Travel to The Netherlands to backpack, study, intern, volunteer, work, or live as a digital nomad, expat or emigrant?

Backpacking in the Netherlands?

• The Netherlands for short travel distances, lots of roads to cycle or hike, long beaches with relaxing beach bars everywhere, extensive festival summer, international backpacker scene in Amsterdam and The Hague, lots of culture, and a still quite open society.

Travel in the Netherlands?

• Check the architecture in the many medieval cities, the many art museum and the extensive music scene.
• City spotting: Delft, Deventer, Haarlem, Leiden, Middelburg.
• Nature spotting: flower bulb fields in April, national park De Hoge Veluwe, the Frisian lakes and lake areas in South Holland.

Studying in the Netherlands?

• Studies: Almost all programs at universities and colleges offer international programs.
• Popular cities to study in: Delft, Groningen, Leiden, Utrecht.
• Universities: Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Utrecht, Wageningen.
• Characteristics: Many international students, intense student life with many (and some international) student associations in most student cities.

Internships in the Netherlands?

• Internship opportunities are available in all sectors of society from marketing to education and from research to engineering.
• There are also a broad scala of opportunities for international students for practical internships and regular research internships.

Volunteering in the Netherlands?

• Volunteer projects are available especially in the fields of nature management, the care sector and in the cultural sector.
• Characteristics: The Netherlands has a strong volunteer culture where every village and town has a local extensive network of volunteer organizations.

Working in the Netherlands?

• Temporary work can be found in the sectors: hospitality, retail, agriculture, fruit growing and tourism.
• Characteristics: non-hierarchical and direct work culture (especially comparing with surrounding countries), varying work ethos per sector, much work is export and international-oriented.

Working as a digital nomad in the Netherlands?

• Excellent digital infrastructure with widespread availability of high-speed internet and coworking spaces.
• Favorite cities: Amsterdam, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Utrecht.

Living in the Netherlands?

• Language: To live and work in the Netherlands, you do not need to have speak Dutch, most people are able to speak English. Of course it is highly appreciated when you do and it does not hurt to take a course in Dutch.
• Characteristics: Prepare yourself for a fairly direct culture where people rarely look at you to see if you might have long or sensitive toes.
• The attitude of the Dutch is generally relaxed and efficient when it comes to the practicalities of life.
• Prepare for an entrepreneurial atmosphere that is reflected in both business and social life.
   

Stories, tips and experiences from the Netherlands