It started in 2016...

...when I sat in South Africa, exactly in Knysna on Garden Route, with my friend Marisa. We started talking about dreams and also places that inspire. Since I had never spent longer time in foreign countries like most young people do, maybe after studying or even before right after school, I tried to spend as much time as possible travelling any time I could.

Suddenly South Africa, but especially Cape Town, for the first time gave me a feeling of somewhat home. I know it sounds weird to say something like that only spending holidays here, but it was a feeling and I knew, that I needed to listen to this feeling. My friend knowing me quite well simply said "then finally do it!" I had probably told her several times, that I wanted to live in a different place than my home town Munich, but also in a country with a different culture. There it was, South Africa seeming to be the perfect place to be.

Follow your dream

- March 2016 -

I came back to Germany and tried to get as much information as possible, how to get closer to my dream. I got my information mainly online searching through blogs and website, that offered a work visa for non South African. 

Finally I found an agency, that was located in Cape Town and offered me any help I would need. He instantly told me about the "critical skills work visa", which was not easy to get, but the most substantial to work and remain living in SA. It basically requires skills from non South African people, that are rare in the country and therefore need to be kind of imported. Besides medical skills for example the area of IT was highly welcome. Me being qualified in marketing, this was not at all a skill needed in SA. There was my first disappointment. But ok, keep going.

Early 2017 I travelled alone to Cape Town to also get more information from people face to face. I met the agency, I was in contact with earlier, and they also told me about some more options like for example being registered in an university and at the same time being able to work 20 hours/week, which could be a good start. Left with a lot more information on my last day in SA I got the opportunity to meet a German girl, that settled in Cape Town after getting the "critical skills work visa" with her IT experience. She was a friend of a friend of mine and was recommended to me, that talking to her would be helpful....and it was!

She gave me the final idea, how to further follow the plan of somehow getting a work visa for South Africa. Staying in pure marketing skills would be difficult and even nearly impossible to get the work visa, but getting into digital marketing to higher my chances, with this kind of position being kind of part of IT. And since there are many independent operating agencies, that support foreigners getting work visas with good payment of course, with this skill in the CV maybe the one or other agency could make it happen and agree. 

So, there it was....get back to Germany and make things happen...

Changing Circumstances

- April 2016 -

Ok, there were a lot of things to think about....from the simple idea to change the department from marketing to IT up to, what do I need change in my life and circumstances to be able to leave Germany at least for a time being?


First of all: Get rid of all debts to not have any monthly payments while being abroad!

So I started finding ideas how to earn most money in shortest time to pay off my car credit faster or within one year....be a waitress at the Oktoberfest. That sounds like a plan. Shortly after the Oktoberfest I started as a bar tender in a concert hall / event location at weekends or evenings, which brought additional money to increase the monthly instalments. 

 

Second goal to achieve: Reduce monthly fixed costs to the minimum!

Well ok, I lived in one of the most expensive cities in Germany and having the luxury of an own apartment required a high monthly rent. I was rarely at home and there was not much use of my living room in my 2 room apartment, so by the end of 2016 I sold all my furniture or stored some smaller items with a friend and searched for a room mate. The girl, who moved in, I bearly new and she also agreed to temporary contract of ten months. I wanted to one the one side simply save money within this year of pay back, but from day one it worked out so well, that we soon decided to get a larger apartment and rent it together. Even with the bigger apartment I could reduce my monthly rent to 30% less than before.

 

Last but not least: get another job!

Without having any experience in digital marketing I couldn't have just changed the company, there are too many digital professionals out there. Within my company there were several opportunities though. Also by the end of 2016 I found the prefect job with the title "Digital Marketing Manager" in the department "Global Digital Transition", which I knew was working closely with IT. In March 2017 I finally started in this new role.

BE on the safe side

- June 2017 -

A friend and colleague gave me the essential tip: try to go for a sabbatical!

Biggest advantage this company has to offer is the flexible work model of taking off from work from 3 months up to one year. You can split your salary 50:50 for equal the time you are off and prior to that the time you work. Reducing your salary to half requires the lowest fixed costs as possible, which I was already working on. In the end of 2017 I approached my boss and he instantly agreed on the maximum of sabbatical time: one year!! This awesome time would start January 2019, already earning half salary from January 2018 on, BUT getting paid onward in 2019 while not working :)!

