Hello, I’m Olaf Dijkstra, originally from the Netherlands, but since 2011 a Permanent Resident of Canada. In 2000, I visited Canada for the first time and it was love at first sight. Six years later I started my application process and moved with my family in 2011. You can say it was a ‘calling of the wild’ for me. Lots of space, nature, wildlife and ideal for me as I like to travel and take photos while travelling.
My hometown is West Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. Just 3.5 hours east of Vancouver and surrounded by mountains and lakes, it is the biggest wine region in the province. With long summers and skiing in the winter, how can you say no to this 4-season playground?
In 2014 I started On The Shelf Opportunities (www.otso.ca), helping small and medium-sized companies with their projects. One of those projects turned out to be perfect, being a tour guide in Western Canada for European tourists! Going on 17-day trips through BC and the Rockies meant a lot of photography of nature, wildlife and remote areas.
Another project of mine is Rosedale Getaway (http://www.airbnb.com/h/rosedale-getaway). I started this Airbnb in 2017 and since then it has generated a lot of good reviews. It is a great way of meeting new people and guide them locally. Helping them with their mini-holidays feels really good.
After years of taking photos, I recently purchased a Canon 90D to take even nicer pictures. This resulted in setting up my own photo website www.olafincanada.ca, wh
