Here your shoulders drop!

Fredrik found his way to Åland thanks to Spotify. While working there as a consultant, he had a colleague from Åland on his team, who showed him property listings from local agents and what kind of houses you could get for your money on the Åland housing market. His interest was sparked, and Fredrik visited Åland several times with his partner and his parents.

- Before, I didn't know much about Åland, so we went and had a look around and tried to get a feel for the community. My dad is an old sailor, so he also has several former colleagues here.

Remote work made easy

After their third visit, Fredrik and his partner took the plunge and bought a house in Mariehamn. That was two years ago. Since then, the couple has split their time between Stockholm and Åland, where they enjoy a more relaxed life and the opportunities that Åland has to offer.

- Åland is lovely, a bit like the Shire in "The Lord of the Rings" – a peaceful community where you still have access to everything you need, Fredrik describes. It's like taking a positive journey through time, but instead of going backwards, you land in a modern society.

Fredrik works just over half of his time from Åland. His partner is an economist and can technically work remotely, but doesn't have as flexible an employer, so she spends less time here.

- It would have been nice if my partner could have been here more, but her work and social circle are in Stockholm, so she needs to adapt to that to some extent. She's from Bangladesh and also has her international expat friends in Stockholm.

Security and potential 

For Fredrik and many others in IT, working remotely full- or part-time is common. He is therefore confident that Åland has great potential to attract more people in the industry.

- Sure, taking the ferry might feel a bit cumbersome, but it works better than expected. There's incredibly good internet here, and the ability to work remotely is a major advantage, especially for those in IT, he says.

Fredrik envisions a future where Åland could become even more attractive to international companies and start-ups, and thereby attract skilled workers. The fact that Åland is Swedish-speaking and offers a calm and orderly environment while also making it easy to find housing to buy or rent are also major advantages in his view. There is also a functioning childcare system and schools.

- Everyday life works here. Children don't need to be driven everywhere; they can cycle or walk to school on their own. It's safe and straightforward, and you don't have to queue to get a place at school or nursery.

Just over six months ago, Fredrik's brother and his family also chose to move to Åland. His brother is a doctor and now works at Åland's healthcare services.
- So I got to step in and help settle my niece and nephew in. I was very impressed.

Establishing yourself as an entrepreneur

For an entrepreneur like Fredrik, who works remotely and owns a company with employees in Sweden, many questions arise around taxes and which country they should be paid to. 

- I've spent a lot of time understanding the taxes. Most people don't need to do that, but as an entrepreneur it gets a bit more complicated. It has still been much smoother here than if I had, for example, moved to a country outside the Nordic region.

It helps that as an entrepreneur he was already well-versed in taxes and regulations, even though the systems differ between Sweden and Finland. He recommends Skatt.fi, which has good and comprehensive information in Swedish on the web, including an international tax manual available for download. He also received a great deal of help from the Swedish association Skattebetalarna.

- There was a bit of a wait before I received the title deed for the house, but otherwise everything has gone very smoothly. Åland is a place where it's easy to live and run a business. When we renovated the house, we hired tradespeople on recommendation and it worked out well – we've been happy with the results.

Life on Åland

In addition to working and renovating their house, Fredrik and his partner have driven around and explored a great deal of Åland by car. The island of Simskäla and the apple orchards in the archipelago municipality of Vårdö stand out. There are also many flea markets to discover across Åland. Sauna bathing and the public baths at Mariebad are also popular draws.

- It's easy to live on Åland, I've only had positive experiences – here you can truly unwind. Things also get done quickly. I was impressed by how fast it was to get fibre broadband installed – they came the very next day – and when our pipes got blocked, the sewage truck was here within an hour!