Another year over. I am sitting here in Mexico, trying to find a suitable beginning for this post. A beginning for the end, so to say. It’s been a rough year, when it comes to my professional life, as 2016 ended with a bang, restructuring processes are never fun and the first 6 months of 2017 were stressful, frustrating and exhausting. At the same time, it’s been an unbelievably incredible travel year and I think that one thing has led to and influenced the other at least a little bit.

Being stressed at home has made me appreciate my time abroad even more and I feel like I’ve gained so much, took time for myself and regained energy while doing so. Traveling was always my biggest motivator in 2017 and will probably always play an essential part in my life, no matter what year it is. I am beyond grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to travel as much as I do, especially this year, being on sabbatical at this very moment. Work, family, friends, an entire support system that stands behind me, while I keep running off every chance I get to see this beautiful world.

Looking back, I am leaving this year happy and sad at the same time. Sad, because I have made incredible memories the past three months and I am sad that time is running way to fast. Happy, because I have five more months to explore, many more experiences to live through, amazing places to see, new people to meet and to reunite with loved ones. But before I am starting into the new year (we are celebrating in Mexico City – whoop whooooop), I want to relive this past year a little more. So, here is a short recap of my best offs in 2017 (and as last year, I am traveling, so forgive me for some pics, I had to take what was available haha).

Prague, Czech Republic

I am a shitty planner when it comes to New Years. While some people plan their trips or parties months and months in advance, I just can’t be bothered and hope eventually something will come up. And so before Christmas last year, Henni and I decided to go and visit Sean in Prague for New Years, which turned out to be two days of great parties in a beautiful city. And, my favorite twins came all the way up there, too. Great way to start 2017!

Athens, Greece

As I said, it was all about taking little breaks this year. So in February, I’ve decided to go on a little weekend getaway by myself and Athens was the perfect fit. The weather was perfect (especially in comparison to Berlin’s shitty winter weather), so exploring the city was even more enjoyable. I met cool people, saw amazing things and had yummy food. What else can you ask for, right? You can read more about my Athens adventure here.

Miedzyzdroje, Poland

We all worked together at some point or another and eventually became friends and after growing especially close this year, I couldn’t imagine life without these girls (Miss you!). Our first girls trip in March was to Miedzyzdroje, Poland. It’s a pretty chill little beach town on the Baltic Sea and because we wanted something easily reachable, this was a good fit for our road trip. We had such a fun time, just chilling, walking along the beach, talking, eating and drinking polish vude (even after breakfast). Soon again, girls!

Faro & Lisbon, Portugal

I absolutely fell in love with Portugal in April. I’ve never been before but could for sure imagine moving to Lisbon for a little bit in my life. The hostels we stayed in were fun, the cities were super cute and we had really nice weather and even better food there. I definitely want to go back there to work on my surf skills and explore the country even more. You can read more about it here and here.

Naples, Italy

My dad is awesome and that’s why we had to celebrate his retirement this year with a special trip in May. He wanted to go to Naples to see the volcano and Pompeii and my sister and I were happy to accompany him during this nice, long weekend. And even though we heard mixed things about the city, we really liked the vibe of it and had a great time. Read more about the tip here.

Chicago & Kentucky, USA

Its not a secret that i absolutely love Chicago, especially because I used to live there. So, every year, I am trying to fly back there to visit friends and come home to this beautiful city. This year, I was lucky that in addition to Chicago, my dear friend Brian invited me to come to his yearly Kentucky vacation with him and his family in June. It was such a good time of drinking, chilling on the boat and eating good food. Special thanks to Bri, Karl, Anney and Nick for taking me with you guys! I’ll make you call me Kevin… (inside joke haha).

Summer in Berlin

If you can even call it summer, that is. Weather wise, it was probably one of the shittier summers we have seen in Germany. But that, of course, didn’t hold us back from enjoying Berlin anyways. Thai Wiese, Gleisdreieckpark, Club der Visionäre, Klunkerkranich, Food Market Bite Club, Mauerpark and karaoke, Karneval der Kulturen, Markthalle 9, etc. Just the usual crowd spending #qualitytime together. Haha

Leipzig, Germany

For Henni’s Birthday, we went on a little city and amusement park trip to Leipzig in July. Again, this one was a first for me as I’ve barely traveled in the eastern part of Germany yet (I know, shame on me). We spent a day at Belantis, as Henni really likes amusement parks, and the next day exploring the city a little bit.

Films & Zurich, Switzerland

Can you hear wedding bells ringing? My dear Caro invited me to her wedding in September, which took place in beautiful Films in Switzerland. The view from my room was incredible, the wedding obviously beautiful, the bride looked stunning and we had a great party. The next day, I was able to spend a couple of hours on Zurich and explored the city a little bit (I’ve never been to Switzerland before, don’t judge haha). Switzerland has such beautiful landscape and I am dying to go back there (but, I have to say 14 Swiss francs for kebab might be a bit extreme, don’t you think? Haha).

Beginning of world tour in October

The first three months of my sabbatical – what an incredible time it has been (incredible is my new fav word by the way). We started in Rio to soak up some sun, flew down to El Calafate, Argentina, took a bus over to Chile and went up, up, up. Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua and now I am in Mexico. I am beyond happy that I’ve decided to make this step. The places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met. I am just really, really thankful for that. All of the countries were special, some places a little more than others, but in general, I am very happy with the route I’ve picked (but as always, I would change moving so quickly, so next time, ill just do it in my own paste). I think the biggest surprise for me during the past three month was Nicaragua, as it is an absolutely beautiful country, lots to do and see and especially Ometepe is breathtaking. This also counts for Ecuador, as I had not really any expectations (you hear so much good about Peru, Chile, Colombia… so I always expected good things anyways) and I was positively surprised about how rich and diverse this country really is. But really, i have enjoyed it all and I want to say a big thank you to all the people on this trip who have helped shape unforgettable memories.

2018

So, what’s next? As I said, I still got 5 more months to go. Hawaii is next and I am super stoked about spending some time in Oahu and Maui. And then it’s over to Asia, where I will see my sister and my dad (so excited!) in Taiwan again. Next stop will be Vietnam with my sister and Henni, but then we are still very flexible on where to go next. We do want to go to Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and Borneo. From April on I have two more months that I will be traveling by myself and that means making a decision. Initially I wanted to go to Bali and then Nepal. But spending time in South America made me realize that I need some more time here, so I am debating to go back for a bit. As I am changing my mind every couple of days, I guess we will see how things work out. For now, I am enjoying my time in Mexico and celebrate the New year with my dear Stella, a shit load of tacos and some more cocktails.

To all of you – I am wishing you a very happy and healthy new year, may it be filled with lots of love, happiness and tons of travels! See ya in 2018!