sebbo on tour - around the world

Long have I been wanting to go on a sabbatical break, for many of you it was the main topic I’ve been talking about and at times it was a rocky road at to get it through at work, many struggles it took but eventually my perseverance paid off and here I am now wishing you a happy new year from the Southern hemisphere, Buenos Aires in Argentina :) Especially the last days at work and then again before the actual departure on Dec 30 I‘ve faced quite some mixed and overwhelming feelings, last-minute stress, fears of leaving my comfort zone and the well-established structures, shutting down my computer (never had I even thought this could be so difficult!) and actually saying good-byes and see-you-soons to colleagues, friends and family (I‘m very grateful for having had the christmas break plus some additional days with you and though I do believe that time will fly: I will miss you all!!) - off to the uncertain and unknown, with the plan to spend up to six months in South America and Antar...

I thought I had travelled in Asia before, and I believed I had seen and experienced a lot.. Thank you, India for teaching me a lesson and leaving me so humble again in this regard! I was told India would be different, intense, and overwhelming; but still I did not expect such a trip  😆 Starting my trip in a very hectic phase of my year (business, changing flats, and a medical incident in my family) I had very little time to prepare my travels. Arriving in Delhi in the middle of the night, the lack of preparation lead to the first issues.. the local sim card I bought was only activated 24h later, the metro was not running at this hour, and my hotel pickup service didn’t show up.. so using my common sense I went for a pre-paid taxi (to avoid being spun around the city several times); unfortunately, this is the type of taxi that will stop in the middle of the city, road blocks ahead, and stating that the area my hotel is in wouldn't be accessible due to some street festival...

Georgia made it to my travel list only recently; I heard more and more friends and people talking about it, especially for Germans it seemed to have become a trending destination. When deciding where to go this autumn/late summer, I had Albania and Georgia as the two final options. Eventually, a dear half-Georgian friend of mine made the difference, so I ended up spending 10 days in beautiful Georgia. As my life had been quite hectic and somewhat dynamic, I did not (want to) spend a lot of time on preparing this trip. I had booked my flights to Tbilisi, briefly flicked through some travel guides resp. websites and left the rest to chance; turned out to be the best idea.. My friends mum gave me a bit of a head start and organized a flat for the first two nights and an airport transfer to the city. As I got my air tickets super cheap, I had to go via Istanbul and arrived in Tbilisi in the middle of the night. Turns out nights are busiest when it comes to flying in or out of Geor...

My wife keeps going on about the beauty of Turkeys coast and its beaches; so this year was the time to check it out. With a rental car we planned a route alongside  the Aegan coast from Bodrum to Kaş at the Mediterranean sea. First stop was Fethiye , probably the most touristy part of the trip. Fethiye is a small town with a marina from where boat trips to the whole region depart (12 island tours). The town centre is full of shops, souvenirs, handicraft and jewelry; the part we really enjoyed was the fish market, where we bought the catch of the day and let one of the surrounding restaurants prepare it; as starters you can enjoy the so-called meze , small portions of seafood, Joghurt-based dips, vegetables and cheeses. It usually goes with Rakı (strong anis-based beverage), and leads to a keyifli (cheerful) evening with music.  The next day we explored the bay by boat and visited places with exotic names such as Tarzan bay, Aquarium bay or Sovalye Island. The high season ...

Escape the grey and cool autumn days in Germany for a few days of surf and chill in the Moroccan sun? ALWAYS :) After I found cheap Ryanair tickets, I packed my bag light (best and cheapest way to travel with Ryanair is hand luggage only) and took of for Marrakech. Since 30+ degrees and infinite sunshine were awaiting me, this was enough for eight days in Morocco: I just made my flight from Frankfurt Hahn, after the bus drivers missed fruitless attempt to avoid a traffic jam by taking a de-tour through rural areas. Thanks to few crowds and kinda fast procedures at the tiny airport, I safely arrived to Marrakech. Marrakech Menara Airport and the lavish and luxuriant palaces with huge pools that I could catch sight of from the plane, gave the impression of a prosperous and rich country. The airport was even rated as 4th most beautiful in the world lately... Given the fact, that the airport was renovated and renewed in just a few months time for the United Nations climate ...