Travel and Accommodation during the Mid-term meeting 2026

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If you are located outside the capital region, the Fulbright Finland Foundation will reimburse your travel expenses from and to your host city in Finland and will book and cover a hotel room for you (March 26-27 at the Sokos Hotel Presidentti in Helsinki).

Travel for out-of-towners

If you travel to the event from outside the capital region (cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen), please read the following:

  • Arrival: Plan to arrive in Helsinki on Thursday, March 26 by 11:30 (the program starts with an optional lunch).
  • Travel arrangements should be made by the least expensive means available (train or bus). Please save your travel tickets and receipts, since those will be needed for reimbursement. More info on reimbursements below.
    • If you are planning to travel to Helsinki by plane, please contact the Foundation in advance to discuss the ticket fares before booking your flights.
  • Your travel costs are reimbursed only if you attend the entire mid-term meeting program ending on Friday afternoon.
  • Departure: please leave enough time between the end of the program and the departure of your bus/train, especially if you need to stop by the hotel to pick up any luggage. We would suggest that you will buy tickets for a connection departing at 16:00 at the earliest.

Please note the following regarding travel tickets:

  • Purchase your tickets only from official sites (such as VR for trains, Onnibus or Matkahuolto for buses). Do not use third party services, because they will charge you more and also add a service fee. The Foundation does not cover the additional service fees if you purchase your ticket from a third-party website.
  • Local taxi/bus/tram/metro rides within your departure city or the city of the event are not reimbursed.
  • Students, please use your student ID cards for your travel discounts.
  • the Foundation does not reimburse grantees' family members travel expenses.
  • the Foundation does not reimburse any costs which may occur from changing your tickets, purchasing cancellation insurance, or buying extra services e.g. the seat next to you or a cabin.
  • It is important you purchase your tickets early. If you travel by train, please note that tickets become more expensive depending on how in demand the particular trip is, and how close to the journey you purchase your ticket. We will be able to reimburse a maximum of total 150 € for your travel to and from Helsinki. 
After the mid-term meeting, keep the receipts and tickets for personal record-keeping and send us the digital copies together with your account number using this SurveyMonkey latest by April 5.

Travel reimbursements for grantees with a Finnish bank account

Grantees with Finnish bank account will be reimbursed after the event.

Travel reimbursements for grantees without a Finnish bank account

The reimbursements for all Fulbright Finland Foundation events will be paid to your U.S. account at the same time in one lump sum after your grant term (payments are made in December and in June).

The reimbursement amounts in euros will be converted to U.S. dollars based on the bank’s exchange rate on the date of payment. While the Foundation will cover its own bank’s fees for the international transfer, your own bank’s fees will be covered by you (these fees will vary between banks). However, an extra USD 30 will be added to the total to help to mitigate the international transfer fees.

Please note that regardless of the date of the final payment you are required to send your travel tickets and receipts by the deadline after each event. This is because Fulbright Finland Foundation needs the receipts in order to close the accounting for each of the events.

Accommodation (Sokos Hotel Presidentti)

The Fulbright Finland Foundation will arrange and cover accommodation during the Mid-term Meeting for one night on March 26-27 (check-out on Friday, March 27) for those grantees spending their grant period outside the capital city region i.e. grantees who do not have an apartment in the capital city region. 

  • Remember to bring your passport for checking in at the hotel.
  • If you have family members accompanying you, please note that only one room per family will be covered (up to 4 people in one room). If additional rooms are needed, they will be at your own expense.
  • You will be accommodated at Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti (Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 4). The hotel is located in the Kamppi part of Helsinki, close to the central railway station and opposite of the Fulbright Finland Foundation office. 

If you would like to reserve additional rooms or extend your stay, you can do so on the hotel website. 

After booking your room, you can also message the hotel at [email protected] that you are part of the group reservation on March 26-27, and enquire if you could be accommodated in the same room (if you have booked the same room type as during the group reservation). 

Please note that the sales department won't inform the rooming list to the reception until a day or two before the group reservation will take place, so it's safer to be in touch with the hotel closer to the event dates. 

Please note that booking extra nights is your own responsibility and at your own cost. The Foundation team will not make additional reservations.

Questions?