Ep. 01 | The Long Journey to Rovaniemi (and the Blueberry Juice That Saved It)

Generally, a long-haul flight is defined around the seven-hour mark. One of the busiest transatlantic corridors, New York to London, takes roughly seven hours depending on the wind—so anything beyond that comfortably earns the “long-haul” label. Since New York to London is one of the shortest routes between the US and Europe, nearly every flight heading across the Atlantic qualifies. In that sense, a ten-hour flight from Dallas, Texas, straight to Helsinki, Finland, is undeniably a long journey.

To me, though, “long-haul” carries a slightly different weight. As a Korean living in the United States, I fly back and forth between the US and Korea quite frequently. The flight from Dallas to Seoul Incheon usually takes around 15 hours—sometimes stretching close to 16 on the westbound leg. Flying west always takes a bit longer, of course, but when you’re used to spending 15 hours in the air, calling a seven-hour flight “long-haul” feels a little generous. That’s why this ten-hour flight to Helsinki didn’t feel daunting at all. Have a meal, get some sleep, and you’re practically there. Still, the entire journey to Rovaniemi was going to take 19 hours, and I couldn’t help feeling a small twinge of nervous anticipation.

This was my first time flying Finnair, and the airline won me over almost immediately. It wasn’t because the service was lavishly luxurious or the meals were extraordinary. The reason was disarmingly simple, almost silly: their signature complimentary blueberry juice served on board.

Unlike the thick, heavy berry smoothies I was used to, this was crisp, clear, and remarkably refreshing, with just a faint, cool botanical note. It was so delicious that every other blueberry juice I had ever tasted suddenly paled in comparison. I later learned that Finnair had started selling cartons of it in Finnish grocery stores during the pandemic; from that moment on, I spent half my time in Finland scanning supermarket aisles for that exact box. I joked—only half-jokingly—that on my way home, I wanted to check an entire suitcase packed to the brim with blueberry juice.

When traveling, falling in love with a country, a city, a boutique, or an airline often hinges on the most trivial details. It might be the crispness of the evening air stepping off the train, a fleeting glimpse of a beautiful skyline, or a kind word from a café barista. On this trip, it just happened to be a carton of blueberry juice.

That initial charm set the tone for everything that followed on the way to Rovaniemi. Catching the faintest, ghostly whisper of the northern lights through the cabin window at cruising altitude; the cabin mood lighting gently shifting into soft aurora colors upon landing; immigration officers who were genuinely welcoming (a stark, pleasant contrast to US border control); the charming Moomin shop at Helsinki Airport; the serene Nordic minimalism of the Finnair lounge; and the domestic connection to Rovaniemi, where they served that very same blueberry juice twice during a one-hour flight. That 19-hour transit went by with surprising ease. A small paper cup of blueberry juice had turned a grueling travel day into something genuinely pleasant.

I think everyday life works much the same way. Waking up feeling truly well-rested can make you walk on air all day long. A spontaneous cup of coffee handed to you by a coworker on a busy morning can suddenly make the world feel brighter. We all need that one tiny, quiet reason to carry us through the day with a smile.

Finding that reason every single day, of course, isn’t always easy. Some days it appears effortlessly; other days you search for it and come up empty, ending up even more exhausted by the effort.

Maybe that is why I need to plan a trip back to Finland soon—just to pack a full checked bag of Finnair blueberry juice. And do you know the best part? It is shelf-stable, with an impressively long expiration date.