In the Driver’s Seat: Chris O’Connell’s Road to DAFT Success
Why did you decide to come to the Netherlands? What were your other options?
There were multiple factors, including having a difficult time making a living in Oregon, the post COVID decline in the wine industry, in which I had spent a decade building my career, and my wife’s health. But above all of these was that my teenage kids wanted to leave the US as soon as they were old enough. It’s easy as a parent to ignore this as a pipedream. We were all young once. However, once Trump announced he would run again, my kids became very vocal about moving abroad. A second Trump administration meant terrible things for them as part of the LGBTQ+ community. They had an awful time in Oregon, where they couldn’t be themselves out of fear. They both experienced bullying at school and felt threatened by seeing MAGA flags everywhere. The increase in vocal hate from right wing supporters, open carry guns everywhere, seeing Proud Boys and Three Percenters more often, were alarming.
They had their hearts set on Iceland or New Zealand. But there isn’t work for me in Iceland and while New Zealand has wineries, it is expensive and hard to get a work visa. My wife started looking at Europe. We had always dreamed of living in Ireland, but with the high cost of living and lack of jobs or work permit for me, we decided that wasn’t possible. We looked at Spain and Portugal, but realized we did not want to live where it is so hot. One day my wife ran across the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) for the Netherlands. She said if I started my own business, the entire family could move to the Netherlands. I immediately knew this was the golden ticket (not to be confused with a golden visa) we were looking for.
We had a zoom meeting with our lawyer on March 19, 2024. They said if we all arrived in the Netherlands before my oldest child turned 18, we could all stay on the DAFT indefinitely (with renewal in two years). We had less than two months before my oldest turned 18, so in just 44 days we packed up our things, sold as much as we could, donated the rest and boarded a plane to our new life. We landed just 14 days before my oldest turned 18 and finished all the appointments and paperwork just in time. It was a wild time, but I’m so glad we made this move to provide a safe place for our kids. Also, my wife and I now get to live our dream of (hopefully) retiring in Europe. Everyone in the family is happy.
What has been harder than expected and what has been easier than expected?
Scheduling time off. I started a new business and it takes an incredible amount of time to grow and nurture it. I find myself on the road all day (10-12 hours or more) and then come home to more work like website updating or responding to clients. Yes, it’s important to ensure I have a viable, successful business, but it’s also important to take time off and enjoy our new country with my family. IEveryone talks about the slower pace that Europe has and that can be true, but if you move to the Netherlands to start a business, you should be prepared to work more than the average Dutch person.
Something that has been easier than expected is getting my business launched and sustainable. I thought it would take a year or more before I was busy. I’m thankful to wake up every day and go to work. It hasn’t gone exactly as planned, but that has become a fun part of it. I’m doing something different every day from airport arrivals for people moving here to IKEA pick ups to driving tour groups throughout the Netherlands. I never know what my next request will be and I’m open and flexible with what might create revenue. Overall, I’m quite happy with where my business is at the moment.
What is the most interesting thing you have learned about (about yourself or anything you want to discuss)?
For years I dreamed of becoming a truck driver. I thought it would be awesome to “see the world” through the windshield. At one point in college I had a chance to get my truck driving license. I was always afraid of the amount of time away from home. What I learned is that I could make that career work. Some days I drive considerably more than a truck driver. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and it’s just me and the truckers on the road - I love those moments. The truck drivers here are considerably better than those in the U.S. I drove buses in college and have regularly hauled 20k pound trailers, so I know the size of the semi wouldn’t be a problem. I think the 60+ hours a week I spend in the driver’s seat (most of it alone) has taught me that I do have the patience and stamina to drive trucks if I really wanted to. For now though, I’m happy helping my clients and driving my van.
What one piece of advice do you wish you had been given?
Hire a makelaar (a Dutch real estate agent). We tried to secure housing on our own. After applying to 130 homes, we received invitations for just four viewings and one owner offered us a contract. While we were extremely happy to get a place to live, I was hesitant on the location as I knew my clients would primarily be in the Amsterdam area. My house is about two hours from Amsterdam, so I drive a lot. My dad used to say, “You can do anything for a year” and he was right. It will have been two years before we can move again, so I guess I’m learning I can do anything for “two years”! Next year we will move closer to Amsterdam and I will definitely be using a makelaar.
There are a lot of people out there in forums and groups spouting information about living here or starting a business here. Some of it is great, some isn’t. A lot of it is sadly out of date because things are moving so fast right now and someone who moved two years ago no longer has relevant experience. But ultimately it comes down to this…your move is personal. No one is moving for the exact same reasons or set of circumstances as you. Your “why” is your beacon, your true north. If you have drive and your why is strong, you are more likely to make this type of visa work. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of listening to or reading why other people struggled moving here or starting their business or any number of challenges, but ultimately it’s just noise. Their experience is not your experience. This is your chance to do whatever you want and do it your way. Keep your passion pointed at your why, be adaptive and open to where that compass might take you and you are way more likely to succeed.
What’s the biggest difference you notice between your life here and your life in the US?
The biggest change for me is the ability to breathe deep and relax. Life in the U.S. was incredibly high stress. From work life to home life, all the expenses and the pressure to do more, be more. It never felt what I was doing was enough. And it really wasn’t. I could never get ahead. On top of that, my body was always in flight or fight mode because I never knew when a shooter might suddenly appear. It took nearly six months of living here to realize I don’t have those worries anymore. I’m not waking up almost nightly to gun shots. I’m not looking over my shoulder to see who might be following me into the parking lot or from the train station. It’s just so much safer here. Of course, there is crime, but most of it is things like pickpocketing or petty theft.
What is the best thing about your life in the Netherlands?
One of the main reasons we moved here was safety. And it is incredibly safe. . But the best thing about my life in the Netherlands is all the people I meet. With my tour company, I get to show off the very best of the Netherlands - from tulips and windmills to wineries and cheese farms. It’s so much fun to show people something outside of Amsterdam. And from my arrival service, I get to help people during a challenging time - moving. People arrive exhausted, yet excited for their new life. I have the pleasure of sharing those first few hours with them, taking them to their new home and sharing about life in the Netherlands. Each arrival is unique, memorable and an opportunity to make new friends.
Any advice for making new friends and/or maintaining old ones?
Most of my new friends have come from my business - both clients and business connections. It’s nice to drive through Dutch cities and towns now and know people there, even if I don’t have time to stop. I’m sure when I move closer to the Randstad next year I will have more time to hang out with my new friends. As for old friends, the time difference is a challenge. I regularly text many. We also have a regular zoom with our best friends in Florida and always look forward to spending a couple of hours catching up with them. I would say relationships change when you make a move like this and that’s something to be prepared for. Some of them may grow stronger and some may become weaker or end completely. Relationships take effort and time and sometimes it’s just not meant to be.
Beyond the generic food, family, and friends, what do you miss most from the US?
About the only thing I miss from the U.S. (aside from Mexican food) is Olympic National Park. We went almost every year since 2016, sometimes twice a year. It’s a remote National Park in Washington state and it’s huge so you rarely run into large groups of people. One year we camped at the Hoh Rain Forest within the park and I can still hear the rain falling on the metal roof of the RV trailer we rented. It’s so peaceful there. The park actually inspired the two tattoos I have on my forearms. I’m sure eventually I will find my peaceful place here (although it is not needed nearly as much as I needed it there). I enjoyed the Hoge Veluwe National Park when I visited earlier this year, so maybe that will be my new place. I need to keep exploring though.
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