3 Jaar Weg Uit Nederland - 5 Dingen Die Ik Heb Onderschat

Summary of the video (3 years living abroad: 5 things he underestimated)

Harold (living in Costa Rica with his family since September 2023) shares five lessons he says he misjudged when emigrating from the Netherlands to Costa Rica.

1) Emigrating isn’t like a vacation

• A short trip or vacation doesn’t replicate real daily living.
• Even basic utilities and household convenience can be very different:
  • Dishwashers are “almost impossible” to find.
  • Vacuum cleaners and household products can be scarce.
  • Most homes don’t have hot water (outside of an electrically heated shower).
  • Washing clothes and bedding may require cold water, limiting cleaning quality and high-temperature washing.
• Everyday availability and cost of familiar goods can be worse:
  • Some products can’t be found, or if they are, they’re “ridiculously expensive.”
• Food options were a mismatch for him personally:
  • He describes Costa Rican cooking as often relying heavily on rice, beans, and beef, with limited supermarket selection—reducing variety in what you can cook.
• Infrastructure problems can be routine:
  • Power outages and internet outages can happen.
  • Water may be turned off temporarily for tank cleaning.
• Planning and urban design can feel unpredictable compared with the Netherlands:
  • He criticizes the lack of spatial planning and consistent architecture.
• If you have children, lifestyle constraints become real:
  • School, friends, and activities matter—especially outside the city or nature areas.
  • In mountainous areas, you can’t “just bike around” due to climate (hot sun, heavy rain).

2) The distance from family and friends hits harder than expected

• Costa Rica is far away:
  • He mentions ~10 hours flying, plus travel to and from airports.
• When children are sick, you can’t easily rely on relatives for help (e.g., babysitting or overnight help).
• After living there longer, you start rethinking the children’s future:
  • Whether they’ll have better educational opportunities and support networks in Costa Rica, or eventually return to the Netherlands.

3) Earning income in Costa Rica can be harder than planned

• Working for a company isn’t as straightforward as he expected, and wages may be lower than in the Netherlands.
• He tried to rely on online income via affiliate marketing (successful in the Netherlands), but:
  • The specific products or companies he promoted no longer matched his situation in Costa Rica.
  • Other marketed options didn’t work out.
• He eventually stopped pursuing affiliate marketing and focused on YouTube and bird-related content, but:
  • YouTube income isn’t enough yet to live off in Costa Rica.
  • He also tried bird tours, but they didn’t work.
• He emphasizes financial pressure on family dynamics:
  • If income doesn’t come through, it can create stress and force tough prioritization.
  • He frames the key question as choosing between staying in the dream country versus family stability and financial peace.

4) “Freedom” can change meaning—social media doesn’t show the full reality

• He originally associated moving abroad with freedom:
  • Fewer rules and a sense of financial freedom (especially with online work).
• He criticizes influencer-style claims (“complete freedom” and “millions rolling in” from copying others).
• He found that if freedom comes with financial instability and pressure, it stops feeling like freedom.
• He comes to believe happiness isn’t tied to a country:
  • Your inner mindset matters more than relocation.

5) You take yourself with you (your issues don’t automatically disappear)

• Moving abroad changes the environment, but not your identity.
• Annoyances can persist—or new ones can be harder if you value structure and predictability.
• Example: traffic
  • In his area (20–25 minutes from a fast-growing city), roads and traffic are often gridlocked and urban planning feels weak.
  • He describes cars without signals or lights, vehicles that look poorly maintained, heavy trucks, and loud motorcycles.
• He concludes that if you can’t adapt to the local way of life, it becomes a real problem.
• He still loves travel and birds, and sees Costa Rica as a great birdwatching destination, but:
  • Costa Rica isn’t ideal as a base for “easy world travel,” so Western Europe (like the Netherlands) may be better for that kind of mobility.

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Notable locations / topics / people mentioned

• Locations: Netherlands, Belgium (general), Costa Rica (home since Sept 2023), nearby growing city with ~100,000–150,000 inhabitants.
• Travel/places referenced: visiting Costa Rica in 2018, and again in 2021 for a graduation project; later holidays as well.
• Topics/products mentioned: hot water systems (electrically heated shower), dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, limited supermarket selection, cold-water washing.
• Work/income themes: affiliate marketing, YouTube, birdwatching, potential bird tours.
• Speaker: Harold (creator of the video).
• Reference/pop culture: mention of Elvis (used as an analogy about copying others not guaranteeing results).