Scouting it out: a family journey
Here, our littlest one looks out the window as we land in the Netherlands for the first time together! The Dutch landscape looks like a combination of the two main geographies our family has called home: the flat, quilted farmland of the Midwest, with the deeper green texture and water of the PNW.
On October 1, 2025, we landed at Schipol Airport. The goal of the trip was two-fold: to experience the culture, climate, food, and vibe of the country as a whole, and to scout out some cities and towns we could imagine calling home.
Our first stop was the charming town of Alkmaar, about 30 minutes north of Amsterdam. We took public transportation everywhere on this trip, to see if we could envision going car-free after spending our whole lives in the very car-centric U.S. The train, tram, and bus system in the Netherlands is amazing, and even the smallest towns are connected.
Once in a while, a train will be delayed, and there
are also organized train strikes that the NS communicates about months in advance so people can make alternate plans for commuting. But overall, the system is reliable and used by everyone. We were very heartened and encouraged that the girls also loved public transportation, as it will give them a whole other level of independence as they grow!
We really loved Alkmaar, where we ate some really tasty pizza (maybe so good because Italy isn't too far!?) and saw our first windmill!
We could definitely see ourselves living in Alkmaar or a town of similar size and feel (canals...Dutch style homes). However, it's location had pros and cons--pretty close to Amsterdam, but far from the other major cities, a con because I will be looking for work upon arrival and need all the job prospects in as many large cities as possible to cast a wide net. On to the next one...
Arnhem!
While most people immigrating to the Netherlands end up in the Randstad (the central part of the country with the biggest cities/population) we wanted to check out some cities in the East part of the country where housing is more affordable and there is a bit more nature and greenspace. Arnhem is a beautiful city on the Lower Rhine (Neder Rijn) river, located about 30 minutes from the German border. We loved the vibe, quieter and less touristy but still a decent sized city with all necessary amenities. We also loved the fact that it was close to the famous Hoge Veluwe National Park.
We spent half a day in the Veluwe, where entry includes free white bicycles to borrow of all sizes, even some with kid seats so we could bring our 3 year old along for the ride (she giggled and sang the whole time--her first time on the back of a bike!)
The park was really pretty, and hilly enough to get our legs pumping hard on our fietsen (bikes). After a bit of cycling, we found the adorable kid-friendly Pannenkoekenhuis Den Strooper (pancake house) nearby, where we had yummy pancakes with so many toppings to choose from (sweet and savory), soups with crusty bread, and even beer made by a farmer down the road. And as if that wasn't enough, it had a two story indoor kids playhouse and a treasure chest for kids to choose a toy to take home.
The Dutch really know how to make a family outing fun and pleasant for the whole family. We saw this theme continue in every city, in almost every cafe and restaurant we visited throughout the country. Children are seen and planned for as patrons instead of as mini adults expected to sit still and quiet at the table. Considering how kids can be allowed to be kids in public spaces is a priority, which in turn makes going out easier for parents, which encourages and builds community. Amazing!
While we stayed in Arnhem as our jumping-off point, we took time to explore nearby Deventer and Zwolle. Both were gorgeous and we could see ourselves living daily life in either town. Zwolle is still framed by the star-shape of it's era as a medieval fortress, and felt very green and full of parks and trees. Deventer is a very charming and very old city, built around the 8th century, and is known for having colorful umbrellas strung between buildings, and home to the largest book market in Europe. However, like with Arnhem, Deventer and Zwolle were farther away from the major cities of the Randstad for job prospects. Something to consider, but overall, we really loved exploring the eastern part of the country!
Once we left Arnhem, we traveled through Utrecht on our way to our next stop, Gouda.
Utrecht was Nathan's favorite city during his solo scouting trip, so we had to stop and check it out, and of course made a point of going to the Nijntje museum! The museum was a blast, especially for our 3 year old, but even our 9 year old found fun things to do there. Highly recommend to anyone with kids visiting Utrecht. Even the cafe has little bunny latte art and bunny shaped sandwiches and cookies! Lekker! (that's Dutch for yummy.) After the museum, we walked around the beautiful two story canals which are pretty unique in Utrecht. We wished we could've stayed in Utrecht overnight, but AirBnbs are very limited in the bigger cities throughout the Netherlands.
There is a pretty significant housing affordability crisis in the Netherlands, so the government has implemented strict short-term rental regulations to help keep the majority of housing available and affordable to residents instead of tourists. I'm a fan of this policy overall, and there is a lot more to it...perhaps this topic needs it's own post. Regardless, we did find a rental in Gouda, one of the better known "cheese towns", and we were excited to explore that city as well!
Our rental in Gouda was a canal house, which was really amazing to experience! The streets and sidewalks go right up to the canals here, so occassionally bikes and people fall in! For this reason, the Dutch have a water safety and survival style swimming curriculum, in which the majority of children throughout the country participate and obtain their swim certificate.
Just look at how close these cars are parked to the edge of the water! Parallel parking challenge: unlocked.
Once we were settled in Gouda, we were ready to explore! All the cities are so walkable (and bikeable) in addition to having great public transportation. Very few cities in the US can say the same, which is a shame because it really does change how you experience a place.
We walked around Gouda's cobbled streets and huge town square which holds famous cheese markets, and checked out the Gouda Cheese Experience museum. We all enjoyed the audio tour (everyone gets their own device which the girls loved) and learned a lot about cheese making, and of course the tour ended in trying a few different cheeses, from very young to very aged cheese. There is also a cheese scale in the town square where you can see how many wheels of cheese is equal to your weight, in kilos of course. Now I know what it will take to eat my weight in cheese...
We continued to stay in Gouda while we went to explore one final city for the day, Den Haag (The Hague). It was the biggest city we were considering, and we wanted to check it out because it is known for having a very international community/vibe, as well as plenty of job opportunities for English speakers. Den Haag is also where the royal family lives, and where the International Court of Justice resides in the Peace Palace. It certainly felt like a large and vibrant city, and even has a large forested city park in it's center that we enjoyed, letting the girls climb and swing in nature play areas. We could see the appeal of Den Haag, especially because of it's proximity to the beach and the North Sea, but overall it felt too big for us. The smaller cities and towns we visited felt calmer and more peaceful, which is definitely what we are seeking.
Stay tuned to discover where we land! This scouting trip was a great opportunity for us as a family to get a feel for our future home. If you are considering a move to the Netherlands or any new country, I highly recommend taking a trip ahead of time to scout it out if possible. But know this if you are considering making the Netherlands your future home: no country in the world in perfect, but the Dutch are definitely doing some big things right (see prior post on My Blog). During our week stay, we experienced accessible public transit, safe bike paths, public "third spaces", witnessed cultural pride, and well-preserved historical buildings, windmills, and waterways everywhere. We can't wait to make this place our home.
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