With our camper van, we definitely stood out here! Italians mostly drive small cars, like Fiats or similar vehicles. That's more than sensible considering the narrow streets. Often, we couldn't even make it around the corner or had to take a completely different route.
So, never trust Google Maps 100 percent. It will lead you to the most bizarre places.
When we crossed the border, there was no check at all. I had read online beforehand about what to consider before entering: negative COVID test, entry form, and so on. None of it was checked. Just like when entering Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
But that doesn't mean that COVID is not taken seriously here. Some of the citizens take it more seriously. So, it wasn't uncommon to see joggers running alone through the forest wearing an FFP2 mask. Even when cycling up a steep hill, they don't forego protection here. Restaurants, shopping centers, and bars were open again as usual. You didn't need a test to buy a new pair of shoes or enjoy your pizza in the restaurant. A piece of normal life returned.
What is Italy without a delicious Aperol Spritz? One of my favorites in Italy is definitely the small treats that you get for free with your drink.
That's the life!
Lake Maggiore
A Place of Relaxation
Lake Maggiore is one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy. If you want a relaxation vacation, this is the place to be.
There are many small mountain villages, and there is a quiet atmosphere. For us, it was almost too quiet.
Venice
The City on the Water
For Venice, you first have to buy a ticket for the water taxi. Otherwise, you can't get there! Instead of cars, boats drive here. Eventually, we made ourselves comfortable and set off. It was like in a picture book. The houses on the water are colorful, have many small windows, and stand close together.
An incredible panorama!
In the city itself, we walked around and visited the sights:
St. Mark's Square, Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Burano, and everything else that was an absolute MUST.
We also met Max's family, with whom we enjoyed delicious pizza right next to the water and explored the area together.
Milan
An endless long bar mile, delicious & large pizzas, and endless sights.
Milan is a BEAUTIFUL city and definitely worth a visit!
Boccadasse
It was also beautiful in the Boccadasse district in Italy. The pastel-colored houses near the water were very impressive!
Rocche del reopasso
Harness on and up we go!
Once at the top, we had an incredibly beautiful sunset!
A little hanging out does good too!
Italy also has great beaches!
Ponte dei Salti
Ponte dei Salti is also known as the "Roman Bridge". A simply impressive stone bridge with two large arches.
The huge mountains, the brown-colored cows with bells around their necks, the yellow flowers on the lush green meadows, the cheese on every corner, the Swiss accent, and last but not least, the currency, the Swiss Franc.
Our first destination was the beautiful Lake Walen.Crystal-clear, turquoise water.
The perfect spot to quickly mix up a nice milkshake in the camper and get cozy!
Of course, we also did some hiking. In the mountains, it's an absolute MUST in Switzerland. But who would have thought that we would also be lucky enough to see snow avalanches? Just amazing!
"We did it, high-five!"
In this picture, you can see the small snow avalanches sliding down from the mountain, creating an incredible noise.
While we couldn't close our mouths from amazement, others were calmly fishing.
Eventually, we continued our journey: And once again, we saw the wonderful, radiant, yellow flowers in the meadows.
From winter to spring?
Why not end the day with a nice barbecue?
A few days later, we went hiking again.
This time, we made a campfire and grilled again.
While the fire flickered below, the stars began to sparkle in the sky. It felt like we were the only people on the planet.
Just us and nature.
Different sounds echoed from the forest. A hint of pure freedom.
The next day, we blasted the music in the camper! Allow me to introduce: DJ MAX
At the climbing trail Zwillingsstieg
Oh my God, is that high!!! When we climbed the mountain, I stood rooted more than once and initially had no idea how to proceed. The climbing trail we chose this time was not for beginners, and I clearly felt that. Max motivated and helped me enormously, so I managed to get through it without dying.
Brave is not the one who does not know fear, brave is the one who knows fear and overcomes it.
Khalil Gibran
Of course, we didn't want to miss out on city life, so we also visited the beautiful city of Zurich. Lively. Enchanting. Beautiful.
