Hello,
I am Waltraud.
Yes, I know: My name seems impossible to pronounce correctly for non-native German speakers (think: Wal-trout).
My Austrian parents didn’t exactly pick the most travel-friendly name. But if the world can figure out how to pronounce Keanu Reeves and Ellen DeGeneres, I’m confident it can handle Waltraud too.
How I became a full time nomad
I am a nomad. A journalist. An avid female solo traveler.
Ever since May 2019, I’ve been living out of my suitcase, moving from one tropical destination to another. You could call me a digital nomad, though the digital part isn’t entirely accurate. I’m doing writing assignments for newspapers and magazines, and I’ve authored two books on female solo travel. One actually turned out to be a bestseller, whoop-whoop!
So, yes I work from a laptop. But that’s about it.
For those who’ve followed me for quite some time: I have completed a one-year solo trip around the world in 2016. I documented these travels on a blog, which became the German travel book “Mein Date mit der Welt“ (My Date with the World).
Beyond midlife: chasing life’s unknowns
But … one year of traveling wasn’t enough. That’s why I set off again in 2019—without a return ticket or an end date.
My intention was not to repeat the first trip or to make everything more exciting the second time around. You can’t do that. Perhaps the best way to explain why I went traveling again is with this quote:
Your life is your story.
Write well.
Edit often.
"
I hit the road again because I felt that being out in the world was the best way to add exciting chapters to my life.
Some might say, “Sounds like a typical midlife crisis! She’s in her 40s, single, no kids…” But honestly, it wasn’t a crisis. I just had a huge appetite for life.
The unknown felt more appealing than the familiar. And it still does.
Hands-on experiences: jobs around the world
I promised myself: If you’re going to dip into your savings to travel again, you might as well make yourself useful and try out new professions along the way.
Instead of working on a laptop, why not give it a shot and try working with your hands instead? Digging in the dirt. Creating something tangible.
Throughout my adulthood, I’ve never really allowed myself to try new things or go off the beaten path, especially not in terms of my career. I was always more responsible than I should have been. I went from internship to internship, got promoted to editor, and eventually became editor-in-chief. At the peak of my career, I asked myself: Was that it?
Was that it? No, it wasn’t.
Since I began traveling, I’ve tried my hand at various jobs: I worked as a housekeeper for greedy B&B owners on the islands of Hawai’i (which was terrible). I also volunteered in a hospice in India, served as an editor for a travel website in Vietnam, and enrolled in a field guide course in the South African bush. I’ve packed all these experiences (and more) into my second book, “Für alles um die Welt.“
The pandemic didn’t stop me
I also navigated through the pandemic. Yeah, shit happens. I waited it out in Brazil and Mexico. Not the worst places to spend a world’s end scenario, and I can highly recommend them if things go south again.
As a nomadic freelance journalist, I write not only about travel but about all sorts of things. I never thought this would be possible – me working from sunny places, on my own terms and at my own pace. I believed the cliché of the nomad writer was only lived by young, model-like people with stylish Instagram hats and access to family trust funds.
I don´t own a trust fund. I started off with some savings and today I can fully sustain myself through my work. All this experimenting with different jobs has shown me that I’m on the right path with storytelling. I love writing and journalism. I just had to adapt my job to make it work for me.
And I am not alone with this discovery. This rings true for many other people as well. I’ve met hairdressers, bakers, financial advisors, real estate agents, healers, and artisans who have taken their jobs out into the wide world. It may not always pay as much as sitting in an office 9-to-5, but there are new adventures to be lived, all for free.
Heart over head: following my true path
So, this “About Me” has gotten longer than I planned. I think what I really want to say—besides “Write well and edit often”—is: Follow your hearts more. The heart knows the way. After all, it was beating before you could think.
And if the metaphor is too cheesy for you: How about allowing yourself to become driftwood from time to time? When you throw wood into the sea and send it on a journey through a thousand waves, it eventually becomes wonderfully light. That’s how I feel when I let my heart lead me: Things become light.
I hope my story will inspire you to take the leap, especially those ladies considering a solo trip.
If I can do it, you can do it.
And who knows … maybe we will meet out there. Somehow. Somewhere.
Safe travels, dear ones!
Waltraud
