Time to say Goodbye!

I would like to say a few words here and thank you:

- Thank you to my girlfriend who has had my back throughout this year. She spent her entire annual leave traveling with me and now has very little leave left for the year. She also worked countless overtime hours to be there for me during my breaks in Berlin. She sat alone at home for almost a year, always having to work, yet never putting any obstacles in my way. A simple thank you is not enough here, but I really appreciate what I have with her and I'm super happy to be with her permanently again.

- Thank you to my readers for regularly giving me feedback and following my journey in this way.

- Thank you to life for this unique opportunity to travel the world.

- Thank you to all those who I randomly ran into on my journey and helped me move forward.

- Thank you beautiful Earth, for your indescribable nature and wildlife.

Since March 20, 2019, I have been back in Germany and already immersed in my life in Berlin, with all its ups and downs. But still, I want to take a moment to review my journey here.

Originally, the plan was to travel around the world. However, as the circumstances changed during the sabbatical/preparation years for this journey, I decided to let the year unfold without much planning. About 2-3 months before the start, I decided on my first destination, Canada, and it turned out to be a perfect choice. I wouldn't want to miss the time, especially on the West Coast of Canada! After that, my girlfriend and I traveled along the East Coast to Florida, exploring the USA.

After a short break in Berlin, I flew to South Africa and also had a wonderful and varied time there. Then I spent the summer in Berlin. We celebrated my birthday in Budapest and then spent another week at Lake Balaton before embarking on a two-week adventure through the Balkans at the end of August. In early October, my girlfriend and I flew to Moscow for five days to explore the city and watch Schalke's away game in the Champions League. We liked Moscow from the beginning and had a great time together.

Shortly after, I got on a plane again and flew farther than ever before. After about two days, I reached my final destination, Auckland, New Zealand. With a camper van, I explored both the North and South Islands for five weeks and enjoyed every second of this beautiful country. I would consider New Zealand the highlight of my journey. I still can't stop raving about it and regularly think back to my adventures there.

After New Zealand, I had a joint trip with my girlfriend through Southeast Asia. We backpacked through Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We were on the road for a total of seven weeks and experienced so many exciting and beautiful things together. Gerdi is still enthusiastic about Asia, and I'm sure we will return there soon. We celebrated Christmas together on the beach in Thailand before heading to Bangkok for New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks from afar in peace.

After we returned to Berlin, we spent a few more weeks together before I set off for the Caribbean at the end of January. After almost four weeks in Cuba, I look back fondly on this country, even though it was sometimes really challenging. Nevertheless, I would not want to miss this experience either. The last destination that I traveled with my girlfriend was Colombia. Colombia also managed to touch my heart, and I have very fond memories of it.

In total, I have traveled six continents and I am completely satisfied with my world trip! I must say that this route was created very spontaneously, and I booked the flights to my destinations just 1-2 weeks in advance. Since my girlfriend was also very flexible, I was able to realize my ideas and wishes easily. I never felt like I was missing out or not making the most of my year off. Any fears and worries were gone by the time I spent the first few weeks in Canada, and I was able to enjoy every moment of my year to the fullest. Now I'm looking forward to getting back into a regular daily routine. However, if I still had more free time, I would probably be sitting on a plane again tomorrow :)

So, I think enough has been said or written now, and I would like to leave you with a few numbers.

- 260 days of traveling

- 6 continents (America, Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia, South America)

- 17 countries (Canada, America, South Africa, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, Russia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Cuba, Colombia)

- 7 days and 8:30 hours spent on airplanes

- 118,430 kilometers traveled by plane in a straight line

But now it's time to end - one last time, thank you and goodbye!

P.S.: The selection of pictures in this post is not meant to be a best-of. With over 23,000 pictures in total, it is nearly impossible to choose the best ones. From the uploaded pictures, I created a calendar for the family throughout the year. I think it gives a good overview of the diversity of my journey.