How My Lapland Road Trip Turned into a Stormy Rescue Mission

DUNTON, UK – When Matt Rice embarked on a charity road trip in his Ford Transit to deliver children’s letters to Santa’s hometown in Lapland, he didn’t envisage coming to the rescue of two families in the middle of a freak weather event.

But that’s exactly what happened as the Dunton-based engineer selflessly abandoned plans to drive to the most northern point in Europe – instead spending 48 hours securing accommodation for two families trapped in the storm and ferrying them to safety.

“After we arrived in Santa’s hometown, Rovaniemi, the region was hit by a freak storm that locals call a once-in-30-years event,” Matt told @Ford. “The airport was forced to close because the conditions were so bad. It meant there were families with young children trapped there so I thought I had to do something to help.”

Matt contacted his Airbnb host in Rovaniemi and asked whether there was any accommodation available – there was. So, he drove to the airport and took two families to vacant properties in the city where they stayed overnight until the airport reopened the following day.

“It was the right thing to do,” adds Matt. “They couldn’t stay in the airport. I was more than happy to drive to the properties and take them back to the airport the following day. I’m pretty sure the host didn’t charge them either, so it all worked out well in the end.”

Matt’s rescue mission was just one highlight of an amazing 4,200-mile three-week road trip from the UK to Lapland and back in his uniquely adapted Ford Transit with his wife and three young children.

An insurance write-off, Matt purchased the van at auction and then converted it into a bespoke camper capable of accommodating him and his family in the most extreme conditions.

Setting off from the UK on December 14, Matt drove through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before catching a ferry to Denmark. From there he headed North along the East coast of Sweden before crossing the border into Finland.

“The night before we left was a bit fraught. I thought about taking a lot of tools in case of mechanical issues, but then I decided not to because I wanted to keep the weight down. In the end the only tools I took were a blow torch and a Swiss army knife.”

So how did his Transit perform, and what was is like sleeping in the van in extreme cold?

“I have to say the van ran absolutely perfectly. I did have to warm the door locks with the blow torch a couple of times because it was so cold but that was it. No mechanical issues whatsoever. It was so comfortable to drive as well. I didn’t have any aches or pains. You can’t beat a Transit.

“Because it’s a front-wheel-drive with quite a lot of weight in the back, I did fit all-terrain tyres to give more grip and they worked surprisingly well. When we were driving through Sweden in the snow a car slid off the road in front of us, but the Transit was very sure footed.

“As for the cold, the van was heated and insulated but I didn’t insulate the floor and that did get very cold. You could really feel it through your feet so that’s something I need to sort out.”

Coming home, Matt and family drive to Oslo to catch a ferry to Copenhagen. When he parked up in the port, he found himself surrounded by Ford Pro vehicles and an F-150 Lightning.

“It was quite a surprise to see so many Fords. Then my wife pointed out a plaque on a wall commemorating a docker who had worked at the port to earn money to buy himself a Ford. That was quite emotional. I'm proud to work on Transit but that moment really is one that reinforced that sentiment. The whole journey home felt almost surreal.”

Through his Arctic adventure, Matt managed to raise around £20,000 for his local mental health charity, Mind, in Havering, Barking and Dagenham. And now he’s planning another monster road trip for later in the year.

“Our plan was to drive from Rovaniemi all the way to Nordkapp in Norway to achieve the status of the northernmost Transit in mainland Europe.

That didn’t happen because of the storm, so I’ve got a bit of unfinished business there.

“What I want to do is drive an E-Transit custom from Nordkapp all the way to the southernmost point of Europe in Spain in under 72 hours. I’ve worked it out. It should be possible with a couple of drivers sharing the driving.”

Watch this space…