Binge a Country, Not TV: Finland's Railway combats streaming fatigue

This summer, VR, Finland’s national railway operator is launching Binge Finland, a campaign that invites people to replace streaming marathons with real-world experiences. The campaign is also open to participants outside Finland.

Geared towards hard-core binge watchers, the campaign offers a 30-day unlimited travel pass for the price of a streaming service: 9.90 € – a whopping discount from its normal price of 369€. Participants can access campaign tickets through the campaign website by answering questions about their binging habits.

<pGlobally, internet users spend an average of around 6 hours and 40 minutes online each day (DataReportal’s Digital 2024 Global Overview Report). Around 80 percent of Finns have at least one streaming subscription. At the same time, global interest in digital detoxing, slow travel, and experience-driven leisure is on the rise.

"Binging TV can’t compete with real-life experiences," says Dr. Mikael Saarinen, a noted Finnish psychotherapist and author. "It’s important to disconnect from constant digital stimulation from time to time and allow both the mind and body to recover. Nature, changing environments and social interaction all support wellbeing."

Summer holidays, Saarinen notes, are an ideal moment to step away from devices and reset habits.

Unlimited trains for the price of a streaming service

At the core of the Binge Finland campaign is a 30-day unlimited rail pass allowing travel across the entire country – from coastal cities on the Baltic Sea to lake regions and the remote northern landscapes of Lapland.

"We wanted to frame travel as something as accessible and habitual as streaming," says Marika Schugk, Director, CX and Service Development for Long-distance Traffic at VR. "Instead of asking what to watch next, the question becomes: where do you want to go?"

Participation takes place on the campaign site. Discount codes for campaign prices become available on 29 May at 10 AM EET and are distributed on a first come, first served basis. Participation is not limited to Finland, but to participate, aspiring bingers need to have a valid VR user ID and VR Matkalla app. User IDs are available via registration on VR´s website.

The journey becomes the content

In line with the slow travel trend, the campaign frames the journey as part of the experience. Long stretches of scenery replace notifications, and movement replaces passive consumption.

"Looking out of a train window acts as a different kind of screen time that actually helps people unwind,” Schugk says. “There’s no stress from driving, and people often arrive more rested – sometimes having had on-board encounters they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise."

Beyond individual wellbeing, interest in Finland as a travel destination has been on the rise. Finland’s extensive rail network connects more than 200 destinations and offers one of the lowest‑emission ways to travel long distances.

As people around the world reconsider how they spend their free time, Finland is offering a different kind of binge – one measured not in episodes, but in distance, daylight and changing landscapes.

Sometimes, the most compelling content isn’t on a screen at all.

Travel tips for mind and body well-being: a train journey exercise

1. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and say quietly to yourself: "I will stop. I am only here and now."
2. Calm your mind by taking a short breath in through your nose and twice as long out through your mouth.
3. If your mind wanders to your own thoughts or external stimuli, bring your attention back to your breathing.
4. When you are in a present state, open your eyes and enjoy the natural landscape visible from the train window without thinking.
5. You can return to this experience of calming down and following nature even after your journey.

(Via Psychologist Mikael Saarinen.) 

VR Group

At VR, our work is meaningful: it affects the daily lives of thousands of people and promotes low-emission mobility and logistics. We ensure smooth everyday journeys in Finland and Sweden and support industrial logistics domestically. In 2025, 16.1 million long-distance journeys were made with us in Finland, we transported 24.8 million tonnes of goods by rail and our net sales amounted to EUR 1,253 million. More than 9,500 top professionals worked together on a journey towards a better world.

INFO: VR Group