Introduction: I am on my way!

4/7/2024

Slowly, the RE9 train is pulling into Aachen from Wissen Hauptbahnhof. The sun shines into the sparsely occupied wagon. It feels like the first real summer day. Is there a better moment to start your world trip?

My parents brought me to the station to give me one last hug before departure. Mom visibly feels uncomfortable and would rather not let me go at all. I can understand that feeling well. The past few nights, I could hardly sleep due to excitement. Or perhaps it was also fear that kept me awake. Sometimes I can barely distinguish the feelings. The fear of the unknown. The voices in my head telling me, “it’s not so bad here, just stay in Morsbach.” But that strategy doesn’t really get you anywhere. This is my third longer journey in a year. The excitement is the same every time and won’t change in the future either.

My first backpacking trip in spring 2023

My first real backpacking trip ever took me through Eastern Europe and the Balkans in early 2023. Shortly before, I quit my jobs. I just wanted to get out into the world. I carried a 120-liter trekking backpack on my back and a camera backpack in front of my chest, which I lovingly called “my office.” With my slim figure, I must have looked quite funny. In the hostels, the staff’s comments were predictable, worrying about my well-being with such a load. Back then, I was still quite inexperienced and had things with me that I never needed on the way (e.g., a sleeping bag and an air mattress). Back then, I also started a travel blog. Like in the book series “Hector’s Journey or the Search for Happiness,” I wanted to learn more about happiness on the way and record the insights as lessons in the blog to share with others. However, I quickly fell behind in writing. It remained at three posts, which didn’t even take me out of Germany. You can find the old blog articles in the archive. If I find the time, I’ll publish a few more stories from this trip and share them with you. You will find them under the category “Travel 2023.”

What was the result of the first trip?

Honestly, I was more confused than before. I undertook the journey to find myself, to become happy, and then to start a career as a frontend developer in Germany. However, the journey rather revealed my personal issues. Although I had no obligations on the way (unlike my previous jobs), I often felt stressed. Sometimes this affected me physically because I didn’t listen to my body. The fear of missing out (FOMO) was too great. There was no time for rest in the travel planning. If I wanted to take a day off, the other guests in the hostel quickly persuaded me to go on an excursion or to a party. You’re never really alone in the hostel. I was on the road for almost three months and only sought my happiness externally. This led me to visit the most beautiful places with other backpackers, take a photo, and think, “Okay, that was cool. What’s next?” The feeling of happiness never really set in. I was always looking for a more beautiful place or a more impressive moment.

At the end of my journey, I realized that I couldn’t continue searching for happiness like this. Upon my return to Germany, I didn’t look for a new job. I tried to evaluate my journey and find a different approach to happiness. That’s when I came across the topics of mindfulness and meditation and devoured one book after another. I started doing yoga again and downloaded a meditation app. What I started with high motivation, however, became incredibly difficult after just one week. I was internally restless and had trouble being with myself. This paved the way for distractions like YouTube, Instagram, and the like. Later, I discovered books about Buddhism—or rather about people from Europe who visited a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. From this grew a thought in my mind:

Perhaps my next journey should be a journey to my inner self?

My monastery stay in Thailand

I quickly found something on the internet. There are dozens of offers for foreigners from three-day meditation retreats to “Monk for a month” programs, where they even shave your hair off. One evening at home when I mentioned the idea of a monastery stay, my father nearly fell off his chair. He had just come to terms with the idea of me becoming a programmer, and now I’m becoming a Buddhist monk? That was too much for him. Ultimately, I went through with my plan and flew to Thailand for a three-week Vipassana program. The time in the monastery was honestly not easy but opened my eyes in many ways.

On the monastery grounds, I was accommodated in a single room: Room 404. Anyone who knows a bit about web development will smile like I did. “Error 404 - Site not found.” That fit well with the search for myself! If you want to read more about my monastery stay, you will soon find posts about it in the category “Room 404: Person not found.”

So did I find happiness in the monastery? In a way, yes. But it would be too simplistic to think that three weeks in the monastery solve all the problems in life. The meditation techniques taught helped me to feel myself better again. Likewise, the distance from everyday life helped clarify some life priorities. However, there is still a long way to go.

This third journey I’ve just embarked on will deal a lot with life and happiness topics that I want to take you along with me on. I don’t have a travel plan. If all goes well, the journey will take me around the world. Instead of flying, I will only travel by land and water. My first destination is Paris. Then it’s on to Madrid, where I’ll visit a friend I met in the monastery. If all goes well, I’ll find someone to take me by boat to Italy. And then it’s always further east. Whether everything goes as planned, only time will tell. It might all turn out differently! Overall, I’ll be traveling longer this time. I’ve got health insurance for two years, but it doesn’t have to take that long.

Traveling the World with a Ukulele

Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing! Since I’m an enthusiastic ukulele player, my travel ukulele couldn’t be missing on the journey. Even better: there’s an active ukulele club in every major city that’s open to all ukulele players. I’m already visiting my first club abroad tomorrow evening in Paris! I can’t wait to connect with other ukulele enthusiasts and meet locals. That’s going to be a lot of fun! You can find more about my ukulele stories in the corresponding category. But now enough of the introduction and enjoy exploring my blog!