Where are you from?

I’m from Dresden, one of the bigger cities in the Eastern Part of Germany.

When did you start your interest in exploration?

One of my parents' friends is a pilot and growing up he used to send me postcards from all over the world. I often spent my evening sitting in front of my globe and pointing at all the places he’s been to. Hearing all his stories made me really keen to go out and explore the world myself one day. All those years later I still love sitting in front of my globe, only now I’m pointing at places I have been to myself or want to explore next.

My first actual trip alone later on was a Roadtrip to Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna at Age 19 and I immediately fell in love with solo travelling. After that plenty more trips followed, sometimes with friends, but mostly alone. 

Somewhere along the way, that love for travelling slowly turned into a love for the outdoors as well. Whereas I never went camping in my childhood I found myself enjoying sleeping in nature more and more. Being away from busy places, where it feels like it’s just me and nature - maybe a grasshopper.

As I’ve always loved driving and the freedom and flexibility coming with it, many trips included a car. Like a trip through the Baltic down to Greece with a friend and his Van or renting a car in Morocco to drive into the Sahara Desert before going up into the Atlas Mountains and ending the trip surfing at the Atlantic Coast. 

What is a brief understanding of your background story up until you started seeking adventure?

I’ve lived a pretty normal life growing up. I started studying Civil Engineering at age 19, got my diploma 5 years later and started working in an office for Bridge Building. 

While I always loved travelling, I never did any bigger trips than a two week hike or 3 week camper trip to Scandinavia, nor a gap-year living abroad or anything like that. I was more of a dreamer at that time.

Not long after I started working I felt unhappy. As much as I loved working as a civil engineer, I didn’t feel like I’m fitting in, I was seeking for more. So I took a break, at 24 years and a rollercoaster part of my life began. I went to Cuba for almost a month, before enrolling at University to study Architecture. It wasn’t the right thing for me either, so I quit 1,5 years after, went on a roadtrip through Morocco, helped out on a community farm in London and worked in a surf camp in the south of France for 5 months. I went back to Dresden, started working as a Civil Engineer again and kept questioning what to do.

I slowly developed the idea to drive through Africa. With my passion for driving and being off the beaten path, my interest in exploring new cultures and redefining my own limits, it seemed like the natural next step. What started as a dream in 2023 slowly became more realistic when I found my dream car in 2024 and became my new life when I packed the last item and started driving South in July 2025. 

I can surely say, that all those experiences outside of worklife shaped me to the person I am today and I couldn’t be more happy and proud of myself for that.

What special skills do you have to help with your explorations?

In the beginning? None really!

Before buying my car I had no clue about mechanics. Before Overlanding Africa I hadn’t done any trip longer than 3 weeks. I never even changed a tyre nor was I speaking French, which is most used in Western Africa.

I think my skill, if you want to call it that, is probably being blessed with a kind of confidence that makes me think “How hard can it be?” even when I have absolutely no experience. Luckily, I’m pretty good at figuring things out as I go, so somehow I usually make it work and prove myself right in the end.

Additionally I can stay pretty calm and rational in stressful situations, like breaking-down in nowhere or being denied a visa - there’s always a solution, so why stress out? 

Where have you explored so far?

I’ve seen most of Europe, only bits missing are the Balticum and some of the northern countries. But additionally to that I only had been to Cuba and Morocco prior to my trip through Africa - where now I’ve seen almost every country along the Western Coast. I started the trip in Morocco, where I arrived with a ferry from Spain, and drove through Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Namibia.

I also made a detour over to Sambia, to see the Victoria Falls and Botswana which has been amazing! I then ended my trip in South Africa a couple weeks ago.

Next I’ll hopefully do a loop around the Baltic Sea before heading into Central Asia in the near future.

What is a brief understanding of your adventures so far?

I like all kinds of travelling. I’ve done many city trips as well as a few beach holidays, but mainly it’s been roadtrips, to be able to actually explore a country and its uniqueness. Over the past years I tended to extend my trips more and more, to not only see one city or region of a country, but actually get an understanding of the culture and people living there.

One of my favourite trips has been a two-week hike in the Scottish Highlands. I had an impressive 22kg backpack, new, not worn-in hiking boots and no prior experience in hiking for several days and being self-sufficient. Somehow, it worked out so well - I didn’t even have a blister.  And more importantly hiking has brought a whole new perspective to me. As everything takes more time, the connection to your surroundings rises. You’re not only taking a quick shot of a mountain you’re driving past, you’ll spend hours walking towards it. You’ll hear the birds and crickets as well as spotting every worm on the path trying not to step wrong.

