About me
An entrepreneurial nerd that is always on the lookout for unique experiences and lives for wonderful stories..
Nice to meet you!
Hi! I'm Fabiën
A 23-year-old whirlwind born and raised in a small village in the Netherlands with a big passion for experiential marketing and storytelling and the ambition to work for the themed entertainment industry while discovering the world.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination for stories. I hung on my parents’ every word when they read from the big fairy tale book. Once a year, we visited the Efteling, and that was always the most magical day of the year. From the moment I found a bachelor called “Attractions and Theme Park Management,” I enrolled immediately and never looked back. Curious where this passion started? Continue reading about my story!
What makes me happiest is when people have a good time, get immersed in the most magical worlds, and return home with beautiful memories...
Where to find me?
I live in New York City
Since October 2022, I’ve moved to the city that never sleeps for a year to do a traineeship.
Bachelor & Master
After completing my bachelor’s degree in Leisure & Events with a specialization in Attractions and Theme Park Management, I decided I wasn’t done with studying yet, so I delved into the science of experiences during my master’s degree in Leisure & Tourism Studies.
I have a travel blog!
I’ve been running a travel & leisure blog for a couple of years now called Fabtastictravels.com where I share about my adventures.
My story
About where my passion for themed entertainment started...
The moment the priest asked me what I wanted to become when I grew up during my communion in a quiet church, the answer was loud and clear: “Director of the Efteling”.
It all started with a tradition that began in my father’s childhood. My grandparents couldn’t afford to go on vacation, but once a year, my father was allowed to go to the Efteling, a theme park in the Netherlands, with his parents. For him, it was the most magical day of the year.
This tradition never stopped when my father raised us. Every year, our family visited the Efteling, and every year, I became more convinced that this would be my future workplace. At the age of 5, I told employees that I would be their colleague someday. It didn’t matter to me whether it was as a cleaner; this was my dream. Fortunately, I was already convinced of my capabilities at a young age when I told the priest that I wanted to become the director of the Efteling.
From an early age, my father let us watch film classics, we regularly visited other parks like Disneyland, and I felt that my neighbor lacked general knowledge, so I decided to give her some theme park lessons.
At the age of ten, my parents gave me my first camera. This was the beginning of my first own business: “De Filmpjesclub” (The Little Movie Club). The recipe for success: my sister in front of the camera, me behind the camera. Soon, our birthday parties turned into film projects where I had the directing, script, makeup, camera, video editing, and marketing in my hands.
When my mother told me at the age of fourteen that there was a study where I could learn about managing theme parks, I immediately enrolled and didn’t feel the need to visit any other universities. I was immediately in love with Breda University of Applied Sciences and could already see myself studying there. Not only did I complete my bachelor’s degree there, I also obtained my master’s degree in 2022.
At the start of my studies, I also began a new side job at the recreation team of Camping de Paal. During my six years of working with this incredible team, I was able to create many memorable experiences, but also made memories myself that will stay with me forever.
As if a study and a side job wasn’t enough, I started doing some other side projects. I became more active on my travel blog, started being active on social media, and registered myself at the Chamber of Commerce as a freelance marketer. I’ve always been fascinated by entrepreneurship, and I love learning new skills, creating things, and making them grow.
After completing my master’s thesis with a 7.7 on July 7th, the day of the fairy tale, I wanted to fulfill one more dream before starting my work life…
Ever since I first visited New York with my father after graduating high school I kept saying one thing: I’m going to come back.
And although moving to New York wasn’t easy, I still can’t believe that I get to work in an office near Wallstreet and get to travel through America for my traineeship in marketing & events.
And this is where the story continues.. I’m not sure if this is the start of my hero’s journey but I know for sure that this dreamer isn’t done dreaming yet.