Jochem Jansen was born and raised in Elburg, a small city located in the middle of The Netherlands. After his Bachelor study Tourism Management he worked as a travelagent for small scale, custom-made travel to New Zealand. During his studies he also lived in New Zealand for a while and during this time he developed his passion and interest for sustainability.

After his job as travelagent, Jochem started his Master study International Leisure and Tourism Studies in 2010 and graduated in 2011. He then worked for several years for the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI), a research institute connected to Stenden University and he is currently lecturer for the Leisure Management Bachelor programme at Stenden. Jochem joined the research group in September 2015 and currently focusses on (follow-up) research on values and motivations of young people in relation to travel and holidays.