From the very first visit, Malou and Gontran fell in love with the Överkalix way of life, which Malou describes as “simply a better way of life”. It was not long before they quit their jobs back in France and moved up north.
“We are living our dream”
Initially, Malou and Gontran both found temporary jobs with the local adventure holiday and outdoor experience company Jockfall Turist & Konferens. During the autumn of 2022, both found long-term, steady work at the Grand Arctic Resort in Överkalix.
“We are living our dream now, and we want to develop that further and eventually be able to offer our own arctic adventure experiences such as dog-sledding tours and fishing tours for example. There is so much to do and to experience here, the richness in nature is outstanding and that is what makes this place so special. In a small community we all need each other, meetings between people become powerful here in a completely different way to what we are used to from our previous lives in France” says Malou.
“Another way of life is what we were looking for, and that is what we found here. We really appreciate the way people in Överkalix are so keen to support their local society and each other. That in itself is something that we think provides a strong persuasion to move to Överkalix in the first place”, says Gontran.
The magic of Överkalix
Friends of Malou and Gontran have produced a movie about their journey from France to Lapland, called “New life in Lapland”. More precisely, the friends consist of two sisters and their respective husbands, their children and their sledding dogs, that is eight dogs in total.
“We try to spread the message as much as we can, Norrbotten and Överkalix in particular is the place to be if you want to transform your life. What we have found here is so much more than friendship, we are living like a family. We would like to invite others to experience the magic of Överkalix as well”, expresses Malou.
With nature as a main resource, Malou and Gontran are hoping to be able to set up their own business in outdoor adventure travel.
“What we would like to offer is an opportunity for visitors to step back from stress, take a deep breath of fresh arctic air, and discover great experiences based on nature. It does not have to be complicated to be powerful, quite contrary in fact. With simple means we are able to create unique experiences that people from all over the world would treasure”, says Gontran in conclusion.
