My idea of a vacation… Finland declares phone-free zone on Ulko-Tammio Island

brilliantviewpoint

I just read a great article on a vacation with no phones. Well, that’s the idea. Finland has declared that this summer they want tourists to enjoy the island of Ulko-Tammio, a national park, know as the “happiest country in the world” without using their phones. YES, without using their phones.

This was music to my ears. I’m tired of phones and constant picture taking. I just want to RELAX. The idea of going to a National Park and enjoying nature as we did “before” cell phones sounds marvelous. I talked with other friends, they feel the same. The constant pictures/selfies takes away from enjoying “the moment.”

I went to Google to see “where” Ulko-Tammio is as I have not traveled to this area. As you see, it’s very far North. My daughter was in Norway last December. She said it took a couple of flights to get there. Not always easy to make the connections, less flights, etc. However, once in Norway, so beautiful.

So, let’s see what happens. I do feel that the right people who want to enjoy nature will gladly put their phones aside. Laughing, wouldn’t this be funny. You are walking in the forest, you decide you just “have to have” the photo of a bird and you hear on a microphone, “Miss, this is a phone-free zone, please put cell phone away. PLEASE put cell phone away! Have a great day!”

Ah, but without my cell phone, how would I take a photo to PROVE I was there?? Wait, I could photoshop the perfect photo, you’d NEVER know! Then I could use AI to write my post. You see where I’m going here?

Finally, a happy and interesting story in the news!

New adventures await…cell phone free!

38 thoughts on “My idea of a vacation… Finland declares phone-free zone on Ulko-Tammio Island”

    1. Maybe more countries will do this. They will watch to see if it works. Like Thanksgiving where suddenly many started following REI closing on Thanksgiving Day like the old days. Let workers celebrate with their families, we don’t need another shopping day.

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      2. Thank you, I would often fly Lufthansa from Chicago to Florence, connect through Europe. You are right, they are reliable. You know, when I was in grade school I had pen pals from Helsinki and Istanbul. I wrote to each of these girls for a few years and then by High School, busy with life, we stopped writing. Back then no cell phones, Facebook, etc. If we had that, we would have all stayed in touch. I did visit the girl in Istanbul, and she came to visit me in America too. When I was at my parents, I tried to see if I had any old letters for both of them, but my mother doing “clean up” with children gone had thrown old letters away… sigh. Thank you for sharing the air lines with me. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    2. It is a fascinating experiment! A few years back my husband and I went on a camping trip in National parks in western US and Canada and so many remote spots didn’t have service that we had a lot of mini-experiments. Wonderful trip!

      I must ask: what took your daughter to Norway in December? I know Norway is a spectacularly beautiful country, but it seems rather adventurous to go there in December?

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      1. Oh, boyfriend was studying there and not coming home for Xmas. :). I think in one of my posts I have a picture of the Northern Lights she took. It is amazing, really. She said they don’t have many hours of day light, that’s hard.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ah, I’ll have to look for it, after all I only just discovered your blog… but I’m really glad I have!

        I’m much more familiar with very long days and being able to read outdoors after 9pm than with short days. It must have been some experience your daughter had!

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      4. I was thinking of our trip to Jasper, though it was only a trip. But we’ve had the opportunity to visit quite a few places that aren’t as far north that boast long days. And yet, we prefer milder weather to scorching summers. How about you?

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I looked up Ulko-Tammio on Google Maps,and sure enough, we passed right by this island on the way from Tallinn (Estonia) to St. Petersburg (Russia) several years ago. It was on a ten-day Oceania cruise around the Baltic Sea, starting in Copenhagen and ending in Stockholm, with stops in six countries along the way. From Germany to Estonia we were “at sea” all day so we took a cooking class. Sounds like your kind of trip, and maybe you could double-back to Ulko-Tammio afterwards!

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      1. Oceania was recommended by a work colleague and the entire experience exceeded our expectations. Our ship was the Marina. The itinerary suited us because we’d never seen any of the Baltic Sea countries. There were plenty of shore options to choose from at each stop. The meals were excellent, especially in the reservations-only restaurants. And the afternoon tea after excursions was an unexpected and classy way to unwind and compare notes with other guests. We’ll cruise with Oceania again, but another Viking riverboat cruise may happen first.

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      5. We like the Viking river cruises because they are much smaller boats, and the food and accommodations are still top-notch. Also, the rivers allow access to areas the larger ships cannot get to. Viking cruises are all about the excellent on-shore excursions; virtually no activities on the boat itself. A very different experience from the bigger cruise lines.

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  7. “Miss, this is a phone-free zone, please put cell phone away. PLEASE put cell phone away! Have a great day! – Hahahaha. I was in SW France during Easter and my new cell has the pin locked, I had to manage without internet for three days in a place I haven’t been (I still had wifi in the hotel, just not outside and most French restaurants don’t have wifi), it was frightening at first, then it turned out to be a better experience, while I put the phone away and focus on my surroundings.

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    1. Absolutely!! When I have gone to Italy that has happened. There are certain places in the country, there is no cell phone reception. LIKE YOU, at first I panicked, we are just used to our phones… THEN as I enjoyed myself without the phone, I would have been happy to not have it for a few days. We really do enjoy the moment when we are not constantly trying to take a photo, text a photo, do Google Maps (really helpful), but tiring. So, let’s see, maybe other places will start doing this. We are headed this way. People need to free their minds. Many kids/adults with depression. WELCOME BACK, I haven’t seen you on here for a while.

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      1. Thanks. Resumed working. Got busy first several months between job and travel. Phew. So happy to be back in touch. It will take a while for me to catch up on all your posts but catch up I will 🙂

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