Currently...

I am the director of http://www.respectthemountains.com/" rel="nofollow">RespecttheMountains.com, a not for profit organization that raises mountain awareness to protect mountain areas in Europe from further damage to preserve them for future generations.

I'm also a freelance travel writer; I write articles, mainly for a female audience, that are about discovering a new area and new activities. Last year, I was on the top of Iceland's largest glacier, a 14 hour hike, and I have written other articles on climbing Kilimanjaro, canoeing in Sweden, and last but not least... cycling through Africa and the Middle East. I also wrote a book about this crazy cycling adventure of 12.000 kilometres.

That brings me to my third job: together with my partner, I founded http://www.beet-route.com/slow.php" rel="nofollow">beetroute. We make edutainment (education + entertainment) for young people. Schools followed us on our cycling journey, and we are currently working on a possible new project.

My days are, funnily enough, mostly spent behind the computer! I work from home, which gives me a lot of freedom, so it's not as bad as it sounds. I do a lot of organizing and planning for http://www.respectthemountains.com/SelectLanguage.aspx?Page=/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">Respect the Mountains, although I also get to go on work related trips to the Alps, which is great!

I am off on a Scandinavian adventure this spring, to find inspiration for a new travel article. For beetroute, I co-edit movies and search the web for interesting new projects and ways to educate young people about our planet. All in all, it's quite busy!

Before I escaped...

I finished my masters degree in Law about 10 years ago and got a job as a legal advisor at a municipality. Administrative law, so not the most exciting work. I had to travel almost three hours a day to and from work, and the days just dragged on. I did it for almost 4 years, studying History on the side to at least do something different that I liked, but in the end, just had enough.

I moved to Australia with my then partner, but he left me when we set foot Down Under. I went from totally settled to no house, no job and no man. After weeks of sobbing, I found an advertisement online: Young people wanted for a Pole to Pole Journey. That's when I decided I needed a change!

My moment of truth...

I never really dreamt of a crazy adventure like cycling through Africa, but was definitely always 'restless'. When the Pole to Pole Journey I applied for didnt happen, I just decided: I will do it anyway! Me and my new partner were so sick of TALKING about big adventures, we wanted to DO it!

So we just decided we would climb the half way point of the Pole to Pole journey, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and then cycle home. Three months later, we set foot on African soil...

Planning for it...

Looking back, we did the best job we could with the little preparation we had. We both spent our savings doing this crazy cycling journey, and we had a little sponsorship from local businesses that paid for our camera and laptop.

We used those to film and produce the movies we were to make for the students that followed our journey. We also had our bikes sponsored.

Basically, we just booked tickets, put our bikes on the plane, bought what we thought we needed, planned the route to a certain extent (we had no idea where exactly we would end or where we would run out of money), and that was it.

I had no idea how the camera worked, the laptop worked, or even how my bicycle worked when we arrived in Africa. It was a big risk, and a big adventure.

The worst and best bits...

The best thing was that I really pushed my boundaries on this journey like I had never done before. On a physical level, but also on an emotional level.

I suddenly found myself on a bike, with sore legs and a sore ass, with barely anything decent to eat and no idea where I would sleep that night, with someone I barely knew. I found out that I could do so much more than I thought I was capable of, and I got to know my partner on such a deep level that most couples might not reach in a lifetime.

The worst thing was that pushing all these limits made me emotionally very unstable. I naturally like to be able to plan ahead, and now, I had no idea where this would end. It was very scary and I really overstepped my boundaries, which was really a learning experience in itself. I know better what I need now to be a happy and balanced person.

Best advice...

I think it is good that I didn't know what I had got myself into. I am very happy now with the way my life has taken a new shape, but it has been a hard road. So sometimes it is better to be naive.

The best advice was probably to take it one day at a time. When you are literally in the middle of nowhere, and you can't run from the situation or the one you are with, you just have to take a deep breath, and keep going. Tomorrow is another day, make the best of it now.

But the advice I would give: Dont give up too quickly, but don't drag it out too long either. You have to find a balance between stretching your limit a little so you can grow, but not overstepping your boundaries either so you are left exhausted.

Oh, and one more thing: Before you decide to quit anything, EAT something. And then SLEEP. And then think about it again. It is amazing what hunger and sleep deprivation will do to you.

Useful resources and information...

No specifics here, because in the world of travel, things change fast. Just make sure you have your vaccinations and your visas sorted!