Lastly, we visited the largest waterfall in Europe:
,,The Rhine Falls“
As always, we found great pitches again. It was super easy to stay overnight for free in Switzerland!
Sooooo... after long action-packed days between adventure and work:
Put your feet up in front of our own little camper cinema!
Haha. Okay. As everyone can see in this picture, we were the typical "beginner backpackers"! Our backpack was way too big and stuffed to the top. 🎒 Of course, we didn't need more than half of the contents, but who knows that beforehand?
In retrospect, we panicked way too much about forgetting something important. 🤦♀️
Note: There are shopping opportunities in other countries too. 😄😄
🕰🕰 Just before the trip ....
1 year in Australia. But alone? I have to say, I was a real scaredy-cat 😟. I asked around with my friends, but nobody seemed interested in joining me. Why not❓😂…
Plan B: Look for a travel companion online 🤔. After a few attempts, I finally found Jessi. She is the same age as me, had roughly the same idea of the trip, and comes from Bavaria. Perfect 😍. It didn't take long, and we booked a flight from Munich to Australia. But beforehand, we almost talked on the phone every day and planned the trip step by step 🗺. "We need this, we'll order that, this is important ... Bla bla bla." I can tell you one thing: We didn't need more than half of it! When the backpack was eventually bigger than we were, we finished our packing list. Plus, we had to clarify 1000 other things (deregistering residence, quitting jobs, etc. 🤮). After all the huge effort, the time had finally come. It was kind of a weird feeling to go exploring the world with a 'basically' stranger. But Jessi seemed really great, so I was confident. Finally, we met at the airport in Munich. We got along super well right away! I was super happy, excited, and sad at the same time. I talked nervously the whole flight out of excitement. 🤩
"Sorry again Jessi 😂🙏"!
Also, I just want to mention how grateful I am to have had you there for this big step! Who knows if I would have even gone... And now? Now I'm still traveling around the world to this day. A big thank you! 🥰
The plan starts without a plan! 😛
The bad news on October 11, 2018 👺👺
From the airport we departed for Bangkok! We booked an open-jaw flight (1 week in Bangkok and then on to Australia). At least, that was our plan !!! 😂 However, during the wait, we received the first message: "Your flight is delayed by one hour" 🙄. We were annoyed, but we talked about how it could have been worse. No more than 10 minutes later, the next message came, "Your flight will not arrive until the next day due to technical problems" 😠. Yes, now we were there. Completely planless, confused, and lost at Cologne Airport. We've come a long way ... Now it was time to get information at the counter, which of course was also associated with a huge queue! And of course, we were at the very back of the line of all passengers. We waited and waited ... 🥱
In the queue, we met two other backpackers. Funny enough, they had the exact same destination as us, so we could pass the time chatting. When we arrived at the counter, we were offered two options.
Option 1: The airline takes you to a selected hotel, and the costs are covered, or
Option 2: You book a hotel independently for up to 250 euros per night, but you only get reimbursed for the costs a few months later.
With the other two backpackers, we opted for Option 2 and booked a fancy hotel in Cologne 😍. The funny thing: Our new replacement flight was already early the next morning, so we only spent about 5 hours in the overpriced hotel. Ultimately, the flight cancellation was the best thing that could have happened to us. We received 600 euros compensation, a completely new flight, a luxury hotel stay with a talking robot 🤖 (which even explained the way to the toilet), made new friends, and last but not least, we also received a lot of shopping vouchers for the restaurants at the airport. Perfect. 🥰
25Hours Hotel The Circle with robot greeting!
