Style

A Stylish Travel Guide to Swedish Lapland

Welcome to Out of Office… Who What Wear UK’s chic travel guide that provides you with the most stylish take on any given destination by tapping creatives who know where to stay, what to eat and, more importantly, which items to pack. This month, editor Rebecca Rhys-Evans shares her tips for a memorable trip to Northern Sweden.

I know at this time of year, everyone is pretty relieved to get rid of the winter. Warmer weather, lighter layers, holidays! Garden parties! There’s so much to love about spring. But at the ripe age of 32, I’ve cracked the secret code to really loving the winter months, and it’s simple: winter getaways. By this, I don’t mean enjoy a few weeks of winter sun in February in Mexico or the Caribbean. I mean seek out destinations that embrace the cold and all this season has to offer. Think snowy landscapes, cosy cottages with a roaring fire, winter sports, ice activities and Nordic cuisines. There’s really nothing like it in order to change your perspective on the days that fall between January to March. In other words, don’t waste your time wishing for spring; enjoy these quieter, cooler months for what they are.

I had this brilliant realisation on a rather sensational trip to Sweden in January with Volvo. They invited me over there to test drive their latest vehicle, the EX90, a very sexy, electric-powered car that drives as impeccably as it looks, even in the snow, and even with me driving it. On this quick getaway my eyes were opened to so much more than driving an electric car (but more on that later), I got to experience a literal winter wonderland, in a place that I otherwise would never have been.

(Image credit: Rebecca Rhys-Evans)

This was my first time in Sweden, although I have Swedish heritage and have always wanted to go, I’d always figured my first jaunt would be to Stockholm or Gothenburg, the home of Acne Studios, IKEA, H&M—brands I can’t imagine my life, style and home without. I’d never really considered Northern Sweden—specifically Harads—which is in Swedish Lapland, on the very edge of the Arctic Circle, and home to the Northern Lights and a lot of reindeer.