Karen Roldan
Meet Karen!

A millennial Filipino who left her life in Manila to work abroad in Sweden.

I started this blog as an outlet for sharing my weekend adventures and experiences abroad (even those negative ones) but it quickly turned into something more than that: a platform providing you all with tips and guides on how to live life overseas or just talk about what it’s like being different from home!  

If there’s anything we can do together – whether it’s planning your move abroad today; getting advice from someone who already lived here awhile, or feeling inspired after reading one of the many stories – let me know!

I have helped (and met) a lot of foreigners, mostly Filipinos, who are planning to move abroad or who have moved to Sweden.

About the Blog

How it all started

After graduating high school, I relocated to Australia for college and spent less than a year there. After completing the program, I returned to the Philippines to finish my bachelor’s degree before relocating to Sweden in 2018.

I work in the IT industry and was lucky to get a job in Sweden. This is my second chance to move abroad, and it felt like the right moment as well. 

Three years later, I am married, my husband moved to Sweden, we bought an apartment, and are really starting a new life here. 

This inspires me to rebrand my blog, karenroldan.net, and focus on travel and life abroad content! 

THE HEART OF EVERYTHING IN THIS BLOG IS AUTHENTICITY.

Karen Roldan is a travel and life abroad blog that seeks to provide travelers with different travel experiences, advice, and ideas. As a traveler, I like to spend more days in a city and discover its undiscovered gems. I’m more enthusiastic if I can go to an underappreciated city first!

You will also discover here my escapades and encounters while living abroad as a (non-EU) foreign resident in Sweden.

Frequently Asked Questions

I found my job through Glassdoor! There is an option to filter by country and some job listings indicate if they offer relocation or not. I applied directly to the company’s website. Here’s a post on how I moved to Sweden.

There are a lot of options for you to move to Sweden. You can study, work, or move to someone who is living in Sweden already (spouse, registered partner, or cohabiting partner).

I am not the right person to ask! Fortunately, my employer covered my relocation and most of my expenses related to that. There are some expenses out of my own pocket. I will share it in a separate post soon!

I moved to Stockholm in 2018 and my husband moved here in 2020! So far, we loved living in Stockholm. It isn’t as busy as Manila; life here is more relaxed. I have shared in this post what I love about living in Sweden!

Getting a Schengen Visa may be a bit overwhelming because of its requirements. But, if you follow the steps & provide the necessary documents, then you should not worry about it too much! Here’s a guide that might help you with your tourist visa process.

Unfortunately, yes! If you are a skilled worker, you don’t need to get an agency to get an OEC (Overseas Exit Clearance). You can process your documents as a direct hire. Just remember though that you might need at least a month for this!

Want a collaboration?

Let’s work together!

I am open to collaborations and sponsorship, or any other pitches. Feel free to email me directly at hello@karenroldan.net or message me via the contact form.

If you just want to chat, still feel free to talk to me!