18
Australia & Singapore
VIE → AUH → SYD → OOL → CNS → DRW → SIN → AUH → VIE
Part road trip, part trip down memory lane with my dad—all the way back to 2006.
Taking advantage of cheap one-way rental deals, we travelled by car and campervan
from Gold Coast to Darwin through beaches, rainforests and the outback — five nights
with no cell service, very little around us and exactly the kind of experience that
clears your head.
Kakadu was hot, full of mosquitoes and surrounded by crocodile country - still worth it.
We also saw more of Australia's Indigenous culture along the way.
Famous Australian culture was awesome. They really know how to enjoy life.
On the way home we spent time in Singapore and Johor Bahru.
Chinatown, Little India, the ZOO and the contrast between Singapore and Malaysia
made a fitting final chapter.
17
Mexico
VIE → AMS → MEX → CUU → MEX → AMS → VIE
It reminded me what I liked about travelling for work in the first place.
The scale of the landscape and feeling of freedom, the differences and similarities between Mexican and European
culture, and the openness of the people gave me a new energy after a long break from international assignments.
Mexico was already a great trip. Coming back with a little more confidence,
a little more color, and a renewed desire to keep moving.
16
Kyushu
VIE → PEK → DLC → FUK → DLC → PEK → VIE
Four friends, different expectations and levels of experience, one amazing trip. Landed in Fukuoka
and made a full loop around Kyushu, using rental cars and public transport.
Yakushima was one of the standout places, while the abandoned buildings around
Kyushu gave us plenty of opportunities for urbex.
We laughed a lot and came home with a lot of memories.
15
Egypt & the road to Siwa
VIE → SAW → HBE → RMF → VIE
Landed in Alexandria, drove west to Siwa. It felt almost detached from the rest of the world: mud-built
architecture, donkeys, busy streets in the middle of a desert and a culture that still felt distinctly its own.
The salt lakes were unforgettable. Water so salty that you simply float.
The more tourist-heavy parts later in the trip were tiring.
The constant pressure to spend money took some of the enjoyment out of those places, especially towards the end of the trip.
Being there during Ramadan added another interesting layer to the experience.
14
New Zealand, bottom to top
BUD → PVG → AKL → CHC → AKL → PVG → BUD
One of my most memorable trips. My friend and I took one Toyota Camry and drove through
New Zealand from the South Island to the North Island.
The South Island was everything I hoped for: huge mountains, wild coast,
open space and landscapes that looked exactly like Middle-earth.
We took a helicopter flight onto a glacier, explored the South Island, then continued north to
Hobbiton and finished in Auckland. The combination of freedom, scenery and
remoteness made this one of the trips I remember most strongly.
13
India, for the third time
VIE → DOH → DEL → IXG / BLR → DEL → DOH → VIE
The third India assignment, and the last one. More familiar roads,
more time with colleagues and more opportunities to explore outside working hours.
By now India had become a place I knew and liked going back to.
This was also the last project I worked on involving glass transport.
After this, my international work travel became much less frequent and was mostly limited to shorter trips around Germany.
Life became more routine, but I also had more time at home with friends and family.
12
Guinness & road trip
VIE → DUB → VIE
My second visit to Ireland, this time shorter and more of a trip down memory lane.
Guinness was good. The Irish people were even better — friendly, relaxed and
genuinely fun to spend time around.
11
India, again
VIE → AUH → DEL → IXG → HYD → AUH → VIE
Another India assignment in the same general chapter of work. By this point the
country felt familiar rather than overwhelming, almost actually enjoyed my time there.
10
The Alpine Golden Route
PRG → DOH → KIX → HND → DOH → PRG
A relaxed winter/spring Japan trip, loosely following parts of the route
from my first visit. We got both snow in the mountains and cherry blossoms in the big cities,
and saw the famous Japanese macaques bathing in the hot springs.
We rented a few cars again, naturally, and even had fun in the snow. A slower, calmer
Japan trip — but still packed with scenery.
09
Back to India
VIE → AUH → DEL → IXG → DEL → AUH → VIE
Unlike my first experience in Gujarat, this assignment in Karnataka felt much more welcoming.
I rode scooters and more powerful bikes, and explored the area on my own.
Indian colleagues took us river rafting and fishing, and I especially appreciated
how actively they wanted to share their culture with us.
08
Christmas in Norway
VIE → KRK → TRD → OSL → VIE
Having a friend familiar with the environment was amazing. Road trip through west Norway
and a first experience with an EV.
There were only a few hours of daylight, but that also meant that the whole day was either dusk or dawn.
We flew home on Christmas Eve, and the pilot sang a
Christmas carol — a strangely perfect ending to the trip.
07
Back to China
VIE → DXB → PVG → TNA / BPE → PVG → DXB → VIE
A shorter return to China for work. Still loved returning.
The travelling and foreign environment filled me with joy and excitement.
Especially visiting non-touristy places, meeting locals who had never seen an European,
and trying to get by with my horrible Chinese.
06
Sanyo trail
PRG → TPE → NRT → TPE → PRG
As an experienced traveller having a friend obsessed with Japan, we made a great team.
I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
Japan also surprised me personally: To my surprise I enjoyed the order and the everyday decency
of a highly structured society. We explored both cities and countryside, and I got to drive an RX-7.
05
India, China, Korea & Taiwan
VIE → MUC → DEL → BDQ → HKG → PVG / YBP / BPE → ICN → TPE → HKG → TPE / PVG → BPE → PVG → AUH → VIE
A huge stretch of my life abroad. I spent about a month in India, where the work
was difficult and the conditions were challenging. After that the stopover in
Hong Kong felt like stepping into a completely different world. I flew to China, where I worked
on several projects and this was where I really started getting good at my job.
As a visa reset trip I flew to Seoul for a few nights and then explored Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Coming directly back to finish the projects and return home after a really long trip.
Work milestone: this was where I met the mentor who taught me the technical side of the job and helped me become confident enough to run projects largely on my own.
04
China, during COVID
FRA → PVG → CSX / TAO → KMG → TAO / CSX → PVG → FRA
My first work assignment in China, and one of the trips that changed my life.
COVID introduced a lot of barriers to entering China at the time. I spent about two weeks in quarantine.
And even after that travelling there was never really easy.
In the middle of the assignment I took my first substantial solo trip: a high-speed train to Kunming,
followed by Dali, Lijiang and Diqing (Shangri-La).
I explored Yunnan alone, with the help of locals who helped me navigate the trip.
I came back with some of my first great memories of travelling alone — and I received a hand-drawn picture that I still keep to this day.
03
Return to London
BRQ → STN → BRQ
Coming back to London after a few years. Snow made the city unusually memorable.
We spent the days wandering around, visiting bars, and watching people dance in the streets.
What started as a trip to buy a backpack turned into a surprisingly great memory.
02
Barcelona & Girona
BTS → GRO → BTS
Gaudí's architecture breathes life into the city.
Girona was an unexpected highlight — especially places from Game of Thrones.
01
Scotland by car
KTW → GLA → KTW
A road trip around Scotland with endless grass, narrow roads and constantly changing scenery.
Running on the cliffs in the rain is still one of my great memories from travelling.