Welcome to travel the world with Meriharakat (Finnish word for oystercatchers)! We are a senior couple who love to travel with a special interest in collecting countries. The number of countries for both of us is already over 150 – and stories from all of them can be read in out blog (but mostly in Finnish only).
We explore the whole world, preferably visiting new countries, but for shorter trips Europe is our favourite. Finland is our scenery in the summer: it is green and beautiful – and not too hot!
In Finland we also visit interesting art exhibitions and enjoy an occasional play in the local theatres, sharing the experiences with our readers.
We are the only Finnish travel blog specializing in collecting countries. We offer basic information related to the subject for Finnish readers and, of course, keep them updated on our own achievements!
On yearly basis we summarize our travels for the past year and keep updating our readers on our travel plans every now and then.
Numbers
- Unique readers in 2023 163 551 (2022 149 945), page loads in 2023 208 313. 2024 / Q1 33 506 unique readers.
- Female readers: 65 %
- Biggest age groups: 65+ and 55-64, but we also reach middle aged people, especially in age group 35-54.
- Meriharakka on Facebook 31.3.2024: 3 076, end of 2023: 3 054
- Meriharakka on Instagram (IG: meriharakka) 31.3.2024: 10 089, end of 2023: 10 067
- Monthly newsletter: about 900 subscribers
Considering that the blog has been published regularly since 2004 the growth rate in 2023, 9%, can be considered good.
Most recent collaborations
- Visit Kotka-Hamina to visit Strömfors
- Elämys Cruises for RCCL cruise from Miami
- NH Collection Copenhagen -hotel
- Asturia, Spain, with Spain.info and Turismo Asturias
- Stubbo Bärsskär Nolla
- Trip to Sri Lanka in co-operation with Aktiv-Resor
- Scandic Hamburger Börs in Turku
- With Tallink Silja several trips during 2021 to Åland Islands and to Tallinn and Tartu
- The Barö hotel
- Järvisydän hotel
- Helkama: Should I buy an e-bike?
All collaboration related blog posts, also older ones, can be found by selecting category Yhteistyössä.
Our most popular posts
See the following article for most popular articles in 2023 (in Finnish, but you’ll get the idea):
The World Map, which helps readers to find our stories by countries is also one of our most popular pages, as is our at least quarterly listing of our travel plans. Also costs of our trips is a topic which people are always curious about!
Together and competing
We participate in Rantapallo Travel Companions.
In 2017 we were selected as one of the Top 10 Travel Blogs in Finland by Cision after being listed as one of the challengers already in 2015. Since 2017 the Top 10 Travel Blogs have not been selected by Cision.
Nowadays we are listed – and typically among the Top 10 (at least) in Finland in Blogit.fi.
In Media
We are slightly famous in Finland regarding our interest in travelling, especially when we visit less common countries like Saudi-Arabia during 2017. We have given interviews to Helsingin Sanomat (the biggest newspaper in Finland) several times and have appeared in a number of different magazines, both as the object of the story or telling the story ourselves as writer/photographer.
During 2018 we were presented in Iltasanomat when we reached our goal to visit all the European capitals.
During 2019, Iltasanomat wrote two stories about our travels: Us completing all of the 7 new wonders of the world and a summary of our most expensive and cheap travels. We also appeared once again in the Finnish television.
Even during pandemia time we have given a few interviews like our tips regarding domestic travel and our Favorite destinations in 2020 and telling the readers of Apu Terveys -lehti of experiences related to pulmonary embolism. Pirkko was also interviewed for Yle Vega radio channel (in Swedish). In 2022 we have been one of the interviewees in two press articles.
The latest article describes Pirkko as a country collector with more than 150 countries:
Would you like us to tell your story?
We are always open for new ideas of collaboration – if you work within travel industry or are otherwise interested in our travels or us as story tellers, please be in touch!
- pirkko.schildt(at)iki.fi
- lasse.schildt(at)iki.fi
A couple of stories in English
Even if the majority of our blog is in Finnish, we have written a couple of stories also in English, being:
Our story about Örö island is written both in Finnish and Swedish as Swedish is used a lot in that area of Finland.
So occasionally we can write a story also in other languages than Finnish, if needed.