Off to Thailand 🇹🇭
A week in Thailand 😊
In the middle of the night, around 00:30, we arrived in Bangkok at the airport without any plan. Unfortunately, the other two backpackers already had accommodation, which was fully booked. However, during the flight, we met two other travel enthusiasts who gave us a hostel tip. We already had to write down the accommodation we were staying in on the plane - so the tip was extremely helpful. 🙈
In the night, Bangkok is very lively, but our hostel was hidden in an alley. Overall, the hostel was very clean. And for 6 euros per night, for a private room, you really can't complain. 🤑
At Home Guest House - Our first accommodation for 6 euros per night for 2 people
Everything felt so unreal. Suddenly we were extremely far away from home 😟. But it felt good. We just did it. 👏 The only thing that didn't feel particularly good were the 1000 mosquitoes. Ohhh, how I hate them!!! 😠
Travel Hack: BITE AWAY STICK! Best stick in the world against itching, believe me! 🙏😄
Khaosan Road 🎉
Bangkok's famous backpacker street
"Jí zhòng" and they've already clinked glasses with us! Mega friendly and open-minded people you meet while strolling through the night markets on the street.
Bangkok's streets are always crowded!
A few impressions from Bangkok 🥰🥰
Excursion to Wat Pho ⭐️
Ohh, the beautiful Wat Pho. Already on the way there, we were fascinated by the beautiful park. Wat Pho is a Buddhist temple located in the center of Bangkok. Definitely worth seeing! 😊
It was particularly impressive when we were able to witness the prayer ritual of the Buddhists. A calming and loving chant. 🥰
Afterward, we encountered some squirrels in the park that we could feed by hand! How cool is that??? 🤩
Do you see the squirrel?
Pataya😳
Not really worth a visit...
Our hostel was only 5 minutes from the beach! Cost: 6 euros per person. Not bad!
However, when we took a closer look at Pattaya, we were more than disappointed! Trash was everywhere, and the water was more gray than blue 😭. For this reason, we moved on the very next day! 🚐
Plastic pieces everywhere... 😤
Quickly back to Bangkok 😌
Here, we first booked a great accommodation for a sweet 8 euros per night. We could jump straight into the pool from our room! 🏊♀️
In the evening, we toasted to our work and travel journey! 🍹
Delicious cocktails at the Mojjo Rooftop Lounge & Bar
When strolling through the streets, you always come across new exciting things in Bangkok. In the photos, you can see how the Buddha is worshipped and other rituals are performed (lighting candles 🕯, incense...)! The best thing about the place of the new accommodation was (Sorry - unfortunately, I don't remember exactly where it was) that there were no tourists far and wide (except us, of course 🤭)! Hardly anyone could speak English. Communication was done through gestures and actions 😄
Here's what you should know before going to Thailand:
The standards are definitely not like those in Europe.🧼
Lots of environmental pollution. Tap water is not drinkable! Hygiene in many places is rather borderline.
2. The people are very generous and helpful. 😇
Small example: We asked for directions in a store. She stopped her work and accompanied us to the destination.
3. The weather is humid and hot! 🥵
Well, maybe it was so extreme because we were there during the rainy season. An air conditioner is a MUST HAVE!
4. The streets are full of scooter riders! 🏍
It takes a bit of courage if you want to ride around here alone!
5. Mosquito alert 🦟
Get yourself a BITE AWAY Stick or something similar... You'll need it! 😉
6. Impressive sights! 🤓
At every corner, you'll be amazed, believe me!
7. Endless food & great street markets! 🥥
Why don't you try a grasshopper sometime, like I did? It tastes like French fries. Yuck! You wouldn't believe how much the locals at the market enjoyed watching me chew that grasshopper in my mouth! Maybe I should upload that lovely video soon? 🤔
Conclusion: I will definitely fly to Thailand again one day. There are still many places to discover! 🤪
Next Stop: Stay tuned 😛
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I’m Janet Dannehl, and I’ve been a passionate travel influencer for over 7 years. On my Instagram channel, I share my lifestyle, travels, and a variety of adventures with my community every day. Authenticity is very important to me, which is why I only feature products or services that I truly identify with. I’m especially excited about topics such as sports, outdoor adventures, nature, photography, fashion, and accommodations.
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