How did Niek lose his heart to Novi Sad? It started with the Balkan Express, a train ride from Belgrade (Serbia) to Bar (Montenegro). That's Niek’s first experience with Serbia in 2011. “Then, in Belgrade, the seed was planted for me,” he says.
“I wanted a different environment from the Netherlands and here I can sit somewhere nice and relaxed and have just a slight idea of what people are talking about. I find a kind of peace in that, that I don’t understand everything. That gives me autonomy in a weird way”.
An adventure in Novi Sad
In 2013, Niek bought a single ticket to Serbia to live and study in Novi Sad for a year. “I always wanted to live abroad for a year. Because of that seed that was planned, Serbia felt like the best place for me.” He wanted to learn the language and that was possible at the University of Novi Sad. “That was perfect because I prefer smaller cities. When I walked into the city centre with my suitcase, I was there for the first time. I realised: so this is where I’m going to live for 10 months.”
Niek has a feeling for languages, but he found it a difficult language to learn. “I can speak English well, but I found it very tough to get explanations in English about Serbian grammar. I had to double translate everything, from Serbian to English to Dutch.” Later, Niek took classes in the Netherlands with explanations in Dutch as well, which he liked much better. “I think I ended at A2 level. This gets me a long way in Serbia. If it’s more complex or about business, I do it in English. And with my friends, I usually talk English too.” What also helps is that the locals are very relaxed, patient and understanding. Niek once spent 1.5 hours chatting with his current neighbour Boba, who does not speak English, about anything and everything. “They like it when you speak the language a little bit. And actually, I like the fact that I don’t get or understand everything as well as I do in the Netherlands. I wanted a different environment from the Netherlands and here I can sit somewhere nice and relaxed and have just a slight idea of what people are talking about. I find a kind of peace in that, that I don’t understand everything. That gives me autonomy in a weird way. Ideally, I could speak it fluently, but that hasn’t happened.”
A second home in Novi Sad
After his studies, Niek went back to the Netherlands. But within a year of returning to the Netherlands, he went back to Novi Sad for a week to surprise his friends. From then on, he did this a few times a year for several years. He liked this so much that he got the idea in 2016 to buy a little house near Novi Sad. This was a long process: from the wild idea to the purchase eventually took seven years. “Sometimes I could spend a bit more time on it than at other times. Also, it was complex and there were disappointments. It all sounds nice, but you have to make a lot of decisions. What location do you want to live in, how big should it be, etc. My girlfriend Ellen and I initially wanted to buy land outside the city to build on, but you are not allowed to build on land meant for agriculture. Then we wanted to buy a weekend cottage (in Serbian: vikendica), as they are often located in nature. We looked at many little houses and had to get a feel for the prices. It was complex.” Another thing that came into play was the cultural differences. “Serbs are less individualistic than the Dutch. You build on each other and do more together. In the Netherlands, for example, a purchase is mainly business-related, but in Serbia trust and family/friendly relationships also play a role. We had a lot of support from all the friends and acquaintances who helped in any way during the process and believed in our plan.”
Niek says it is common and smart to hire a lawyer in such a situation because there are many legal aspects involved and you really don’t want to make any mistakes. “The lawyer helped us very well. It was a long process, but in the end, in 2022, everything fell into place.” Niek and his wife now have a cottage in Bukovac, a village close to Novi Sad. “To be precise, in the hills of the Fruška Gora National Park and we are quite proud of that, haha!”
Feeling at home
It took a while for Niek to really feel at home there. “When I came there to visit my friends, everyone was just going about their daily business. I thought: what am I actually doing here? But it worked out well in the end. And the fact that we got married in Petrovaradin (part of Novi Sad) in 2019 also helped me to feel at home. Most of our friends and family went to Serbia for the first time, which they thought was really cool. We showed them the city and surroundings. And my Serbian friends were able to go to a wedding of two Dutch people in their own city. It was fantastic!” The Balkan Express played an important role here too, as Niek asked his girlfriend to marry him on that train.
What he can really appreciate about the Serbs? “The people are hugely hospitable and helpful, much more so than the Dutch. They are also very enthusiastic about the region they come from, know a lot about its history and are happy to share this. I find that very cool, I haven’t encountered that very often in the Netherlands either.” In Serbia, they are also less focussed on time. “It’s more about going with the flow. If you make an appointment, it stands. But how long it takes, you never know in advance. I like that much better. It’s about being in the moment and having nice conversations.”
Niek tries to go to their little house in Novi Sad about once a month. “My wife works in higher education and has ten weeks off a year. That is very nice and also a must if you want to live abroad. After all, I don’t see it as a holiday home. I see it as a parallel and as my second home: I have a life in the Netherlands and a life in Serbia – and the Netherlands is and remains the base. Sometimes the three of us are there and sometimes I am there alone. As an entrepreneur, I can organise my own time and am my own boss. That means I can spend a lot of time with my son Miro and my family in the Netherlands, and a lot of time in Serbia. I am super proud that we were able to organise our lives like this and offer Miro two ‘homes’ and cultures.”
Giving back to the locals
Niek has done many great things in paid employment, but he got the feeling that this was not quite for him. On a big white sheet he wrote ‘Serbia’ at the top, he was already 100 per cent sure. Entrepreneurship also appealed to Niek. “I asked myself: what is important to me? First, that the region gets positive attention. Second, that the locals get something out of it and three, I like travelling. Although the tourism sector was new to me, I knew I had to offer travel trips.” Niek set up his company Balkan Travel Support and has since been offering travel packages for eight countries.
Many people make their first acquaintance with the Balkans through Niek. “My customers are positive about the people they meet and the atmosphere. That was what attracted me so much in the beginning too. And you can see a lot of different countries and discover cultures in a short time.”
Niek does everything on demand, he creates a package to suit the client’s needs. This makes it a new creative process for Niek every time. “I use my own knowledge and experience and I arrange the travel. I also have an amazing network, with short lines of communication with locals who offer accommodation or organise an activity. That network is the core of my business. I already had a base and it is constantly expanding. The customer is number one, they have to have a great trip. My partners have to get something out of it and I have to make a living out of it.” Niek does not negotiate prices. If the prices of the local entrepreneurs in his network are good, he keeps them. He believes that is very important. “I want to work together respectfully. I am down-to-earth, honest and reliability is crucial.”
Recommendations from Niek
And since Niek knows so much about the Balkans, we can’t resist asking him about his ultimate recommendations. Here they are, take advantage of them:
- Novi Sad, of course 🙂
- Sremski Karlovci, a town close to Novi Sad. So you can combine it with Novi Sad. Here, you’ll find many wineries.
- National park Fruška Gora, where you can do fine hiking and mountain biking.
- Subotica is in the north, on the border with Hungary. So there are a lot of Hungarian influences here. “It’s a beautiful town with an authentic, quiet atmosphere. There is always something to do. And there is a very fat synagogue – definitely worth a visit!”
- Ostrvo na Dunavu, or ‘Koh Can’ (after the Thai island of Ko Chang), an island on the Danube. You can take a boat there. “There are one or two bars, there is music, people play volleyball and you can swim in the Danube. If you don’t know it, you won’t get there.” A unique tip, then, especially for Balkanlocals.
