another episode of Digital Nomad TV where we take you behind the scenes to
help you make the most of the digital nomad lifestyle. I'm Kristin and if
you've watched this show before or if you follow me on social media you
might know that Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in the world and that's
exactly where we're hanging out - here today in front of the famous "IAmsterdam" sign
to find out what makes the Netherlands and Amsterdam specifically
such a great hub for startups entrepreneurs and of course,
digital nomads
Amsterdam was founded in the 13th century and the city, especially the
downtown center, still retains a lot of its original charm. But it's also a nice
blend of new modern construction and a modern way of thinking and way of life
some of the things I look for in a digital nomad destination are safety,
infrastructure, and inclusiveness and Amsterdam certainly checks all the boxes
when it comes to that! The Netherlands consistently ranks in the top 25 safest
countries in the world, so it's super safe, and Amsterdam has one of the
highest concentrations of different nationalities on the planet. It's such an
accepting culture and there's something for everyone - people from any country can
feel at home here. Also 90% of the population here speaks
English so it makes it really easy to communicate. The city has a population of
around 800,000 people but there's actually more bicycles than there are
people, which you will see all around us :) There have been estimates of up to a million bikes
in the city. Here in the canal ring where there's 165
different canals, we're also surrounded by almost 2,000 bridges
but it seems like everybody is always riding their bike because it can take
two to three times longer to drive somewhere than to bike!
my other favorite way to see the city besides bike is by water and so that's
what we'll do today...
To cover some of the basics the Netherlands is into EU and
it's also part of the eurozone so the euro is their currency and it's
in the Schengen area as well. So what gives Amsterdam it's great quality of
life? And why is it such a great digital nomad destination? Well, first of all,
there's a lot of transportation options. You can get around the city by bus, tram...
(the Netherlands was one of the first countries to regulate Uber) boat, bike and
pretty much anything you can think of. It's also what's called a "green city"
which means they have a really high focus on taking care of the environment
they have their own climate investment fund and they have a goal to reduce
their co2 emissions by 40 percent by 2025. So some of the ways that they've
done this is to create green spaces everywhere - lots of parks gardens on
rooftops - they've added solar panels to many of the houses and residential areas
throughout the city
So what about food? well when it comes to that, the
Dutch definitely know what they're doing! the Dutch are the second largest
consumers of coffee in the world and the Netherlands is also the largest exporter
of beer! yes :) Besides coffee and beer - which everyone likes am i right - there
are 1500 bars restaurants and cafes throughout the city so there's food from
all over the world just as representative of the diverse population
also the Dutch are known for having amazing french fries and I've tried them
all over the city and I can definitely confirm that they're delicious you can
even have french fries for dinner if you want and I'm sure everyone's okay with that
marijuana is decriminalized in the Netherlands so you can smoke a joint in
one of the coffee shops and there's also a few other things on the menu there
make sure you know the difference between cafe and coffee shop - so a coffee
shop is where you can buy weed and a cafe is where you can buy coffee
if having a good work-life balance is important to you you'll definitely love
the Netherlands! the Dutch are known for having one of the shorter work weeks but
high productivity so they are a hub for business but they like to work hard and
play hard, too. When you're not at work you can enjoy one of the many outdoor parks,
cafes along the water, and I just have to point out that the weather is not always
like this so don't get your hopes up ;) it does rain a lot but when the weather is
good everybody is outside there's lots of life music outdoor festivals and
people are always out and about the Netherlands was the first country to
regulate gay marriage its LGBTQ friendly and very inclusive for people from any
culture and also especially for women in fact there are many more women than men
here which is a pro or a con depending on which side you're on but the good
news is women are respected in Dutch society and the Netherlands and
Amsterdam in general is just a great place to be whether you can only stay for
a short time or you're making it your home base so that is why I think that
Amsterdam is such a great digital nomad destination! Have you guys been to
Amsterdam or do you want to? Let me know in the comments and make sure to like
this video and subscribe for more weekly episodes of Digital Nomad TV. Bye!