The main focus of the presentation is made on reasons of Russian dacha owners for having second homes in Finland. Russian visits to Finland have been a growing trend. As a result Finland has become the first country of choice for Russian tourists during the last year. A recent trend in Russian trans-border tourism has become real estate purchases and their number has significantly increased during the past couple of years. The share of Russians is about eighty percent of the total foreign real estate business in Finland nowadays. Although nationwide its proportion is still small, in some municipalities Russian dachas comprise about a third of the local annual real estate business.

Explanation of motives to purchase a second home does not necessarily answer the question "why abroad?" In Europe borders play only a symbolic role in moving around. In case of Russians in Finland, on contrary, the state border is a significant factor for choosing another country. According to the conducted interviews (N=25) Russians have chosen Finland due to the fact that it is abroad. Escape from busy life of Russian urban centers to Finland is driven by the idyllic country image as a safe destination with beautiful landscapes. Russians are very attracted by the possibility to rest in a legally purchased cottage by a lake. Surprisingly the distance is a significant factor only as a distance calculated from the border to a cottage.