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When my father, an oncologist at a pharmaceutical company, was offered a position in the Netherlands for a year, we decided to move.

But our family of four liked it so much that we decided to stay for three more years, which was my worst fear. Biking—being able to get around by myself, unlike in America, became my favorite pastime.

In the Netherlands, everyone, from five-year-olds to 95-year-olds, bikes everywhere.

That was to be the beginning of my love for cycling.

Biking is not rocket science. But when biking in the Netherlands, there are a few things to remember.

One, bikers always have priority on the road, even over cars.

Two, almost nobody wears a helmet while biking.

Three, almost every road has a bike lane that makes cycling easier.

One of the first things that I learned in life was to “read the room”—or country, in this case. An example of this is to notice the presence of bikes—when, where, why, and how they are. When I first got to the Netherlands, I saw hundreds of bikes parked and people riding bikes through the streets. There were also few cars. This screamed “bicycling rules!” to me.

Before I moved to the Netherlands, I was used to my parents taking me everywhere. Not so in the Netherlands. Again everyone, from age five to 95, rides bikes. Something else that surprised me was that there were bike trails everywhere. We didn’t need a map, and if we did, we would use Google Maps. Put in a destination and pick your transportation mode as “biking.” This will tell you where the trails are and if they go where you want to go.

One thing that made life easier was that there were bike racks outside of every store. You could lock up your bike with ease and do your shopping.

Another thing that I encountered when I had moved there was that there was a holiday to celebrate the King (Koningsdag). All people took the day off. King’s Day or birthday is celebrated on the 27th of April. People were supposed to wear orange on that day, and many did.

There were a lot of bike shops everywhere. They each offered a variety of bikes for different purposes.

An important thing to do as soon as possible is to learn bike etiquette. I did this by asking the people in the local bike stores. They’ll fill you in on any places you should avoid, including crowded areas where you might annoy other people by riding your bike when you should be walking it through the area. Many streets are narrow, and you run the risk of running into others if you’re riding.

People use little bike bells to let people know you want to go around or you’re passing them.

Many of the standard rules of biking anywhere typically apply to the Netherlands or other countries, but it’s smart to ask first.

There were a lot of different aged riders—little kids and really old people all biking. It wasn’t necessarily a teenager, young adult thing.

I found that looking at what people did on their bikes was interesting. We noticed people rode to and from work and did their grocery shopping or shopping in general on a bike.

There was no special biking clothing and no helmets. No one made fun of you if you did wear one, but they were so good at it that most didn’t wear one.

Bikers have priority over cars and pedestrians. It was something I just picked up from my friends, but check government websites before you get on your bike. Many cities or municipalities in the Netherlands have pages that outline traffic laws and rules for cycling. For example, Amsterdam and The Hague have cycling sections on their official city websites that cover regulations. I was in Utrecht, a fairly large city with 361,000-plus people, but they had no special regulations.

Consult bike rental shops or Dutch cycling agencies. Bike shop owners and cycling organizations like the Dutch Cycling Embassy are familiar with the laws and are happy to educate tourists and new residents. Many bike rental shops have the rules posted or include a brief guide with rentals.

Search online for bike handbooks. Several digital publications and PDF guides to cycling in the Netherlands are available online. These contain sections outlining traffic laws as they pertain to bicyclists with visual diagrams. Some are even in multiple languages.

Take a bike safety course. Some Dutch cities offer bike safety courses in English for immigrants and visitors that review traffic laws and safe riding techniques to help you safely integrate with Dutch bike culture.

Download cycling apps. Apps like the ANWB Dutch Bike Assistant have quizzes, animations, and summaries of road rules for cyclists in the Netherlands.

Make friends who like to ride. Almost all teenagers bike to school. There were school buses, but most of the people I knew biked to school. It was easy to make friends by biking somewhere common, whether it was a mall or a restaurant.

Bike with your parents when you can. Families like to bike together, so it’s easier to be with your parents when you’re biking. There were some big woods near us, so as a family, we’d pack a picnic and head into the woods for the day.

Be clear on what the story actually is and why it is important for cyclists—or best for cycling.

My parents liked the biking culture and being able to bike everywhere. People love to bike, and there are good bikers there. Me and my mom once saw someone take off their jacket and put it in their backpack without stopping their bike (the best I ever got was being able to bike without holding the handlebar).

The entirety of the Netherlands is about the size of New Jersey where I live now. Since the city is much smaller, I was able to move around by myself. My favorite place to go was the city center where I could go with my friends and get something to eat or just hang out with them. Flat tires were not a big deal because most bike shops had a repair kit outside to pump up your wheel by yourself. People start biking young. People still had cars, but in certain crowded places, it could take longer to go somewhere by car than by bike. People use baskets and saddle bags attached to their bikes to carry things.

The rain never deterred anyone from biking anywhere. Whether it was a storm or freezing cold, people still biked. Having a bike lock was important, especially in cities—otherwise your bike would get stolen.

There is a lot of green and parks everywhere. People really like to be outdoors.

To an extent, people there are also healthier. An example are my neighbors who were 80 and 90 years old and were always biking around in parks. There, people go to the grocery store every day, but instead of buying in large quantities, they only buy what they need for the day. The groceries are definitely fresher since people don’t need what they buy to last because they are going to use it the same day.

The culture and the people are a lot like America but also have their own unique ways—all of which I loved, especially biking. If you’re going to be visiting or moving to another country, be sure to check out the biking scene. It may change your life.

~

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