Working remotely in Levi – how to plan a succesful visit
Antti Isokangas needed a way to focus his time and came to work remotely in Levi. Find out how to combine work and leisure in the soothing fells.
Work and family time from Levi, Finnish Lapland
Outside, it's snowing heavily. Inside, the smell of coffee is cozy. We are visiting Isorakka in Levi. Antti Isokangas, a corporate communications consultant from Helsinki, has come to Levi to spend a week with his wife and son, combining telecommuting and leisure activities.
Antti specialises in corporate responsibility and crisis communications. The remote working week in Levi includes mainly everyday tasks, but also a clearly separate project. One important reason for coming to Levi is to work with Riku Vassinen on finalising the first draft of the Viherpesutalous book to be published in August 2024. Working on a practical sustainability marketing guidebook requires focused work.
For Antti, who comes from Oulu, Levi is a familiar destination. He has visited Levi several times. Most of the visits have been related to business matters such as company seminars and management strategic planning retreats. This time, Levi was chosen as Isokangas' remote working destination, as the cottage of a friend was conveniently available and the work to be done that week did not require a physical presence in Helsinki.
Although Antti works mainly from his home office in Helsinki, Levi brings its own northern spice to the work and especially to the normal everyday activities.
– For example, Helsinki's downhill skiing opportunities are inferior to Levi's, Antti sums up the many opportunities in the area with a touch of humour.
In Antti's experience, getting away from the everyday environment allows time for more effective concentration and also for new creative inspiration. At the start of his current book project, Antti also retreated to a cottage for a week to write, focus and relax. The cottage in southern Finland was located in the middle of nowhere and completely without services.
Levi, on the other hand, is known for its very rich range of services.
– In addition to outdoor activities, Levi is a very easy place to have lunch, for example. There is more variety and choice here than in the suburbs of Helsinki.
For Antti, any outdoor activity in Levi, such as Nordic walking, skiing, downhill skiing or even a visit to Arctic Sauna World, offers a good change of pace and rhythm for remote working.
– In my opinion, telecommuting in Levi is suitable for anyone whose work does not require physical presence, at least not full-time. Levi is an attractive remote working destination with a wide range of services within a few kilometres and, as a positive surprise, public transport in the area is also quite good.
Three tips from a teleworking professional for Levi
1. Plan your visit to Levi so that you are on site for several days. In particular, avoid flying back and forth every day.
2. If necessary, make sure that your accommodation is connected to the Internet. If you have your own telephone connection, you will normally have no problems with basic teleconferences, e-mails and web browsing in Levi.
3. Plan your remote working time so that you have time for other activities in Levi besides work. One of the great things about teleworking is that you can do it in a framework and in an environment that suits you.
