Home again!

Mid March 2025

We have been traveling around the world for almost half a year and are now on the final leg from Zurich to Hannover. Jörg is excited to be home, while I have mixed feelings.

The travel route was roughly discussed in advance, and only the flight to Cape Town and the first overnight stay at Stuart's was booked from Germany. All other flights and accommodations were booked from day to day. The price of flights partly determined where we would fly and when. We just went with the flow.

We intentionally took a lot of time for the Cape region and Tasmania without covering many kilometers. Tokyo came about due to the cheap flights. At first, I didn't think we would be traveling for so long.

Our World Tour in Numbers

• 8 countries and 42 cities
• 35 hotels, guesthouses, apartments or houses - that also means packing our suitcase 35 times
• 18 flights, takeoffs, and landings
• 4 rental cars (SA, La Reunion, WA, Tasmania), always driving on the left side
• 8 currencies and exchange rates
• At least 300 times connecting to Wi-Fi / the Internet
• At least 100 times getting around by UBER, GRAP, TUK TUK, taxi, bus, train, or subway
• 833 photos selected for the travel blog
• 20 washing machines (front-loading, top-loading, upside down, push or pull to start, liquid detergent, powder, drops) and various dryers experienced
• Toilet paper: felt hard, soft, or linty
• 2 doctor visits: Jörg needed a new dental splint in Bangkok and I had a blocked right ear in Cambodia, where I received a very pleasant ear irrigation from an ENT specialist

The Clothes

I packed clothes mainly for warm regions. However, it was somewhat cool in South Africa (October) and Tasmania (January), and in Tokyo, it was really cold (like in Germany). Jeans and a padded jacket definitely served their purpose.

After half a year, the sneakers are worn out and smell, the white clothes are no longer white, and one yearns for some variety.

Of course, we packed quite a bit too much, and therefore sent a package back home with DHL from La Reunion. Please do not ask how much that cost. The customs in Germany were kind enough to charge customs again on our clothes purchased in Germany.

The Travel Blog

I always knew that I would travel around the world after work - that was always my dream. And that I would report on it.

In the beginning, I had a hard time publishing private photos from our trip on the travel blog, as the photos are indeed available to everyone on the World Wide Web. The first posts were also technically challenging: either the login didn't work, we had no internet, or the photos couldn't be uploaded. That's why the blog didn't launch until November.

Our Encounters

We met wonderful people everywhere on our world tour. The kindness, helpfulness, calmness, and joy of life continuously surprised us!

Our enthusiastic thank you goes to 💜

• Stuart and the unforgettable view on Breaside Road
• Tammy for the perfect hairstyle in Cape Town
• Hans for his wine tips in Stellenbosch
• Tim and his treehouse in Franschhoek
• Ian for the thought flight over Constantia
• Sarah and the HAVEN in Siem Reap
• Nicesiem for the delicious Khmer curry in Siem Reap
• Tony for the meeting in Bangkok
• Brette in the laundromat in Swan Valley and his tips for Western Australia
• Rainer and his greenhouse in Port Arthur
• The wonderful baker on Bruny Island
• Tom for the impressive journey into the past in Hobart
• To all of you for the connection to Germany via WhatsApp
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Our special thanks go to two people without whom we could not have taken off 🧡

• Mrs. W.: Thank you so much for keeping our home so wonderful and lovingly in shape. We appreciate you very much!
• My dad: At 87 years old, you drove to our house every week, checked on things, took our mail, opened it, and sent it to us via WhatsApp, called us, and kept us updated about the family and political situation - heartfelt thanks for that!

The world tour was one of my best decisions in my life. The experiences and memories are unforgettable, and I am curious how I will think, feel, and live back home in Germany.

BULA BULA

Good day, I wish each of you happiness and health 💜🧡💜