World Trip | Review: What happened and what’s coming?
In September 2022, I set off on a world trip. I traveled across three continents and found a second home I had never been looking for.
After almost three years, it’s time to set a new course.
The step into independence
For me, as for many other travelers, the world trip was a step into independence and freedom. Having no obligations, neither private nor professional. Being able to do whatever I wanted every day, whatever I felt like. A nomadic life in a backpack, at different places around the world. And that’s exactly how I lived.
I spent days at the most beautiful beaches, hours on bus tours at tearing speed, constantly waking up in new places — and then stayed in one place for weeks or even months. Just because I wanted to, because I liked it. And that fulfilled me deeply and I had so much fun. I wouldn’t want to miss a single experience, because each one has made me the person I am today.
A burst of growth
And so I realized that I have outgrown the life of a full-time traveler. Because eventually, even constant change on a long-term trip becomes routine. Don’t get me wrong - it’s never been boring to keep moving from place to place — quite the opposite. Rather, I came to appreciate arriving — in a country that was foreign to me and became my second home.
I came to Australia with the wish to travel the whole country within a year and occasionally work to boost my travel budget. What happened instead was 20 months of living in Melbourne — something I could never have dreamed of. I quickly got a job with leadership and management responsibilities in the hospitality industry, formed very close friendships, and built a life where I felt completely at home. I also traveled a lot and loved every second of it, just as much as the moments when I was back at my second home.
But even here, at some point, I realized that I wanted and needed to grow further. Even if I had been able to extend my visa, I wouldn’t have developed in the way I had hoped.
So once again, I had to say goodbye with a heavy heart — to a place that unexpectedly became the center of my life and a beloved home, and to people who became so close to me that I now count them among my closest friends.
The prospect
Is my world trip over now? Yes and no. Traveling will continue to be a big part of my life. However, I want my social connections from all over the world to have more space in it, as well as work that truely fulfills me. On my second Camino de Santiago in May/June 2025, I thought a lot about what my future life should look like.
So now I am utilizing my time in Germany to build a life that meets my new expectations. I want to pursue work where I can decide for myself with whom, where, when, and for how long I collaborate. At the same time, I want to travel without a time limit, without having to stress about checking off all the sights as quickly as possible. Just like I wrote in my blog article about slow travel.
Because it does not need to be an either - or. There is a life with the best of both worlds.
Finally, a word about the blog:
I have always really enjoyed writing. However, I also put a lot of pressure on myself and had perfectionistic demands that I eventually could no longer — and did not want to — meet. I took a two year-break but kept thinking about starting all over again. And now the time has come. Because I still have so much to tell, to show, and to share — from the past years and everything that is yet to come.
So stay tuned — more is yet to come.
