German only (yet)
My Travel Books
Für alles um die welt (2021)
The title of the the book translates to: “For Everything Around The World”
The story: Even after a year-long trip around the world, Austrian journalist Waltraud Hable hasn’t given up her wanderlust and thirst for adventure.
So, in her early 40s, she sets off again with her overweight suitcase – as well as with no return ticket and no hesitation to try out a few jobs along the way.
If I stay in my old job and my old life, I'll starve emotionally.
"
Waltraud cleans toilets for hippies in Hawaii. She volunteers at a hospice in India and celebrates the discovery of work-life balance in Vietnam. Also, she checks into a wilderness school in the South African bush.
But above all, she tries to stay true to her dreams and live her definition of „everything“ – even when a pandemic brings the world to a halt. A zigzag trip filled with cursing, loving, doubting, and laughing. Just as it happens when you follow something you usually don’t listen to: your heart.
Published by DuMont Travel Publishing.
literature
Travel
Mein Date mit der Welt (2018)
The title of the book translates to: “My Date With The World”
The story: What happens when a woman in her late 30s decides to toss out her old life, scrape together all her savings, and embark on an eleven-month solo trip around the globe—with an overweight suitcase and plenty of doubts in tow?
Answer: The inner control freak has a meltdown first but then gradually finds peace, discovering that survival is possible even with three fat spiders in the room and without your favorite moisturizer.
From Cape Town to Hawaii, from Rio to Tokyo: this breathless adventure involves encounters with white sharks, dubious Ayurveda doctors, curious coincidences, and a whole lot of living. And yes, there are Tinder dates— the dating app turns out to be a perfect tool scouting for free tour guides and, maybe, hopefully, to find Mr. Right.
This occasionally leads to misunderstandings— but off you go again, straighten your crown, and move on! There’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored.
A Spiegel bestseller, published by DuMont Travel Publishing.
Behind the scenes
Why I write books
I never set out to write books, honestly. That’s not false modesty. It’s the truth.
I’ve never quite understood why people romanticize writing. You spend months hunched over a laptop, wrestling for the perfect word – and unless you’re coming up with something like Harry Potter, Eat.Pray.Love, or the Bible, you don’t exactly make a fortune from it.
Still, why do I keep coming back to writing books? Partly so someone can read me the highlights of my life in the nursing home if my memory fades. That’s pure selfishness. Or call it a retirement plan. Because at the end of life, you won’t remember the money, but the moments that made your heart race with joy.
Also, I believe I have some life lessons to pass on. They are about trust, mainly.
"
I want to give a little nudge to those who are thinking about solo traveling or taking a vacation alone but are still hesitating for various reasons. Ladies, I hear you.
I wavered for 15 years before finally setting off. Traveling alone was never the plan – but in hindsight, it’s the best thing that could have happened to me. Especially as a woman.
There’s hardly anywhere else you can discover your own rhythm as well as on a solo trip (and walking into a restaurant alone isn’t that bad. A good read and a confident smile are the best dining companions, trust me on this).