Leaving Berlin

May 11, 2017

On the weekend I went on a first little trip with a friend. We successfully tested the fridge and enjoyed some cold beers at a lake near Berlin. The weather finally got better and we could get a sense of the summer that would hopefully come soon.

Relaxing and drinking a beer at a lake

What a great feeling: We can sit down, enjoy the sunset and have some beers without worrying about how to get back home. My home is right behind us and we can sleep wherever we are!

Relaxing and drinking a beer at a lake

After such a great weekend, I tested my office setup. I worked two days in the van near my house with a prepaid SIM card from ALDI TALK. Everything worked like a charm: video calls, screen sharing and pairing sessions. No lags or any connectivity issues.

Working in the mobile office in front of my house

I was finally ready to “move” into the van. Deciding which items to bring with me was not a big deal. First off, I lived in a small apartment and didn’t own that many things. Second I was already traveling a lot since I started my remote job at GitHub a year ago. Basically I already lived out of my backpack. I actually had more issues filling all the drawers in my van than leaving stuff in Berlin: all my tools, some clothes, my hammock, my guitar and my bicycles. That’s it!

I’m not planning to use the chemical toilet; too much hassle emptying the container all the time and I really don’t want to drive my own shit through Europe. So I turned the bathroom into a storage room. Enough space for my downhill bike and my all time favorite folding bike:

Working in the mobile office in front of my house

After a great dinner with my sister and some friends we took a last pose in front of the van …

Posing in front of the van

… before I hit the road at 10pm towards Hamburg.

On the highway towards Hamburg

I’m so exciting, I’m finally starting my journey! First I want to drive around Germany, visit friends and family and get familiar with the van. After driving through Germany, I’d like to head further down south to Italy. Then maybe France? Spain? Portugal? I have all the essentials on board that I need for my job. I’m not on vacation so there’s no budget or time limit. I’m all free. Let’s see where the roads take me!