Meet Travel Massive Chicago Chapter Leader, Arnold

It’s time to get to know some more about our Travel Massive Chicago Chapter Leader, Arnold Duijzer. Born in the Netherlands, worked in India and now living in Chicago.

Here’s his story.

Arnold Duijzer serves as Program Manager for Spark Ventures, a Chicago based nonprofit. He was born in the Netherlands, where he lived until he graduated from Tilburg University as a Master of Science in Leisure Studies in 2007. Before moving to Chicago with his wife Arnold lived and worked in New Delhi, India for five and a half years. There he worked for a travel agency. In his current role at Spark Ventures he is responsible for group trips to Nicaragua and Zambia, as part of Spark Ventures’ unique impact travel program.

How did you first get involved with Travel Massive?

I first got involved with Travel Massive while living in New Delhi, where I co-organized a Travel Massive event. When moving to Chicago I realized that a Travel Massive event would be a great opportunity for me to get to know interesting people in Chicago.

What motivates you to be part of Travel Massive?

The opportunity to meet people, to talk about travel, and to learn about everything related to travel.

What kinds of current or emerging startups, travel companies, and tourism initiatives exist?

Chicago is a fantastic city for Travel Massive meet-ups as some of the world’s greatest travel companies are headquartered in Chicago, yet Chicago is also home to an exciting group of start-ups, travel bloggers, and tourism initiatives.

Do you do anything unique at your meet-ups? 

We’ve done trivia and ice-breakers at our meet-ups, but I would love to hear what other chapters do. Travel Massive meet-ups should be fun!

Have you made any partnerships from being part of the community?

Travel Massive has helped me professionally through the great people I have met through the platform as well as at events. A lot of the people I have met, have contributed to the work I do at Spark Ventures, and the impact our organization has on the lives of 500+ of the most vulnerable children in Nicaragua and Zambia.

Do you have a past event that was your favorite?

The event we organized with the South Dakota tourism board featured a visit of President Washington, one of the Mount Rushmore Presidential Mascots. With Visit Tuscon we organized the event at iFly, where everyone could try out indoor skydiving.

What is your best advice to a newcomer who wants to attend a Travel Massive event for the first time?

Register and attend! I am sure you will meet some fun and interesting people. Have you ever met a travel enthusiast who is not fun to be around?

Leader of the pack is a monthly series that profiles organizers from Travel Massive meet-ups around the world. You can follow Arnold on Travel Massive.