I just said au revoir to my mom, stepdad, and dog as you can see in the picture. It’s always quite difficult, even though I’ve said goodbye many times before; I can’t stop living my life too afraid to leave just in case something happens. My dog is quite an old lady already. I’m sad to leave my family and the Drôme region in France, but it’s time to move to the Ardèche region. That’s where the HitchGathering will begin today! It’s my first time at this event, but so far I’ve gathered that the HitchGathering is: An annual eventContinue reading
freecamping
Freecamping Amalfi Coast Before Traveling to Savona (Italy)
Those were a good 860 kilometers hitchhiking from my freecamping spot at the Amalfi Coast to Savona. Here you can see where I freecamped along the Amalfi Coast. The road here is so beautiful. If I had the necessary money and the courage to drive a motorbike or scooter on the Amalfi Coast, that would probably be the best way to enjoy it. You can see the bendy tree, and if you turn around you’ll see the hill with the transmission tower. A Fast Hitchhiking Day to Savona Savona is all the way in the north. That’s where I’mContinue reading
The Blue Lagoon from Comino
Ain’t it pretty? I took this photo from the super small island of Comino here in Malta. What you see in the picture is the tiny islet of Cominotto (“little Comino”), which features a cool and fairly scary cave. One can swim the 100 meters across the narrow bit to Cominotto (which I did), but a fair warning for potential currents and jellyfish is needed. On my way to Cominotto, I had no problems. Though on the way back, the currents dragged me away quite a bit. Then at one point I could reach the seafloor with my feet, tookContinue reading
Gozo: Hitchhiker Gone Hiking in Malta
Today’s random hiking trail brought me to some fabulous geological formations along a cliff’s edge! I was hiking on Gozo Island in Malta at daybreak. It was about 6:30 during the making of this photo. The weather is still tolerable then, as it gets so hot during the day. I think you can count the trees on Gozo on one hand. I walked southward from my rough-sleeping spot nearby Dwejra’s Azure Window. In the south-western corner or edge of Gozo Island, my OpenStreetMaps offline map showed me several hiking trails. So I decided to check out this area. The landscapesContinue reading
Sleepless in Dwejra on Gozo Island, Malta
This morning I woke up on Gozo in my sleeping bag at the docks of Dwejra (location here). There’s a little inland sea here that formed a natural harbor for small fishing boats. There’s a cave that you can see in the background, which is where the boats enter and leave this calm protected area. Without pitching my tent, I just laid out my sleeping bag and slept on top of it. It wasn’t the best sleep because it was so public, but it did the job. Some people woke me up before sunrise asking me if I wanted coffee.Continue reading
Freecamping a Hotel Garden in Gjirokastër, Albania
Good morning from Gjirokastër! Me and Dongbum went freecamping next to two hotels with permission from both owners. That’s very kind of them! And honestly, it’s one of the better places to pitch a tent; the grass is well-kept and it’s nice and quiet most of the time. The hospitality and flexibility of Albanians to make us feel welcome has been astounding. I had a pretty comfy night in my tent. The air is nice and dry and it doesn’t get very cold at night. Though I still don’t experience ‘peak’ camping comfort as I don’t have a camping mattress,Continue reading
The Balkan Trail (I Keep Running into the Same People)
Remember this guy from one month ago? His name is Dongbum and he’s from South Korea. We met in Kotor in Montenegro and ran into each other again yesterday in Pogradec, Albania. He also had a hitchhiking sign, so it clicked. There seems to be a kind of Balkan Trail, just like there’s a Gringo Trail in South America and the Hippie Trail in Eurasia. I sometimes look at this map of backpacking trails by Sandalsand to get the big picture. I’m still not sure if where we are now is part of the Balkan Trail, but the coincidence wasContinue reading
Seaside Freecamping in Durrës, Albania
Good morning from Durrës, Albania! I went freecamping on the north side of town at a quiet spot on a seaside hill. First I wanted to camp at the beach, but there were already some people there. So I climbed up to this flat space and pitched my glorified mosquito-net/inner tent layer, rolled out my sleeping bag, ate dinner, and went to sleep until sunrise happened again. The ferries from Italy were slowly rolling into the bay. And during the night I saw some cruise ships passing by on the Adriatic Sea. It was some real good alone time. Alone…Continue reading
Tent Inauguration in Cetinje, Montenegro
Here on the rocky outskirts of Cetinje on the M2.3, it was time to pitch my new tent for the first time! Though not the greatest spot out in the semi-wild for freecamping (it’s a bit rocky), she’s been a champ. The Eureka! one-person tent looks a bit sad because I took this picture when I already pulled out a few stakes. My bad. But at least she’s been inaugurated at last. As I was hitchhiking down this road to the coast and darkness fell, I felt the urge to get out of the car and freecamp. Once IContinue reading