Every brand needs a story, every story needs a hero. Where's yours? I'm Roel, a freelance copywriter, travel writer, destination marketeer, and SEO writer. Apart from my 4+ years of freelancing experience, I've also succumbed to wanderlust and have been traveling the world since 2019. My travel writing and volunteering work have landed me in many unique situations that taught me everything from random tricks to invaluable soft skills in many different roles. I've been a (novice) painter, handyman, wilderness guide, willing listener, reindeer handler, lasso thrower, and dog caretaker. I've sat and talked with business men, students, farmers, and nomads and I've been fortunate enough to experience a slice of their daily lives. What am I trying to say here? I'm saying that besides the needs of businesses and the technical demands of SEO marketing, I also learned a lot about what drives people, what goes on in their lives, and how to connect to audiences from all walks of life. So let's work together to put these insights to good use! I'm always eager to create new stories and epic tales that leave lasting impressions.…

Roel Zerner

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Every brand needs a story, every story needs a hero. Where's yours? I'm Roel, a freelance copywriter, travel writer, destination marketeer, and SEO writer. Apart from my 4+ years of freelancing experience, I've also succumbed to wanderlust and have been traveling the world since 2019. My travel writing and volunteering work have landed me in many unique situations that taught me everything from random tricks to invaluable soft skills in many different roles. I've been a (novice) painter, handyman, wilderness guide, willing listener, reindeer handler, lasso thrower, and dog caretaker. I've sat and talked with business men, students, farmers, and nomads and I've been fortunate enough to experience a slice of their daily lives. What am I trying to say here? I'm saying that besides the needs of businesses and the technical demands of SEO marketing, I also learned a lot about what drives people, what goes on in their lives, and how to connect to audiences from all walks of life. So let's work together to put these insights to good use! I'm always eager to create new stories and epic tales that leave lasting impressions.…

Available to hire

Every brand needs a story, every story needs a hero. Where’s yours?

I’m Roel, a freelance copywriter, travel writer, destination marketeer, and SEO writer.

Apart from my 4+ years of freelancing experience, I’ve also succumbed to wanderlust and have been traveling the world since 2019. My travel writing and volunteering work have landed me in many unique situations that taught me everything from random tricks to invaluable soft skills in many different roles.

I’ve been a (novice) painter, handyman, wilderness guide, willing listener, reindeer handler, lasso thrower, and dog caretaker. I’ve sat and talked with business men, students, farmers, and nomads and I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a slice of their daily lives.

What am I trying to say here?

I’m saying that besides the needs of businesses and the technical demands of SEO marketing, I also learned a lot about what drives people, what goes on in their lives, and how to connect to audiences from all walks of life.

So let’s work together to put these insights to good use! I’m always eager to create new stories and epic tales that leave lasting impressions.

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Language

Dutch
Fluent
English
Fluent
German
Intermediate

Work Experience

Destination Content Specialist at Self-employed
August 1, 2025 - Present
In my role as a travel writer, I have started specializing in promoting rural and out-of- the-way destinations for adventurous outdoor tourism. I collaborate with local initiatives (both business and/or NGO) to create content and set up activities that benefit local, long-term, and sustainable tourism. From writing web content to designing cycling/hiking routes, I add sustainable value to local tourism initiatives.
Copywriter/Content Specialist at Playtech Managed Services
December 1, 2021 - November 30, 2022
As the main copywriter and content specialist for their Dutch desk, I created text-based SEO-ready content, wrote templates for customer service and translated documents for Playtech Managed Services, a subsidiary of one of the largest online gaming software companies.
Content specialist at bol.com
October 1, 2020 - January 15, 2021
As a Content Specialist, I supported marketing teams in updating, editing and creating SEO-ready website content for Bol.com, the largest online retail platform in the Netherlands. This was a temporary position.
Freelance Copywriter/Editor at Self-employed
January 1, 2018 - Present
Since early 2018, I have been working on various freelance writing and editing projects, from full-featured travel essays and voice-over scripts to post-editing of AI translations. Brands I have worked with include Apple, Indeed.nl, Shopify, Altenar, and Holland Casino, to name a few. I specialize in writing web copy, proofreading, MTPE/Dutch localisation, and on-page SEO. Feel free to check out my portfolio on roelzerner.com.
Owner/blogger at Beat The Trail
February 1, 2017 - Present
An English-language travel blog promoting sustainable travel, adventurous destinations and long-distance hiking trails. While building this website, I have spent several years traveling the world to find unique destinations for outdoor tourism. This has helped me develop skills in everything from content creation to online marketing, SEO-driven campaigns and B2C communication.

Education

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Qualifications

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Industry Experience

Travel & Hospitality, Professional Services, Non-Profit Organization
    Shopify: Localization and SEO in content marketing

    When Shopify needed to localize their blog section for the Dutch market, they were looking for a professional that could deliver consistent quality in editing machine-translated copy, a process known as MTPE.

    That’s why I was contacted on their behalf by Contentoo, a content marketing agency I work with. Over the course of several months, I got to work on localization, improving on-page SEO, and editing hundreds of machine-translated articles.

    I turned rough AI-translated drafts into properly localized blog content, optimized for new SEO keywords with an authentically Dutch tone of voice and consistent writing quality.

    The project is still ongoing, as the client is very satisfied with my output and consistent quality.

    (See my portfolio site roelzerner.com for examples and more info)

    Apple: localization website audit

    In May 2026, I was hired by OLIVER agency to work on a localization audit for Apple’s Dutch website. Over the course of several weeks, I checked nearly 20.000 words worth of copy to verify its adherence to Apple’s marketing style guide and tone of voice.

    (See my portfolio site roelzerner.com for examples and more info)

    Outside Escape: City tours with a twist!

    Outside Escape needed someone to edit their website copy and translate their tours when I contacted them in late 2023.

    What did they get? A copywriter that brought an extra bit of jazz to their web copy; a little twinkle in the eye of their online presence.

    Over the course of 7 months, I rewrote most of their website content and translated their new tone of voice to their English pages as well. I also got to work on their digital tours; not only by translating their Dutch content, but also by bringing an extra bit of flair to the tone and style of these online, interactive city explorations.

    (See my portfolio site roelzerner.com for examples and more info)

    The result?

    A happy client! I continue to work with Outside Escape to this day, providing occasional translation and copywriting services.

    Altenar: Translation for iGaming software development

    Altenar, one of the world’s leading B2B software providers for the online gaming industry, was looking for translators to localize their online content for European markets. After a short round of interviews, I was contracted to help them translate their English content into Dutch.

    I went to work on translating, localizing, and occasionaly rewriting everything from blog posts and product pages to industry insights and market analysis reports.

    In addition, I was provided with training to round out my knowledge of Altenar’s products and the iGaming industry as a whole.

    (See my portfolio site roelzerner.com for examples and more info)

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