???? Why did I move to Estonia?

Why did I move to Estonia? This is a question I often get asked. And it's not just from Spaniards; recently, my Estonian landlord was surprised and exclaimed, "What is a Spaniard doing in Estonia!?" He couldn't fathom why someone sane would exchange the Spanish sun for the Estonian winter!

There isn’t a short answer or a single reason. However, this decision can't be fully understood without considering two major events that have significantly shaped my life so far: moving to Fiji in 2015, a year when I, along with Enrique Couto Bueno , took the opportunity to travel around the world, and visiting the Baltics in 2017. Until 2001, military service was mandatory in Spain, and since its abolition, whenever we complained about something trivial, our elders would retort: "I would have liked to see you suffering in the military." Well, Fiji was my “military service,” a challenging experience that made me stronger and allowed me to understand myself better. The world tour, on the other hand, opened a window to experiences that, months later, emboldened us to candidly share on video all those realities and disruptions that no one talked about in traditional media. It also fueled my need to be in almost constant motion, making annual trips to places I had read so much about but had yet to physically visit.

In 2017, it was my turn to set foot in the Baltics, thanks to an invitation from my uncle and godfather Emilio, who was stationed in Lithuania as the Spanish ambassador. How could I say no? I have wonderful uncles, and Emilio is no exception—a naturally curious person brimming with experience, always ready to engage in pleasant conversations with his nephews about a variety of topics including books, cinema, current events, history, anecdotes... With him, it's impossible to be bored. And of course, when I asked Enrique Couto Bueno , my business partner, my colleague, my friend, my tireless companion in adventures, if he would join me in Lithuania, he didn't hesitate for a second before opening the Ryanair website to buy tickets and rent a car for our Baltic road trip. It was on that journey that I realized the Baltics would someday be a part of my life, though I didn't imagine how soon that would be. By the way, Emilio, who was also an ambassador in Fiji in 2001, was one of the people I spoke with before leaving in 2015, and I remember our disheartening conclusion: I had to leave my small hometown, Santander.

Let's be honest, at first glance, the Baltic tigers are full of disadvantages: they are far from everything, they are very small countries, with terrible weather, and unfriendly neighbors to the east who don't understand borders. However, what might seem like a “red flag” to many has made the Baltic tigers constantly reinvent themselves. And that brings us to the case of Estonia. If you're a fan of rankings, you'll know what I'm talking about: Which country has the best educational system year after year in Europe (PISA)? Which country ranks second for internet freedom (Freedom House)? Which is the 10th country in the world for the best quality of life (Numbeo)? Which country has the best airport in Europe for the sixth consecutive year (ACI)? The best for hosting conferences (Kongres Magazine)? The best rated for remote workers (Big7Travel)? One of the best destinations in the world according to Time magazine? And why not mention it: the country with the most top models per capita in the world (74 per million inhabitants)? Exactly, you've guessed it: Estonia.

As the projects grew, it was no longer sustainable to maintain a somewhat anarchic structure scattered around the world. I needed a base of operations, and I had long had the itch to live outside Spain. In the middle of the pandemic, virtually overnight, I began an exhaustive search for the best country to host a new, more organized and regulated structure. If the budget were unlimited and supersonic travel a reality, I would have chosen Singapore as my first destination. If the budget were limited but, again, supersonic travel a reality, I would have chosen New Zealand. But in the real world we live in, where travel takes time and money is hard to come by, Estonia seemed to me the best country in the world to move to and start a startup. If I need to attend any meeting physically within the European space, I have a magnificent airport that connects me very quickly with four hubs: Helsinki, Frankfurt, Riga, and Amsterdam. It is a country with solid legal security (ranked 9th worldwide according to the WJP), probably has the best tax system in Europe that strongly encourages reinvestment, and also has a highly qualified population with an enviable command of English. The disadvantages I spoke of earlier have forced Estonia to be as attractive as possible in a constantly competitive world. Unfortunately, countries like Spain with such a strong tourism sector, which acts in practice as if it were one of those resource curses that our Latin American brothers suffer from, with constant income year after year, do not have that incentive for constant improvement in these fields – at least important for someone looking to build a digital project.

And the best part of all. Although I arrived in Estonia looking for a place to start a business safely and efficiently, I found a country of wonderful people always ready to help (like Allan Ilmsoo ), where they are few but each one is worth ten (like Erika Piirmets ), and which is full of countless corners to discover, such as on the island of Saaremaa where I hope to one day have a little house (yes, K?tlin Ivalo-Laur , I was serious about that!). During this time, the Estonian people have inspired in me a feeling of eternal gratitude towards them, and I get the impression that this is just the beginning.