A different definition of success leads to different choices

When success is measured mainly on paper, quality of life often tells a different story. The Quality of Life Tour exists to make that lived reality visible.

Through on-the-ground listening and real conversations, I capture human signals from daily life – not dashboards, not rankings.

The result is a clear human reading of quality of life, used to support better decisions for leaders, communities, and cities.

why this tour – why now?

Because too many decisions are made from dashboards and assumptions. While the real world is giving different signals. This tour makes those early human signals visible – so leaders can act before tension becomes damage.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

A few years ago, I wanted to understand what people were truly chasing… so I launched a national survey asking “what comes first HAPPINESS or SUCCESS?”

Then I took the questions outside – literally. I cycled for 2 months across the Netherlands in the Utopia Challenge on tour. Asking – “how would your IDEAL WORLD look like”

Those conversations stayed with me. They became the seed for this Quality of Life Tour. Where the question is: “What do you need today to LIVE WELL?”

THE GOAL OF THE QOL TOUR

To understand how life really feels in different cities, and what helps people live well in fast-changing times.

what changes because of the tour:

CITIZENS
see their daily reality reflected – not filtered or optimized

CITIES
gain early signals they won’t find in dashboards or rankings

LEADERS
get a grounded basis for decisions that affect real lives

how it works in each city

Every city tells its own story. That’s why I follow a simple rhythm, to capture how life really feels on the ground.

OBSERVE
I walk. I watch. I listen for the small signals that say a lot.

TALK
Coffee, street corners, workplaces. One simple question: what does living well mean here?

IMMERSE (new format)
I walk alongside locals for “ a day in the life of” to surface the quality-of-life pressures leaders rarely see.

CHECK REALITY
Local numbers and indicators – not as “truth”, but as contrast

SYNTHESIZE
I bring stories and data together, surface the real tensions underneath, and turn them into practical direction, captured in a report and a snapshot.

the four lenses how life’s are lived

These are the 4 backbones of Quality of Life –
on what’s available and how we experience it.

what the tour creates

QOL REPORT
the deep look

A 10-page reflection that blends data, lived stories, and systemic context. It shows how life actually feels – and what leaders can act on now.

SNAPSHOT
the human pulse

A short visual recap of tensions, quotes, and the moments that matter. Good for alignment, awareness, and starting the right conversations.

The QOL Reports and Snapshots form a mirror for cities – turning eveyday voices into clear signals for action.

how you can engage & support

CITY / INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTER
Enable a deeper local dive by supporting access, context, or publication of a city’s QOL Snapshot or Report. This helps translate lived experience into shared insight that can inform real decisions.

BUSINESS / TRAVEL SUPPORTER
Support the journey through accommodation, workspace, mobility, or access. Travel and business partners become part of the lived context that shapes the observations.

LOCAL CITY GUIDE / CONNECTOR
Point me to the places where real life happens; join a field walk connect me with people, or share the local pulse.

TRAVEL BUDDY
Join the journey on the road or behind the microphone – supporting storytelling, observation, or simply sharing the experience. It’s not a job. It’s a journey with purpose (and, yes, probably some bad coffee)

STORY SHARER / INTERVIEWEE
Share your story, your wins, struggles, and small daily rituals that shape your quality of life. We’ll record it over coffee, a walk, or wherever life happens – your voice adds to the bigger picture.