Off the Beaten Track – Andrea Zaalman's Life After BUas

1. What was the first thing you did after graduating – and how long did it take before you landed your first real job in tourism?

After completing my Bachelor's in Tourism Management in 2012 (at what was then called ‘NHTV’), I went straight to university to pursue a Master's in Communication and Persuasion. I could tell I wasn't ready for an office job, so after finishing that Master's I went to work and travel through Australia and Asia. Upon returning, I deliberately went back to my student job for a while, because I realised I still wasn't ready for office life. I didn't want to admit it. In 2017, I then moved to China to teach English at a primary school – with no experience and a Dutch accent, brilliant! I ended up staying for three and a half years (the plan had been just one year!).

When I returned to the Netherlands in 2021, I started a company with a friend organising day trips for expats. A wonderful adventure, but the pandemic brought it to a halt. In 2022, I flew to South Africa. I desperately wanted to stay, but my savings were disappearing at an alarming rate. A solution was needed. A friend suggested working online as a Virtual Assistant (VA). I gave it a try, and it changed everything: my digital nomad lifestyle was born. My dream of combining work and travel suddenly seemed entirely within reach. Now, three and a half years on, I still work all over the world and mentor others in starting their own online businesses as digital nomads – alongside my freelance work as an online marketing and project manager.

2. Which course, project or lecturer at BUas has had the greatest influence on how you approach your work today – and why that one in particular?

Courses such as Imagineering, Concepting, and Marketing, but also Presentation Skills, have had a significant impact. I used to find presenting in front of a group absolutely terrifying. During Presentation Skills, I was essentially pushed out of my comfort zone, and I discovered it wasn't nearly as daunting as I had imagined. Imagineering remains at the core of my current business. It taught me to focus not on static product features, but on the transformation and the experience you are selling. That combination of concepting, experience design, and marketing is fundamental to everything I do as a mentor today.

3. What is something you learned during your studies that turned out to be completely at odds with reality – and what is the truth?

Before my studies, I always assumed that studying Tourism meant you would travel a great deal as part of your work. In hindsight, that is partly true, but for a long time during and after my studies I believed that a bachelor's degree in tourism would inevitably lead to an office-based role within the industry. I found that disheartening – but a few years later I discovered the reality is quite different. There are genuine ways to shape your own working life and truly work from wherever you choose, anywhere in the world.

4. Describe a typical working day – where are you, who are you with, and what is at the top of your to-do list?

What I love most about my business is the freedom to set my own hours and schedule. As a digital nomad, I live in different parts of the world. As I write this, I am in Hong Kong – though last week I was still in the Philippines. This past October I also joined my first Nomad Cruise, which was absolutely fantastic.

My working day: my routine starts at 08.00, but I deeply value slow mornings, so I am very intentional about keeping things calm early on and avoiding my phone. I do a short exercise or yoga session and write down three things I am grateful for over a cup of tea. I then sit down at my laptop around 10.00 and work until 12.00 on the tasks that matter most for growing my business. After lunch, I put in four hours for my client. In the evening, I eat and either do something enjoyable or continue working on my business – social media or coaching sessions, for instance.

I don't work alongside colleagues in an office building; everything happens online. That may sound isolating, but I vary my working environment. Sometimes I work from my hotel or apartment; other times I head to a coworking space alongside other digital nomads and remote workers. It genuinely feels as though you have plenty of colleagues – a wonderful way to surround yourself with like-minded people.

5. If you could change one thing about your time as a student – a placement, an elective, a part-time job, networking – what would it be?

During my placement, I was quite reserved – in hindsight, probably also because it wasn't entirely the right fit for me. Looking back, I would have chosen to show more initiative and make my voice heard more. But that's all part of the journey!