Finland

Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world for seven consecutive years, and yet Finns will tell you - with a perfectly straight face - that happiness is a strong word and they would prefer you not make a fuss about it. This is a country of 5.5 million people, 3.2 million saunas, 188,000 lakes, and vast forests where you can walk for days without meeting another human. Privacy, silence, and personal space are not just appreciated here - they are practically constitutional rights.

The Finns are also quietly brilliant. Finland's education system consistently ranks among the best in the world, with short school days, no standardized testing until age 16, and teachers who are as respected as doctors. Nokia put Finland on the tech map. Linux was created by a Finnish student in Helsinki. The country has the highest per-capita consumption of coffee on Earth, a borderline religious devotion to saunas (there is one for every 1.7 people), and a relationship with nature that goes far deeper than most Europeans can comprehend. In winter, Lapland offers Northern Lights and reindeer sleigh rides. In summer, the midnight sun turns the lake district into an endless golden evening. And Santa Claus has his official home in Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle, where he receives half a million letters a year.