We that are Melanie, Sebastian and our dog Finja. We come from Germany and report here about the adventure of our life. Our goal: to travel to all European countries that are on our wish-list over the next few years.
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Melanie Finja Icebear Sebastian
The idea of taking a trip through Europe came up with us in 2018. We had our “Eisbär” bus since April 2017 and over the next year and a half we learned to travel with ample freedom, to live minimalistically and to discover a lot and see. We also got to know each other anew, ourselves and our partner, because life is different in a confined space.
So in summer 2018 we had the idea to take a year off and the foundation stone of the Kawanga project was laid. We started planning slowly by first considering where to go. We found a circumnavigation of the Baltic Sea with the northern countries interesting, as some of our dream destinations are located there. We wanted to go to Scotland again, Ireland and southern England have always been a dream for us, and of course it was natural for us to spend the German winter months in the south - Portugal, Spain and Italy. So the rough route was set. Now it was time to consider how we can manage the break. It was clear that we would need 3-4 years to save the necessary money, because we first wanted to travel without work. Over the next few months we kept spinning things around, we had time.
Then came May 2019. Sebastian has agreed with his employer that he can go and release him. We first went on vacation and drove through the Benelux countries for a week. During the week we thought about what Sebastian should do next, whether we are looking for a job or we will start the trip after his leave - earlier than planned. We decided to go on the trip.
The next nine months was really stressful. We had to dissolve the apartment, sell everything that could be sold, store what we will need for a new apartment, insurance, health insurance, etc. At the same time, we also had to think about how our trip would go - when are we going to go where first what months do we want to spend where. Considerations such as, which vaccinations do we need, which vaccinations does our dog Finja need, had to be made. Medicines that we may not get in every foreign country also had to be organized. The polar bear also needed a few "updates". We thought about what we need on the way in terms of clothing, storage space, etc. Sebastian has done a lot of work and expanded the polar bear.
We managed to vacate the apartment before Christmas 2019; everything we can still need to store and have packed the bus. Our plan was to sleep on the bus until we left at the end of February. 1. To get used to the fact that it's not just two weeks vacation. 2. To maybe see if we still need something for the bus or can clear something. It was a good thing because we quickly noticed what was possible and what was not. Due to family circumstances and the bureaucracy of the offices, of course we did not leave as planned. We still had to wait for some documents and Sebastian to deregister from the employment office.
In March 2020 everything changed for us again. Due to the corona crisis, all borders with neighboring European countries have been closed and domestic travel should also be avoided. In addition, we heard that more and more campsites for tourism are closing. We could have been free for up to 3 days, but at some point the supply and disposal has to run and if there is no space, we would have had to turn back. So now we wait until the borders open again.