When you travel the way I did, on a motorcycle and sleeping in a tent as often as possible, you start living at the most basic level of life. Where am I sleeping tonight. What am I going to eat. Do I have enough water. When will I wash my clothes. Simple questions, yet they shape your entire day. Not calendars, not notifications, not the constant noise we have normalized at home.

Modern life is built to remove friction. One tap and food arrives at your door. One button and your laundry disappears from your awareness. Convenience everywhere. Comfort everywhere. And without noticing, we lose touch with the value of simple actions.

On the road, that comfort fades. Cooking becomes a conscious act. You feel the ingredients, the heat, the time it takes. Washing clothes by hand is no longer a chore you outsource to a machine, but a moment of presence. Water matters. Time matters. Effort matters.

I noticed how these basic rituals brought me back to my core. There was clarity in repetition. Calm in simplicity. A quiet satisfaction in taking care of the fundamentals yourself. No rush. No shortcuts. Just doing what needs to be done.

That is the magic of basic living while traveling. It reminds you that happiness does not come from speed or abundance, but from awareness. From being involved in your own life again.

When everything is reduced to the essentials, you start to feel grounded. Alive. Connected. And you realize that the simple things were never small at all.

This experience was something I truly needed. It did not happen instantly. It took time, about three to four weeks, before I fully dropped into that rhythm. But once I did, it was gold. A real return to the foundation of who you are.

But the truth is, everything happens exactly when it is meant to. No sooner, no later.

I deeply value that I allowed myself the time to go through that process instead of rushing it. Even today, I still feel the calm it brought into my life. A lasting sense of inner quiet that stayed with me long after the journey continued.

Looking back, I could say I should have done this much earlier. But the truth is, everything happens exactly when it is meant to. No sooner, no later.

Disconnecting from the world, work, noise, and expectations and returning to the core is something I would recommend to anyone. Step away from it all. Strip life back to the basics. It will do real wonders.

HPPY TRVLS

While organising my photos, I came across fun memories from the past. There were also sad ones, pictures of people no longer in my life and family members who have passed. The photos from my 2024 Motorcycle Euro Trip truly make me happy. That trip was the best thing I could have done for myself, and I cannot wait to hit the road again… to be continued.

Now I have more peace in my life, which gives me space to focus and enjoy the things that truly matter.

Going through the photo’s of my trip reminded me of all the places where I worked on content for my vlogs and blogs. It gives me a deep sense of fulfilment. It is exactly what I was looking for, freedom. With every mile, I felt like shedding my old self like a snake. All the pain, frustration, and limiting beliefs fell off my shoulders. Now I have more peace in my life, which gives me space to focus and enjoy the things that truly matter.

These photos represent that feeling every time I look back. I often revisit my vlogs just to enjoy the memories. I highly recommend making videos, taking photos, and writing blogs or journaling. The future you will be thankful. Today it’s Friday, the perfect moment to write a blog and share some of the weirdest, most memorable places where I worked during my 90-day Motorcycle Euro Trip.

Now I am curious, are you also a nerd like me who archives everything on a self-made dedicated server? How do you do it? How do you archive your photos and videos?

HPPY TRVLS

First, I went to the former fake WW2 airbase De Kiek, then a very beautiful basilica in the village of Oudenbosch… which was very special to see such a church with a Roman Neoclassical architecture design in the Netherlands. Finally, I visited an artwork called the Mozes Bridge. All super fun to see, of course. But for more details, you’ll have to wait for the video.

And then came the big moment where I had chosen a campsite near Rosendaal to spend the evening. After 42 years, I pitched a tent and immersed myself in nature again for the first time and it felt like yesterday. Everything went great; it was a beautiful and quiet campsite in the middle of a large forest. Setting up my tent, etc., also went perfectly. It just took twice as long because I had to film everything, of course, and from multiple angles. That’s something I want to do more efficiently because otherwise, I never reach my destination or I end up sleeping very late because I want to film everything, absolutely everything, in detail.

Around 11 o’clock, I was already knocked out, and I slept like a baby.

Sleeping went perfectly too. Around 11 o’clock, I was already knocked out, and I slept like a baby. Surprisingly, it was super quiet at night given that the campsite was in the middle of the woods. Only around quarter to 5, the birds woke up, ultimately waking me up with their singing. And what a noise that was But let me tell you… I’d rather wake up like that then have to wake up at 5 in the morning to go to work. I did have a little mishap though; turns out… I woke up and wanted to put on my training pants to go pee. And they were soaking wet; suddenly, I saw a big puddle of water in the tent. And it hadn’t even rained. But it turned out that my backpack was resting on the mouthpiece of my water bladder. And I hadn’t closed it, so almost half of the water from my water bladder just dripped out. A rookie mistake I would say!

But… I must say, I’m super glad that I spent a night camping before my departure. That way, I could reacquaint myself with the experience and test out some little things. I found out that certain things I had with me were unnecessary. My motorcycle pants were too warm and impractical, the battery charger was too slow. So as soon as I got home, I revised my equipment and took out some things to save space and weight. Bought a new pair of motorcycle pants and a heavier charger to charge my devices.

But all in all, it was a successful two days. The weather was perfect, Nacho also behaved superbly. So now I am definitely 200% ready for tomorrow when I depart. A fun fact is that tomorrow is Liberation Day here in the Netherlands. But now, I am the one who liberates myself.

Talk to you in my the next blog… and don’t for get to look out for my videos. Curious where I am, follow me here!

HPPY TRVLS

Not to mention, I shurley don’t have the intention to max out the bank buying stuff in preparation for this trip. Because you can make it as crazy and expensive if you only want to go for the best brands and uber lightest products. But when it comes to sleeping, a good night rest is golden.

For four consecutive nights, I opted to test the sleeping mat by making it my primary sleeping surface. The initial night proved comical, resembling a basketball bouncing escapade, as I had inadvertently pumped it up too tightly. Unable to find a comfortable position, I eventually retreated to my bed in the middle of the night. Undeterred, I made adjustments, striking the perfect air balance on the following night. The result was a restful sleep experience, comparable to that of a traditional bed.

I went for the Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated sleeping mat and I must say it looks awesome. It’s quite robust, has a insulation R-Value of 4.8, includes pumphouse high volume inflation sack, protective storage sack, replacement valve seal, and 3M repair patchesand and the comfort level is beyond my expectations. I love it and as you can see, my sleeping gear is gradually coming together.

Now I need a sleeping bag and a tent, then my camping gear is complete.

HPPY TRVLS

Brands

• Seatosummit X-21
• Decathlon Hiker’s camp frying pan MH100
• mini grill
• SOTO Stormbreaker Dual Fuel burner
• Opinel 08 Outdoor
• Lixada Rvs Spork
• Egg holder
• Generic cutting board, shorten generic wooden spatula
• 5 In 1 spices containers