This trip has changed all my trips after and I’m now trying to travel slower, spend more time in one place and actually take it all in while I can - I might never be there again.

What are the top three destinations you hope to explore next, and why?

There’s almost no place in the world I wouldn’t want to visit, but if I had to pick three countries, I’d go with:

Iceland, Japan and Georgia

and for places: it has always been a dream to see polar lights, Anchor Vat and the Amazonas rainforest.

Where would you recommend others visit?

Thinking about my recent trip, I’d have to say Guinea or Cameroon. They’re two of my favourite countries from the whole Overlanding Adventure and so underrated!

Guinea has the most genuine people, the nature is very impressive - with lots of waterfalls and you can do some nice off-roading as it is one of the few countries left in Western Africa with almost no tar roads. 

Cameroon marks the beginning of the Congo Basin Rainforest. It’s super green with lots of tea plantages, you could be lucky to spot forest Elephants, surf on dreamy beaches with black volcanic sand, hike up Mt Cameroon or, again, enjoy cool dirt road tracks in the South of the Country. I haven’t been a big fan of the cities, but nature is a 10/10.

As for something a bit easier, I would say Malta! It’s a very dry and tiny Island in the Mediterranean Sea and due to its history it has an amazing mix from the mediterranean, british and even arabic influence, which is perfect to me.

How do you primarily travel on your adventures today?

My last two trips I’ve done with my Toyota. It’s a 1994 Toyota 4Runner that I bought in Romania, imported to Germany and repaired and converted in a small Camper myself. She’s called “Cera” after the dinosaur Triceratops and my whole world really. So she’s hopefully going to be my transport mode of choice for many more years. 

The freedom and flexibility you gain by travelling and living in your own car are simply outstanding and I couldn’t think of any disadvantages really. The car being my home and safe space gives me plenty of confidence, especially on the terms of being a solo female traveller.

I haven’t done many modifications and kept the car pretty minimalistic. In my opinion, you don’t need much. I don’t have a fancy awning, I build a small one myself out of an old piece of fabric. I haven’t done any lifts to the car and it survived any terrain easily. I don’t have a huge electricity setup with plenty of different plugs - I have one portable power station and a small solar panel and it’s doing the job. I want to show people that you can start with a small budget and don’t have to have the fanciest car.

If I think about modifications, I’d have to say my pipe shower, as it is working so good and was pretty cheap to build as well.

What are five pieces of equipment that you always travel with?

You’re going to laugh, but when talking roadtrips, a bucket!! It’s just so handy. to do your laundry in, for a quick hair wash session, to store anything you don’t want touching your car’s carpet, as a shopping bag, trash bin, if needed and even as an emergency toilet (which I luckily never had to do).

2nd would be a recovery kit, specifically sand boards, tyre deflator and a spate

3rd heat it & nobite, which makes dealing with mosquitoes so much easier

4th my laptop, as there’s always Visa, Routeplanning or Booking to deal with

5th Elektrolytes, as I feel like you can dehydrate so quickly, when being outdoors the whole time

What inspires you to explore more?

I’ve always been a very curious person and interested in almost everything. Football might actually be the only thing I’ve never been able to wrap my head around. For me, being able to go out and explore the world is one of the greatest gifts I could give my mind. Discovering different cultures, meeting people with completely different backgrounds, learning about their values and beliefs, or even simply standing in front of a tree or animal I’ve never seen before - all of these experiences constantly remind me how incredibly diverse the world is.

By stepping outside my comfort zone, exploring different lifestyles and understanding how little we actually need to be happy, I keep growing into the person I want to become. In the end, I think we are not only exploring the world - we are also exploring who we can become.

How do you engage with others?

Online I stay connected to people by Instagram. I only started my account in Senegal and kept sharing my stories and in only a few months an incredible community rose from that. I met new friends online, people shared amazing tips with me and some even invited me for a coffee or safari drive, which I’m simply so grateful for!

But far more important are the real life connections with people you meet on the road, at the camping or sometimes even in a garage. To be able to engage with others at all times, I try to learn the local language everywhere I go. So for Africa I started learning French, as it’s the official language in many countries along the Western Coast. I’m not fluent or anything, but I can have a simple conversation now, which is such a game changer and door opener.

Why is it important to embrace global cultures?

Embracing global cultures helps us understand and appreciate the diversity of our world. When we travel and learn about different traditions, languages, and ways of life, we become more open-minded and respectful. It also allows us to create meaningful connections with people from different backgrounds and gain new perspectives.

What are your goals when you explore?

