He stayed in Luleå for the lifestyle
Belgian Quinten Elpers was consumed by the northern lights the first time he saw them in a photo. After one trip to northern Sweden, he wanted to go back. He now he lives in a small community outside Luleå and has no plans to move.
– The northern lights drew me here and are one of the reasons why I stayed. They’re a big part of my life. Moving here is the best thing I've done, no doubt about that, my standard of living is much better here in all respects, he says.
32-year-old Quinten Elpers lives with his girlfriend Els Verhaest and their dog Pippin on a large farm in northern Prästholm, near Luleå. They live in a nice, spacious two-storey house, and there are a number of other buildings on the farm, including a sauna and a bakehouse. They are also close to the river and the forest.
At the age of 25, Quinten moved to Sweden – just one week after receiving a job offer as a waiter.
– Until then, I’d lived in the place where I was born and grew up. My parents were probably a bit shocked.
But let’s just rewind a little. Quinten Elpers grew up in a community near Brussels. Not very big, and not much countryside apart from fields and small clumps of forest. He was a member of the scouts for 17 years and learned how to light a fire and make use of what nature has to offer.
A year before the rapid move to northern Sweden, Quinten had been talking to his sister, who’d been living in Stockholm for many years, about the northern lights. Quinten was immediately captivated by this celestial phenomenon and wanted to see it in real life.
– Northern Sweden seemed to be a good starting point. After the trip, I decided to go back there for a winter season or two. And then go back to my normal life in Belgium, he says.
But life was to follow a different path. In Belgium, Quinten worked as a chef, event photographer and nature photographer, and once he’d seen the job ad, things moved quickly. After a short interview, the job as a waiter was his, and 1.5 weeks later he was heading back to northern Sweden.
Now he’s living the life he always dreamed of. A life close to nature and with real winters.
– I love nature, snowmobiling, dog sledding and everything that life up here involves. It’s funny how it all turned out. There was never a plan, it just happened along the way. I’m so happy about the opportunities that have come along, and I’ve learned a lot and developed.
During the summer, Quinten is a chef at the Brändön Lodge facility. During the winter months, he works in tourism in a business he runs together with Els, who was already a designer of luxury trips for tourists. Northern Scandinavia has high-class spas and hotels – but there was a lack of transport of the same high quality between the destinations. That’s when the concept of River Valley Travels was born. Quinten and Els started the company in August 2022, and it’s a full-time job from mid-December to mid-April.
– I pick up guests and drive them everywhere, but mostly in northern Sweden. It's more than just providing transport from A to B, it’s all part of the travel experience. We’ll often stop somewhere along the way and I’ll cook for them outdoors or in a traditional Sami teepee. I also have Northern Lights activities, where I explain about the Northern Lights and help tourists take photos.
One important difference between living in Belgium and in northern Sweden for Quinten is the quality of life. Even if the work is fast-paced, there’s time for recovery in a different way at the end of the day.
– There are no traffic jams, the worst thing that can happen is you meet a reindeer on the road. It’s much less stressful up here. After work, I can go for a walk in the countryside or take a snowmobile ride with friends. There’s plenty of space and healthy air. Little things you don’t think about, until you get here and feel the difference. I can sense the difference in the air quality when I’m back in Belgium, he says.
Quinten’s family recently paid a visit to the house in Prästholm.
– My mother said, ‘I understand why you want to live here, and how much you’ve developed as a person.’ My health has improved a lot from living close to nature and spending a lot of time outdoors. I’ve also developed socially in my job.
Quinten goes back to Belgium for couple of weeks each year, to see friends and family. That’s always nice, but there are no plans to move back.
– I’ve just applied for Swedish citizenship. I’m not going anywhere, I definitely want to stay here. If I look at how I live and the space I have, I wouldn’t have had a chance to do that in Belgium. I’m much better off here, he says.
Text: Maria Ekman
Foto: Maria Ekman och Quinten Elpers