So, this is it. My travels have come to an end. Can you believe it? 9 months over, just like that. I know, I still have a couple of countries to upload and I definitely will in the following couple of days, but I will be flying to Germany today and so I just felt the urge to write down some thoughts about the past 9 months.

And so it began

Ive always been a traveler, at least ever since I left for Chicago 10 years ago and apparently caught a travel bug. From then on, it was clear that I would study abroad, that I would use every chance I get to travel and also that, once I hit work life, I would eventually take time off to go on a bigger backpacking trip again. And so after I graduated with my masters degree, I decided that in two years time, I would be heading out again. Henni and I had always been talking about it hypothetically, as both of us always wanted to do it and had done quite a lot of travels together already. Of course nobody can predict the future and doesn’t really know where life is taking you, but by the end of 2016, things got more and more specific. We started deciding on countries, saved up even more money and started to mentally preparing our families and friends. For me, the timing of doing the trip could have not been better and this Sabbatical was the light at the end of the tunnel. As I mentioned at the beginning of my trip, my team went through a long and very painful restructuring process, which made me feel stuck, frustrated and in desperate need for a break.

However, as months passed by and October, our starting date of our trip, approached, anxiety kicked in. After all, for the first time in 10 years, I’ve actually settled down a bit in Berlin. And by settling down I mean I rented my first apartment and actually put some furniture in it. This might sound strange for many, but over the past 10 years, I have been moving around a lot and was constantly in a state in between different cities and countries. And I absolutely loved it. So for me, signing a contract for an apartment for at least one year was a huge commitment. And I guess finally, after being in a place for 2,5 years, comfort had set in. So giving all of these securities up for traveling the world was always a done deal, but not necessarily easy. Every contract that I cancelled over the upcoming weeks before my trip was a relieve and a scare at the same time. Telling my boss that I would take a break was even scarier. But eventually, i got over all of this and received incredible support from my company, my family and my friends (and having a friend by your side that is going through the same thing really helped). So, I organized everything, said goodbye to my friends and left my Berlin life behind. I think insecurities at the beginning of a trip are normal, but shouldn’t hold you back from chasing your dream. 9 months is a long time and even though I’ve lived abroad quite a bit and travelled regularly, this was a new experience and you never know how it will actually turn out.

But the moment I stepped on that plane to Brazil, excitement and determination took over and I knew that this was, no matter how this would all turn out, the best decision I could have made.

Go Big or Go Home

Of course I had certain expectations on this trip such as getting my Padi divers license, improving my surfing, hiking up to Torres del Paine (thanks again for closing the trek on us, I’ll be back!), etc. but for the rest of it all, i just really wanted to go with the flow and see where the wind would take me, always keeping in mind the most important rule – travel with no regrets and doing what I always wanted to do and what makes me happy. And I am glad that I actually managed to do so.

For starters, i fell even deeper in love with Latin America (and as a result, i even changed my plan to end my trip in Nepal, extended my sabbatical for a month and flew back to South America with a two week stop in South Africa, which wasn’t on the list before at all, but always had been a dream). I went sky diving again. I took spanish lessons (which was more or less successful haha still learning tho). I snorkeled with whale sharks, turtles, manta and sting rays and many other ocean creatures. I saw huge ass anacondas in the Amazon jungle, lions chilling in the grass right next to our car in south africa, I saw orangutans in the jungle of Borneo and jumped through plankton–sparkling water in Mexico. I practiced my surfing. I talked to a lot of strangers. I climbed up active volcanos and dove down deep in the sea (after passing my Padi Open Water license). I wrote my blog. I finally volunteered in a hostel and spent 5 crazy weeks in Buenos Aires. I traveled with friends, with my sister and by myself. I met amazing people in one country and saw them again in another. I tried a lot of local beers (I should probably open my own brewery now) and even more local food. I stayed in a shit load of great hostels and a few crappy ones. I boarded 50+ flights and sat cramped up in local busses way too many times.

But most importantly, I got to experience different cultures and people in 16 incredible countries, which has given me so much more insights, understanding and acceptance for the world we are living in. I made connections with people that I would have never met otherwise, shared stories, lots of laughters and memories. And I learned a shit load of things about myself, about what I am capable of, what I want and don’t want and which lessons I still have to learn in life. And after all, isn’t that what traveling is all about?

About endings and new beginnings.

So, this is it. 9 months just passed by like it‘s no biggy. I remember the anxiety I had last year to quit all my contracts, to sublet my apartment and to tell my boss I was going to leave for a while. And at the same time the excitement that I could finally talk about it. That this was finally happening, after two years of waiting. And then you start preparing and you go on this trip and it really is the most incredible time and you love every minute of it. And then it’s suddenly over. Goodbye world, hello reality. And you have to return to Germany. To the same city, the same flat, the same job. Definitely a step backwards, I thought for the longest time and was really struggling with this thought. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to see my friends and my family again, but they know too well, how i usually struggle with returning to Germany.

I’ve been thinking about returning quite a lot the past couple of days. It’s true, i feel so full after all these new experiences, I have so much love for these past 9 months, would love to freeze all of these moments to hold them longer and i am so happy that I’ve been living with a sense of freedom and flexibility, that my reality at home just does not provide. And it is a fact that it will be extremely hard to return to a life that I’ve left behind 9 months ago.

BUT here is were I’ve been thinking wrong for all these weeks. I won’t return to the same old Berlin life, because one very important thing has changed: ME. Even though I will go back to a familiar environment, i have new perspectives about what i really want out of my life, new stories to tell, new goals that I want to achieve and the drive and new energy to work towards them. I still want to learn so much in my field of profession and in my personal life and returning to my old life does not necessarily mean a step backwards, but rather (when done right) opens up new chances, new grounds for discussions and experiences and I will take this chance and just go from there. Realizing all of this is a first step towards change and change always means a new chapter in life. And I think now more than ever I can say I am ready for what the future holds in store for me. As long as it includes a lot of traveling, I’ll be fine!

In the end, there is really just one thing left to say: CHEERS, to all you amazing people and places (and dogs) for making me feel at home no matter where I was going. World, I am out for now! Germany, bring it!