2025 - A Year of Travel, A Lifetime of Connection

When we set off on our full-time overlanding journey a year ago, our biggest worry wasn’t mechanical breakdowns, difficult roads, or finding campsites. It was something quieter, more personal: the fear of loneliness. Traveling as a couple in a truck can be isolating. Would we miss the everyday social life we once took for granted? Would we feel cut off from the world?

We didn’t want to find out the hard way. So we decided to stay proactive.

Planned Visits in Our First Trips

To ease into this new lifestyle, we deliberately built connections into our travel route. We visited old friends in Munich, creating a soft start filled with familiarity. In Belgrade, we slipped in a few reunions with former colleagues. They welcomed us with warmth and laughter, reminding us that friendships can thrive across time and distance.

Up north in Skellefteå/Sweden, during our journey to the North Cape, we caught up with past colleagues who had become friends. We visited together a local ice-hockey match. It gave us something grounding as we ventured further into the unknown.

Lovely Encounters on the Road

What we didn’t expect was just how many unplanned connections would come our way.

Standing on the deck of the ferry approaching Iceland, another passenger approached us with our surnames. We were stunned. A couple from our hometown was on the same ferry and they recognized these "crazy travelers" with their big car. The world is so small. Seems we are the talk of the town.

We met Vroni and Enrico and their two lovely daughters in Iceland. Once. Then again. Then again. On different tourist attractions we bumped repeatably into them. Each meeting felt like destiny had scheduled it.

In the Balkans, we crossed paths with a retired couple from New Zealand, traveling with just backpacks and public transport. Their spirit reminded us that adventure knows no age.

There was Nerine and Haren, motorbiking from Singapore to the North Cape. They juggled EU visa rules with incredible precision, taking detours to the UK to reset their days and keep going. Their resourcefulness amazed us.

There were so many moments like this. Sharing a guide with two travelers in Skopje, only to find them again on a remote mountain pass days later.

Meeting two motorbike riders, who outed themselves to write an article for a German motorbike magazine.

We’ll never forget the quiet recognition when we saw another Unimog couple parked beside us in Croatia. We had never met, but a single look was enough. We knew we were the same kind of people.

Close Friends in Morocco

Morocco gave us more than colorful markets and desert roads. It gave us a traveling community.

We fell in with a convoy of overlanders who turned into close companions. Udo and Petra, Coen and Mariette, Jan and Julie, Mirandi and Greg, Philip and Minna, Bernard, Bernd and Anja, Michael and Andrea. For a while, we were a moving village. We explored together, supported each other, and shared countless laughs under the stars.

It was in Morocco where we nearly crossed paths again with Daniela and Christian. Despite following nearly identical routes since 14 months through Finland, the Balkans, Iceland, and now Morocco, we never managed to meet in person. But the connection through Instagram was real, and one day, we know we’ll make it happen.

Other moments were just as meaningful. Like the tea we shared with three Saudi Arabian travelers on a campground in Montenegro. Language didn’t matter. Hospitality did.

Or the joy of being invited by Danni and Marc to their farm, where 16 travelers came together for a weekend of BBQ, stories, and camaraderie. That’s where we met Udo and Petra the first time. Anja and Lars and others who now feel like long-time friends.

Some stories were more bittersweet. Like Christian and Mel, who had to end their nomadic life when family health issues called them home. Their story is a reminder that this life is a gift, and not forever.

What We Learned

Looking back, our fear of loneliness feels almost distant now. This year showed us that connection isn’t about planning. It’s about openness. It’s about looking up from your screen. Saying hello. Being curious.

Trust that the road will bring the right people into your life.

You don’t need a big truck or endless travel time to find community. You don’t even need to be a social butterfly. But you do need to be present. So whether you’re at home, in a café, on a mountain trail, or a parking lot in Croatia: Smile. Make eye contact. Ask a question.

And if you’re afraid of being lonely, maybe that’s okay too. Because fear fades fast when the road keeps introducing you to kind souls around every corner.

Explore. Dream. Discover.