Toine Rodenburg is a seasoned international investor and serial entrepreneur, known for his understanding of global markets and his ability to cultivate meaningful relationships. An avid traveler, he credits his globetrotting with bringing him not only insights into many unique places and cultures but also opening his eyes to several new business opportunities and influencing his outlook on the evolving global business landscape. Originally from Amsterdam, Toine Rodenburg has previously run operations out of Curacao in the Caribbean and Miami in the United States. He is currently based in Portugal.
Q: In the past, you’ve put a lot of emphasis on how your travels have influenced your investment decisions and inspired you to create new companies. Can you expand on that idea?
TOINE RODENBURG: Absolutely. There’s nothing that triggers creativity more than travel. It brings ideas faster than anything else I know. Most of the big light bulb moments I can remember have come while wandering the streets of an unfamiliar city, or exploring the ruins of an ancient culture. It just frees me up and opens my mind to new ways of thinking. I think staying stuck in one corner of the globe is a recipe for stagnation.
Q: Is there a strategy for travel that you like to follow?
TOINE RODENBURG: One strategy that’s made it more enjoyable for me is bringing along my own form of transportation. You can get there by plane, train or ship, and I’ve done all of those – but I like to bring along my motorcycle if I can. I’m a bit of an engine hobbyist, and I’ve fixed up my Harley Davidson over the course of many years. There’s no better way to travel by road, especially when you’re experiencing places for the first time. And it’s great to have my own bike with me as I venture into new places. I also love traveling on my boat, which is a 1977 Contessa 32. Right now, it’s getting a full refit in a shipyard in Lymington in the UK, but it’s a wonderful way to see different cities on the coast. And I also love getting out in my camper truck, which I fashioned from a 1992 Mercedes 2635 fire truck. In fact, during the past year, it’s probably been the vehicle I’ve used the most. It’s sturdy and dependable and works well enough off-road.
Q: Do you like heading out without any real sense of where to go, or what to expect? Or are you a super-planner?
TOINE RODENBURG: It’s a mixture of the two, frankly. Sometimes I have to go to a specific destination for an in-person meeting or to check on an investment or project. I always try to use those trips as an excuse to take a detour somewhere nearby, ideally on a whim. And then sometimes I take off without any real sense of where I’m going – those adventures are usually the most satisfying and memorable.
Q: Are there some places that you’ve visited over and over, that you’re drawn back to for a certain reason?
TOINE RODENBURG: There are destinations associated with my businesses that I make a habit of visiting. And there’s some satisfaction in that, with discovering new things about a place you’ve been before. But if it’s a trip I’m planning from scratch, I usually choose somewhere new. I have that craving to see new things, absorb new cultures, and just experience things I haven’t before. I do like visiting my favorite cities multiple times, like New York or Paris, because there’s so much to see that you can never fit it all into one trip.
Q: Do you have any advice that you’d like to give to new investors or aspiring entrepreneurs?
TOINE RODENBURG: Sure – travel! Like I’ve said, seeing the world and navigating it as a traveler will affect you in ways you can never imagine, and it’s virtually all positive. Explore new countries and cities. Wander the countryside. Get lost. Challenge yourself. Take it all in. There are so many marvels to see, and you’ve only got one life to experience as many of them as possible.