Plans can change....always for the good ;)

- November 2017 -

Of course the initial plan was to get a work visa for South Africa, but by the time I wasn't quite sure if being in one city for a whole year was my final dream, at least not when there were so many more places on earth I wanted to see and not having the duty to work and still getting paid for this time, was unique. But anyway I missed South Africa and wanted to spend the most of visa-free time in South Africa as possible, which were three months. So this shall be my first destination starting in January 2019.

When I travelled to Cape Town in early 2017 I met a very nice guy, starting to establish his part time passion, discovering secret spots to explore apart from the touristy places. The Secret Adventurer!

We got along very well and he already had taken me on one of his secret paths up to the Lions Head while I visited him through Airbnb. The thought I could also make a good tour guide on adventurous tours of his kind, so while planning my first 3 months of sabbatical to be in SA, he offered my again to opportunity and sent me links to some courses I could attend in order to officially be qualified to take tourists around. Still researching and taking these thoughts and opportunities seriously...

 

- March 2018 -

Well here we go, plans always change, obviously! Suddenly while talking to other people, that had travelled in Africa and seeing some documentaries, that inspired seeing more of Africa rather than only one country - especially the country I had already been to several times - I thought, being 3 months on the African continent and only in one country could mean a waste of time and opportunities! So I decided to spend 4 weeks in South Africa to see all my friends again and since the tour guide certification seems to be not that easy for foreigners, I'd rather enjoy my time in South Africa, travel to national parks and see other parts rather that being stuck in one place, kind of in working mode.

So now I am planning to travel to Namibia, Mozambique and finish my trip in Kenia, helping the organization "Hand in Hand for Kenia" with their work in the village near Malindi.

 

- May 2018 -

On my search for a place to stay in Capetown I asked some of my friends there and also an old friend of my dad, if he knew some places or someone I could ask. Suddenly he offered to stay with him in one of his villas while he is there. If he wasn't there, he and his business partner rent of the estates as whole units. So there was the next plan changing....I wouldn't start in Capetown because he wouldn't be around in January, but in February. So now I have some time before heading to Capetown to start off in Kenia and Mozambique. Collecting some places to go in Mozambique and about to get in touch with Robin from Hand in Hand for Kenia to start with a volunteer week in that village. Planning to then travel within Mozambique, maybe some relaxing days in Zanzibar, to get to Capetown around February and to end in March in Namibia. Let's see what's next...

 

- June/July 2018 -

The plans are getting more and more concrete, flight is booked. On 7th of January Turkish Airlines will take me via Istanbul to Mombasa, where I will spend my first two week volunteering for Hand in Hand for Kenia. There are several ideas, what exactly needs to built up in the village, but certainly we will find something. Onward journey could possibly be the mount Meru in Tanzania, which is lower than Kilimanjaro and offers a view on Africa's highest mountain. After hiking expedition or instead I am looking for diving spots in Mozambique. Possibly volunteering in Botswana at a elephant sanctuary could be on my journey before getting to South Africa, starting from Durban along the coast to Cape Town.

 

- October 2018 -

Second milestone planning my 2019 travel schedule was set. Having South America as one of my favorite destinations, I was searching for the best options to get there and back including my favorite countries and the route along the countries. Anyway the best plan is to have no plan at all since circumstances always change. So I tried to fly in to a country I want to start off in due to seasonal recommendations. Ecuador with Galapagos islands is best to travel until end of May when most animals can be seen, at least on the Galapagos islands. Another aspect was to learn the Spanish language again fluently in order to travel along the countries without language barriers, which South America is known for, people hardly speak English. Therefore I selected a language school, that also offered accomodation with local families, so in short time I could improve my Spanish skills. 

I wanted to end my trip in Columbia, having travelled to Peru and Bolivia after Ecuador, so the flight back from Bogota in Columbia seemed the perfect return trip. Great flight plan with only one stop in Houston/US and reasonable price, the South America journey was booked leaving on 26th of April and returning 4th of September. Besides flights and language school nothing further booked yet ;)

 

- April 2019 -

Having the experience in Africa not wanting to be away for such a long time and also wanting to spend more time with family and friends, I decided to return earlier from South America. A friend of mine is also getting married end of July and even though I can´t be part of her bachelor party, I want to be at the wedding. So my new return flight is on 25th of June, also to be back for my birthday. Depending on the time I want to spend in Ecuador, my first country, I will travel to Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. Still I have my original return flight in September, so might go back for 3 weeks in August, just need a new one way flight to South America. We´ll see how things go...