A few years ago, the idea slowly started to surface that we might want to leave the Netherlands. Emigrate to another country. Start a new life. I started reading about it and I discovered that every year around 150,000 people leave the Netherlands in search of… Well, of what exactly? I wondered: who are these people, and what exactly drives them? Are they all adventurers, or just regular people? Some people I know have emigrated, are they different from the rest of us?

First, there are people who return to their country of origin. That is the largest group. My friend Fikrye was born in the Netherlands but couldn’t find her way in the Netherlands. She emigrated to Turkey a few years ago, the country her parents came from. She now lives there with her family. Life is sunnier, it is more relaxed, she feels at home there.

Many people leave for work – the expats. Like my niece Eveline. After her studies in Munich and Maastricht, she found her first job in Basel, Switzerland, and has been living there for a few months now. She partly grew up in Switzerland, so she is not (yet) a real expat. But that will come, because I foresee a brilliant international career!

I have also been an expat in Africa – a part-time expat, mind you, because I often had to return to the Netherlands to arrange things. The expat life was great; there was always something to do outside of work; an excursion, a party on the beach, a salsa night – and not to forget the legendary poker nights on Thursdays. And always with like-minded people from all over the world, all adventurers with special stories. Yet also striking: most expats return to their home country after a while. Me too.

Back in the Netherlands, I had a hard time getting used to ‘normal’ life, and not only because of the temperature. My friend and colleague Emmy is still in Africa, and I am sometimes jealous of her. That life, the adventures, the freedom. Is that what people are looking for?

Certainly not everyone, because of course there are also the retirees who move to Southern Europe. Enjoying their golden years in the sun!

I don’t know any real retirees, but I suspect that ‘adventure’ and ‘new challenges’ are not very high on their wish list (or are they? – Let me know!).

Of course, there are retirees with camper vans who want new challenges. We encountered them during our camper adventures; a Dutch couple who had already traveled all over North America and were now exploring Europe. But they still had a house in the Netherlands to return to.

There is also the superlative: the people who want to build a completely new life abroad. The people who really take the plunge, so to speak. There are subtle differences in that too. There are:

People with a mission…

Like Chaim, who sees a problem (street children in Indonesia) and solves it (providing shelter and education). More info: www.pedulianak.org

Or Sigrun, a Dutch lady who set up a technical school in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in Africa. I only met her once, but I still receive her newsletters about the well-being of the students and the political situation in Burkina (not good). I have so much admiration for her passion and her perseverance. All the setbacks and problems, but also the bright spots that are there; the students who graduate and go to work and manage to lift their families out of poverty. So very inspiring! More info:  www.haparako.com

And Stef. In the Netherlands, he and a few others set up Enviu: an organization that focuses on making the economy more sustainable by setting up impactful social enterprises. Enviu also supported me in setting up my first startup Goodget in Ghana (more about Goodget later).

Stef has now left for Spain, where he runs a place to teach ‘changemakers’ – for example investors and CEOs of innovative startups and multinationals – sustainability awareness. Important work, because these people often hold the key to real system change towards sustainability.

Link: www.enviu.org and www.pioneersofourtime.com

People with a dream…

My nephew Mike, for example: 5 years ago, he left for the Philippines with a colleague and a wild plan to set up a gym there. After 3 years, everything was destroyed by a super typhoon that raged across the island, but now Crossfit Siargao has been rebuilt and there are days when more than 100 people are exercising. My nephew is now – in addition to being a gym owner – also a trainer and coach. He uses his own experience to help people who are dealing with addictions, or who have become stuck in their lives. More info: crossfitsiargao.com

I also read with admiration about a schoolmate who set up a lodge in the bush in Zambia and organizes safaris and photography trips there. I don’t know anyone abroad who has set up something with nature – nature conservation or nature experience (my dream!) – but this comes closest. Going into the bush and take photos of the wildlife in Zambia is high on my wish list, I hope to visit real soon. More info: www.trackandtrailrivercamp.com

So what about us; Rob and Elvira from Rotterdam. What are we looking for abroad? Click here to read about the next chapter in our journey.