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Malawi was, for me, pretty much what I imagined Africa to be – or at least what I had imagined it to be before my trip, based on all the pictures I had seen and the stories I had heard. Water pumps. Women carrying heavy water containers on their heads as they make their way home. Men transporting all kinds of things on old, rusty bicycles with just one gear – and in quantities that are hard to imagine. Children excitedly waving and trying to beg for a few kwacha. A lot of pla

I started this journey hoping to find answers to a few big questions. What do I want to do with my life? Where do I want to go? What will my next job be? Where do I want to live? I had hoped that during my travels I would experience the typical story: finding that one place where everything suddenly falls into place and building a new life somewhere far away. I was also told so many times, “Alissa, you’re going to get stuck somewhere and never come back.” My journey is now al

My days currently consist of horses, wildlife, a whole lot of dust, and an adrenaline level somewhere between “absolutely incredible” and “what am I actually doing here?” Because honestly: How often do you get chased by elephants while sitting on horseback or followed by curious young lions? How often do you ride past enormous crocodiles, wake up at night to the roar of lions or the calls of hyenas? Or wake up in the morning to the surprise that a hyena has raided the kitchen

It is a classic misconception that continues to persist: Africa is often treated as if it were a single country, when in reality it is a vast continent made up of 54 completely different nations. When people think about holidays in Southern Africa, their minds usually go straight to South Africa, Namibia, or Tanzania. But if you look a little further east, you will discover a country that is still considered a true hidden gem: Mozambique. With a coastline stretching over 2,50

Five months on the road. Five months away from my old life. Five months without a real plan – but with so many moments and experiences that will stay with me forever. If I am honest, it is not only the “big” highlights that remain. It is the small, unexpected moments in between. The ones I cannot plan or predict. Bali: Definitely the yoga teacher training! The training was a completely new experience for me and also quite physically demanding. The Vinyasa flows were incredibl

In the past few weeks, several worlds have blended together here at the riding safari lodge in Namibia. My private life from home was suddenly here, because my family came to visit. I had the opportunity to guide a former colleague from work – my professional past suddenly felt very close again, right next to my new everyday life as a riding guide. At the same time, I found myself right in the middle of everything familiar and everything completely new. Somehow, it all felt u

What a wild journey to get here. From door to door, I was traveling for 37 hours. Three flights, one of them with such strong turbulence that my tea didn’t even stay in the cup. On top of that, there was a coolant leak upon arrival, meaning the car could not continue driving. With every passing hour, my longing for a shower and a horizontal bed grew stronger. When I finally arrived, the first few days felt like watching a documentary. Seeing all these wild animals so close up

– First of all, a little thank you to everyone who reached out to me after my last blog post: I was truly touched by all the kind words. It feels good to know that I am not alone with these thoughts. It was important to me to share such a personal entry, because life is not always polished and easy. And that is completely normal and absolutely okay. – Bali is a place of many contrasts for me. On one hand, it is deeply spiritual and connected to nature – on the other hand, tra

What follows is not a typical travel story. It is a deeply personal glimpse into the thoughts, emotions, and moments that never show up in photographs. Unfiltered, honest, and exactly as they feel in this moment. I get in my own way so often. I think too much, and at the same time not enough. I do my research, but apparently not about the right things. I arrive in a new place and feel completely overwhelmed, not knowing what to do with myself. Somehow, everything feels like t

How does Bali affect me after one month? In short: Bali has many faces. To be honest, I was a little skeptical about traveling to Bali again – and then staying here for almost two months. My first Bali experience in 2017 was not the best, which was certainly also influenced by the relationship situation I was in at the time. Yes, Bali is full of scooters. More than ever. The cities have grown, become louder, and more densely populated. Ubud is, in some places, one big chaos o

The last hours at home were very emotional for me. Saying goodbye was intense, filled with knots in my throat and many “Take good care of yourself” hugs that lasted longer than usual. A goodbye to my family, friends, everything familiar, and all the things I have grown to love. But at the same time, there was this feeling of freedom and new beginnings inside me that kept growing stronger. A good friend gave me a beautiful image to describe it: She said that all the burdens an

The world around me is becoming completely quiet, as if it is holding its breath. I am standing right before a restart, somewhere between excitement and calm, between panic and “Oh my God – I’m living the dream.” The certainty that I actually followed through, that I quit my job and am now about to roll the dice and start over. I carry no fixed plan within me. Yes, I have certain places I am heading to, but no destination for where all of this will lead me and what it will br

🌍 The Beginning – When Letting Go Is the First Step The time has come – the journey begins. For a very long time, I have been moving towards this decision – to RESET EVERYTHING – and I have also worked through it painfully. Over the past few years, I have been through a lot – emotionally as well as physically. For a long time, I skillfully ignored pain and illness, simply kept going, kept functioning, until nothing worked anymore. But after many conversations, honestly looki

For me, the transition from Chile to Norway was quite a big one. A lot of things are different. However, so far I have only really gotten to know the area around Bergen. Today I am finally starting my cycling journey through Scandinavia, unfortunately a little later than planned. It is crazy how much it drives me crazy when I do not experience something new every day or keep moving on. I have a whole year off, which sounds like such a long time, yet time is passing so quickly

Sorry that this blog entry has taken so long to arrive. This time, I couldn’t write it in one go. I sat down to write quite a few times, started, and then stopped again after just a few lines. I can’t really explain why, maybe because I first had to process and sort through all the experiences and impressions from Chile. I absolutely loved my time there, and personally, it was incredibly good for me. I experienced so much kindness and nature. Somehow, I was living my dream du

How intensely aromatic nature can smell. Especially when the night has been cold and the forest floor warms up towards midday, a fresh, spicy, nutty, floral scent emerges. Then I sit on the horse’s back, sniffing, breathe deeply in the fresh, warm forest air, and cannot get enough of the smell. Even after heavy rain, the outdoors always smells wonderfully fresh and delicious. It probably looks quite funny how I walk around sniffing everything. Being away from cities, noise, a

While I am writing this blog entry, I am lying in a hot spring in the middle of the forest. The water is gently flowing, the birds are singing, and I am looking up at green treetops against a blue sky. I cannot help but say: I love my life. The decision to do the sabbatical was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. Despite, or maybe even because of, Covid, I am experiencing things I otherwise would never have experienced, because my original plan for the year

Two weeks ago, I boarded the plane from Zurich to Chile—how quickly time passes. The first two weeks have been very quiet. I went on a few small hikes with Carlos, my host, baked bread rolls, read a lot, simply slowed down, and enjoyed the absolute peace and quiet. And yet, time still flies by. By now, four months, countless kilometers by bicycle, and so many impressions have passed since my last day of work, and I have to admit that my desire to travel has not decreased at a

Since Sunday (15/01), I have been in Chile, and as always, I arrived here incredibly well prepared. Not. My first impression of Chile is very positive—surprisingly organized, clean, and calm. Everyone follows the traffic rules, and people are very strict about the COVID measures. The people I have met so far are incredibly warm, kind, and welcoming. The people at the hostel did everything they could to make sure everyone felt comfortable, arrived safely, and had a good time.

Leaving Croatia was actually not easy for me. In this country, you can find amazing spots for camping, the bars, restaurants, and cafés are equipped with free Wi-Fi, there is great wine, coffee, delicious food, friendly people, and at this time of year there are very few tourists around. In Italy, I first had to get used to things again. There is more traffic on the roads, the country is much more densely populated, and there are more people around. Of course, this is a great