A Belgian family who spent their winter in Geiranger, Norway
"We wanted our kids to see something different. To show them that the world is bigger than just the city they grew up in," says Twyla Mergan to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), explaining why she, Wouter Vergote, and their two children chose to spend this winter in Geiranger.
The Belgian family are digital nomads, meaning they can work from anywhere with an internet connection. "Life gets more interesting when you try something new now and then," says Wouter about their unusual lifestyle.
Maybe it’s not that hard to understand?
The family is from Leuven, Belgium, and they were selected from over 300 applicants after Katrin Blomvik Bakken and the World Heritage Center in Geiranger announced a scholarship for digital nomads in Arctic regions last fall. The scholarship is part of the "Coworking for Rural Life" project under the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA). Now, the family and other digital nomads have arrived in Geiranger.
While visiting, the nomads contribute to the local community by sharing skills and ideas that are rare in small places. Twyla and Wouter, for example, will document their experience, while other nomads will offer Italian cooking classes and help streamline the next round of project applications.
But perhaps the most important part is the social side — how they help bring energy and new ideas to a quiet village during the winter. Nothing shows this better than the friendship between Robyn and Mona Vergote from Belgium and Nora Blomvik Bakken from Geiranger.
Talking about these new friendships, Nora’s mother, Katrin, says:
"It really touches my heart. In small places, there aren’t many kids, and there aren’t many friends. Getting new friends and having them around for two whole months? That’s a real gift."
Projects like "Coworking for Rural Life" and EDIN – European Digital Nomads are helping make these “gifts” possible. The county of Møre og Romsdal will continue to explore digital nomads as a new target group for tourism, working closely with both local and international partners.
To read more follow:
Bjørneset, Olaug. (March, 2025). Denne familien får bu gratis i Geiranger. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.nrk.no/mr/over-300-ville-bli-digitale-nomadar-i-geiranger-omradet_-no-er-16-plukka-ut-1.17313644
Drangeid, Olav. (March, 2025). LinkedIn. Found at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/olav-drangeid_digitalnomads-interregeurope-nora-activity-7304801150392832000-nnI5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADObALwBmb6_t2akk5P9sIbOiSss7pJhFeU
“Coworking for Rural Life” web page: https://www.arcticdigitalnomads.com/