As I mentioned, for me it’s important to not just have a good time, but to turn the journey into something meaningful. I want to learn from the places I visit and use those experiences to grow as a person. It would feel like a missed opportunity to travel the world without seeking connection or learning something meaningful. I also enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone and challenging myself. I’m grateful to have the privilege to travel and create my own path, so I want every journey to leave me with new perspectives and a new version of myself.

What are some challenges you have experienced?

The challenges I’ve experienced so far were mostly connected to car issues and being somewhere out there having to deal with them all by myself. While I would never wish for them to happen, they’ve yet made some of my fondest memories and I’ve out-done myself and am very proud.

One other challenge has been to be denied the Nigerian Visa - which is one of the countries you couldn’t just drive around on the way to South Africa. I applied for the eVisa and didn’t hear anything back for almost three weeks. I was staying at a beach bar in Benin the whole time. Not the worst place to be, yet getting a bit worried. I wasn’t the first person to have that happen to, yet for some it turned out easy, as they got it eventually and for others they had to get one at the Embassy instead that cost 600€, which you have to pay additionally to the 240€ eVisa. In the end, me and another Overlander I was travelling with at that time, went to the border without the Visa, hoping the Officers there could help us out. While they were a bit angry at first, they quickly understood and helped us. 5 hours and a few bribes later we officially made it into Nigeria. That was probably the craziest border experience I had so far.

What has been your most meaningful moment so far?

I’d have to name two.

Number one would be an emergency stop at a garage in Senegal. I was in Dakar and had my diesel injection pump leaking severely. It was just the beginning of the trip and I was a bit devastated - not sure whether someone could fix it or find a replacement. So I went to a small garage and they assured me that I would be able to fix it. The crew was really kind from the very beginning (I think they saw I was a little worried) and invited me for lunch and later on even let me stay at the garage, in my car, overnight. I ended up staying a whole week, eating meals together with the guys, going on small trips to the beach and meeting their families. What started as one of my worst experiences, turned into something so wholesome and I now call some of them my friends and we’re still in touch. For me, this is what travelling is all about.

And a quick mention of number two would be standing on the most southern tip of Africa. I never felt so proud of myself (and a car) my entire life. To have driven 32.000km and 11 months all by myself. That’s one for the books.

How has exploration changed you?

Exploring has changed me in so many unexpected ways! Before I started travelling I wasn’t the most confident person, but constantly facing new challenges, the need to step out of my comfort zone and lot’s of problem solving has shown me what I’m capable of. I learned to trust myself more and more and became a deeper understanding of who I am as a person and also an idea of who I want to be.

What is the number one lesson that you have learnt through your exploration?

I think it would be to accept other ways of living, as I feel like people often judge other lifestyles based on their own. Whereas really different climates and jobs and tradition require different approaches. People should stop trying to force our Western or European lifestyle onto other parts of the world. 

I’ve been to some really remote villages. There, I haven’t seen a car for days, no shops or anything. People live self-sufficiently, they support each other. Of course, it’s not all good, if someone needs medical support things become tricky. But still, instead of feeling sorry for them, shouldn’t we be impressed by their communal lifestyle and overthink our way of living all separate and lonely here in Europe, with many people being left without a social support-system?

How do you explore locally?

I have friends all over Europe, so I like to go on small trips to visit them as I often don’t get to see them for quite long periods. I like to take spins on my bike as well or go hiking in Saxony Switzerland, which lies just outside of Dresden and is a very beautiful forest and mountain chain. But honestly, for the past 3 years now, I’ve spent every minute of my free time at my parents place, a bit outside of the city, and worked on my car. So not a lot of exploring, before the big trips come.

What does the explmore mantra mean to you?

For me, the explmore mantra “Explore more of the world, engage with others, and embrace global cultures” means to actually go out there and travel. It’s a reminder to embrace the world as it is, to seek connection to people and learn from one another, to stay open-minded towards new cultures or experiences and to cherish all moments along the way.

I can do German:

 “Entdecke mehr von der Welt, lerne neue Menschen kennen und öffne dich neuen Kulturen gegenüber” 

What advice would you give to others who are seeking life changing adventure?

Don’t overthink, just do it. There’s never the right time, the perfect car, the right amount of money in your bank account or a travel buddy around the corner. So if you really want to do it, you just have to use what you have and get started. If I had waited for the perfect car, one without any issues or a bigger engine or whatsoever, I would probably still be at home doing that. And keep in mind you don’t have to do anything big, it could just be a weekend trip to the next lake. 

For any bigger adventures, you’ll have to learn to adapt, to grow out of your comfort zone and to learn to trust yourself.