365 Days, 49 Stories: We Celebrated our First Year on the Road

Exactly one year ago we set off on our maiden voyage to the North Cape. Last week we celebrated this milestone with cocktails and a freshly made paella in the heart of Valencia, Spain. A fitting moment of joy to mark an unforgettable year.

For those who know me personally, you already know how much I love public speaking. During my professional career, I enjoyed it immensely, and I spent much of my free time as an active Toastmaster in Düsseldorf. Four years ago, I even stepped onto a big stage to speak about my personal journey of losing weight, a moment I’ll never forget.

There’s something truly rewarding about looking out into an audience and seeing a spark in someone’s eyes. That little smile. That second where you know your story resonated. It’s instant, it’s real and that’s why I’ve always loved public speaking.

While traveling, that hobby had to pause. But writing this blog became a continuation of that passion. Each post feels like a 5–7 minute speech shared not on a stage, but across the world, through words. It’s still me speaking publicly ... just with a keyboard instead of a microphone.

What I’ve learned on this (writing) journey is how much joy I find in putting these stories into words. Writing helps us remember, reflect, and connect the dots. We’ve published 49 articles in the last year (66 total on the blog) about the joy of traveling, the food we savored, the people we met, and the winding roads we navigated.

A year on the road means hundreds of days and nights in motion. It means routines broken and rebuilt, landscapes that shift, and quiet hours behind the wheel to think and feel. It also means 49 stories written, each one a slice of that experience.

As we hit this milestone, it feels like the right moment to pause and reflect. What made us laugh, cry, or look twice? Which memories stuck, and which changed us? Writing has helped me hold onto those moments flying past you and make sense of them.

Reflections & Takeaways After One Year

If you’re not traveling the world in an RV or spending nights under the stars, you might wonder what these stories have to do with your daily life.

Every journey, whether on gravel roads or within the quiet moments of everyday life, comes down to the same questions: What do we value? What makes us feel alive? How do we connect?

We’ve learned that the best stories aren’t just about where we’ve been, but how those places made us feel. Landscapes leave an impression, but it’s the emotions, the joy, the uncertainty, the connections with people that stay with us. You don’t need to travel full-time to experience that kind of depth. You just need to pay attention to the stories unfolding around you.

Before this Paella today, we’ve shared countless meals with strangers, and each one reminded us how food can build bridges. Hospitality isn’t about luxury, it’s about warmth. About someone offering a piece of their world and inviting you in. You can do the same, with a neighbor, a colleague, or even a smile.

We’ve also learned that being vulnerable makes a story stronger. The posts that touched me most weren’t about perfect days, but about moments of doubt, loneliness, or rediscovery. Everyone feels these things and it’s comforting to know we’re not alone.

Lastly, we’ve seen how journeys evolve. What mattered to us in week one is not the same as what matters now. Priorities shift. Stories deepen. And that’s not just true for overlanders. It’s true for anyone navigating life with curiosity and openness.

So even if you’re waking up early for work tomorrow, stuck in traffic, or juggling a thousand things, we hope these stories give you a moment to breathe, reflect, and maybe smile. After all, adventure isn’t only out there. It can also start right where you are.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

And this ... was just year one.

When looking back, I found a handful of stories that still give me goosebumps, still teach me something, still make me smile.

Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order), each with a short summary and reflection.

Our First Arrival: Nordkapp – The Emotional Beginning of Our Journey

This piece describes the moment we reached mainland Europe’s northernmost point, after long weeks of driving through cold, changing terrain. The narrative is full of the anticipation, the fatigue, the awe at the Arctic horizon, and the sense that we had finally crossed a threshold from planning to doing. It’s raw, emotional, and feels like the launch pad for everything that followed.

For anyone reading this only now, this becomes “the first victory” of the trip, full of hope, vulnerability, and meaning. And when I wrote these words on the parking space at North Cape, I was very emotional. I had tears in my eyes.

From Photos to Purpose: Building Stories, not Graveyard Wealth

This one feels more introspective. We are reflecting on why we capture and share what we do. How the pictures, the storytelling, the emotional trail matter more than accumulating stuff. It speaks to the deeper “why” behind the journey: not just chasing new places, but crafting stories that outlast the trip.

The internal reflections are what turn travel from “holiday” to “a chapter of life”.

Heaven Is Not Always What You Think It Is – Reflections After One Year Leaving the Corporate World

In this piece, we reflect on how the reality of full-time travel differs from expectations. The tensions, the trade-offs, the joys that surprise us, and the moments when the freedom feels heavy. It’s honest, a little raw, and helps humanize the glamour of full-time travel.

The readers often imagine an ideal life on the road. This article bridges that fantasy with real lived experience. The good, the hard, the unexpected.

When Silence Shouts: What Loneliness Teaches You on the Road

This one dives again into emotional terrain. Long stretches on gravel roads, quiet nights, the sense of distance from home and loved ones, and also the clarity, the self-discovery that emerges in silence. The article doesn’t shy away from tough feelings, but shows how we grow through them.

Travel doesn’t erase loneliness, if anything, it magnifies it in weird ways. But growth often comes through those quiet shadows. This article gives permission to feel, and to emerge stronger.

Let us Start a Conversation

What I am missing, comparing speaking with writing, is this instant feedback. That smile, that silent laughter, the raised eyebrows.

Which of the articles resonated most with you? Why?