Is Traveling Still Worth It?
After almost 35 years of travelling, I am beginning to ask a different question. Not simply “Where next?” but “What sort of journey do I actually want now?” …
Andi
Escape From East Germany: A 1989 Journey For Freedom
When Travel Means More Than Adventure In late summer 1989, I boarded a train to Poland with more on my mind than a visit to my girlfriend. I …
Beach Clean-Up on Tetiaroa: My Experience in Paradise with a Problem
This is a memory from September 2001, during the old hotel era on Tetiaroa. It does not describe present-day waste handling or conservation arrangements. September 2001 was my …
A Flight to Remember: Meeting Maimiti from Tahiti, a Polynesian Girl’s First Journey
In May 1996, I shared a flight from Tahiti to Los Angeles with Maimiti, a dancer I knew from a cultural village on Moorea. It was her first …
A Foreign Son-in-Law Must Be Found – How I Almost Became Someone’s Ticket Out of the Dowry Game in Sri Lanka
Between 1991 and 1994, I traveled to Sri Lanka three times. When you travel solo, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll meet locals. On my second trip, I somehow …
Is Travel still worth it? When travel Dreams meet Reality.
After more than three decades of travelling, I have started asking a question I once would have found rather unlikely: is every long-awaited trip still worth it? I …
Weimar: A Place Where Genius, Beauty, and Shadows Collide
Weimar has been part of my life since I was young. Back then it was about 45 minutes by train from my family’s home, yet it felt quite …
Beating the time between the travels: Creating My Own Tropical Escape at Home
When I was younger, the gaps between tropical trips could feel longer than the holidays themselves. A German winter is particularly good at making a travel brochure look …
What Makes the Philippines So Different from the Rest of Asia?
After years living in the Philippines, I still find things that surprise me. Some moments remind me of my travels in the Pacific; others reveal Spanish and American …
The Hardest Journey: When an Expat Gets the Call No One Wants
A personal reflection written in May 2025, during a journey back to my family. There are many kinds of travel, most of them exciting, filled with anticipation and …