the end of November and beginning of December than later in December. Therefore you may wish to take this into account when considering your date of travel. This is purely based on personal experience of the area being visited and should not be taken as an implied guarantee to temperatures that will be encountered.
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Will there be snow?
A strange question to ask perhaps, but in the year 2003 one location in Lapland, namely Rovaniemi City, and its immediate environs, initially suffered from lack of snow. Following this occurrence Canterbury Travel transferred passengers on our day tours to a northern location where there was plenty of snow. As a result we have decided not to feature day tours to this immediate area. We still operate 2 one-day tours via Rovaniemi Airport (namely Christmas Past Christmas Present and the North Pole Post Office) to locations where snow levels were not a problem.
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Will it be dark during our stay?
An average Lapland day will provide 4-5 hours of what is termed 'graylight' (generally between 10.00 and 14.30hrs daily Finnish time, although this will vary up to one hour based on location). When the sky is clear this can be clear blue sky with the most amazing colours. Outside of these times it will be as night-time, with the exception that as the area is covered in snow, there is a good level of reflection making it possible to see where you are walking. Venues in Lapland are accordingly lit naturally using roaring fires and Lappish outdoor candles, which also provide an attractive setting for the events taking place. Indeed, if you are particularly lucky,
you may see the Northern Lights (Aura Borealis) which appear like a storm in the sky with white, red or green lights dancing through the atmosphere.
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How safe is it?
Perfectly, provided you follow the instructions of our Arctic guides. You will appreciate that you are visiting an area where Arctic conditions prevail. Provided you are sensible and accept guidance when given, no problems will arise. We do stress that parents and guardians are responsible for the supervision of their own children and those within their own party for the duration of the tour. In the interest of safety your guides may alter the scheduled tour content at any time.
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Is the trip suitable for disabled or severely ill children?
We know for many ill and disabled children that a visit to the real Santa is a dream often beyond reality. Since commencement of this tour programme many years ago we have carried numerous children suffering from cancer, blindness, paraplegia, cystic fibrosis and most other disabilities. Our only promise to you is that we care enough to try and ensure that their every expectancy and dream is fulfilled. Please note that in respect of disabled parties we do not provide special assistants, specially adapted vehicles, sleighs, disabled harnesses etc. within the normal tour cost. If additional services are required these should be requested and a quotation obtained. Within the normal tour cost our local staff will be pleased to help and assist, but they are not trained either in the technical style of paraplegic lifting or specific disabled assistance.
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Are the tours suitable for adults on their own?
Of course is the simple answer. Adults very much enjoy snowmobiles, reindeer and huskies and the romance of the location.
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What is the food like?
It's not much different from home really. For participants on tours involving overnight accommodation, a Finnish buffet breakfast is provided, lunch by the very nature of being supplied outside on location is warming but simple in nature, and dinners are of course more substantial catering to English taste. All dinners are buffet style, with special children's choices like hamburgers, chips etc., if children choose not to eat from the adult menu. For our day tours please refer to the particular brochure page where a sample menu will be specified. For our day tours food is served on a continuous basis throughout the stay at your activity venue. As non-commercialised venues are used to our day tours, and food service is continuous throughout the day, it is not planned or anticipated that the entire flight will eat at one sitting. Indeed the size of the Kotas cabins etc. at each venue would simply not permit this.
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What are the passport & health requirements?
For British/Irish citizens a full 10-year passport is required for entry into Finland (5-year passport for children, when not included in accompanying parent's passport). Other passport holders should seek advice from the nearest Finnish Embassy. Passports should be valid for at least 6 months following the return date from Finland. There are no vaccination requirements imposed by the authorities, but nevertheless when travelling overseas it is prudent to advise your doctor of your destination and secure the latest professional advice as to any precautions that may be necessary.
Please refer to these websites for more information if required:
Foreign Office - advice on travelling abroad
Department of Health - information on health requirements and vaccinations (currently no requirements for Lapland).
Passport Agency - information on UK passports.
or email info@passports.gov.uk
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What is the local currency?
The Euro is the currency used in Finnish Lapland. We suggest that you order it from your bank, building society etc., as there are no banking facilities at Kittila or Enontekio airports, and only limited facilities at Rovaniemi.
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And finally...
Are you seeking for yourself and/or your children a holiday to remember? Should the setting be really magical? Is the visit to Santa really important?
Read carefully the contents and standards of each tour and we know you will choose Canterbury Travel's In Search of Father Christmas. Need more convincing? Ring us!! Let us explain from our hearts the special qualities of our tours and why Canterbury Travel can be the only choice!
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For reservations or information call 01923 822388
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