We Just Went Ahead and Quit

Before we could even set off on our journey, there was one main thing we needed to do: quit.
And that didn't just mean quitting our jobs, but also giving notice on our apartments.
But why the apartments as well?
Our plan was to keep all options open. We wanted complete flexibility. And really, who would have taken care of the apartments and any potential subletting? Would our landlords have even agreed to it? Of course, we could have tried to sort all that out, but it would have become quite complicated if, for example, we decided to settle somewhere in Croatia and only then give up our flats back in Germany.

Quitting Our Jobs

It does sound a bit crazy to give up a secure job for a long-term trip. But we both told ourselves: “If not now, then when?” Andrea in particular had seen firsthand how quickly things can change. So better to actually live now and make your dreams come true before it's too late.
Why not just take a sabbatical? After all, that's an option. But a sabbatical requires you to return after at most a year. One year may sound like a long time, but we were sure from the beginning: for us, it had to be more. And we still didn't know how or maybe more importantly where our path would continue afterwards. So quitting was the more reasonable choice.

Right after we made our decision and agreed on our departure date, we approached our employers to inform them fairly about our plan to resign. Even though our notice period was only four weeks, we told our employers more than half a year in advance so they would have plenty of time to find replacements.
With a mix of excitement and uncertainty about the future, we sat down with them in April 2024 to tell them about this big change in our lives. The news came as a surprise and was met with both a smile and a tear. But once we explained why we were quitting, our bosses were genuinely happy for us and understood our decision.
Both employers appreciated being told so far ahead of time. The job market was - and still is - quite tight, and finding qualified employees isn't easy.
We would recommend doing it the same way to anyone who wants to “keep a door open”. In our opinion, once you've decided on a world trip or sabbatical, it's best to put your cards on the table.
Sure, you could stockpile vacation days, quit with the legal minimum notice period, and hand in a vacation request at the same time, so you could leave your job from one day to the next. But is that smart? You still want a good reference. And who knows, you might want to come back someday. But that just wasn't our style.

We handed in our official resignation on time, making our dream finally “official”.
We weren't even particularly nervous handing in the notice in person. We were simply excited because the journey was becoming real.
Our employers repeatedly told us how sad they were to see us go, though they were also happy for us. That didn't make saying goodbye any easier, but it did show us how valued we were as employees and colleagues. 😀

The farewell was emotional. Everyone wished us the very best for our future and our travels. Thoughtfully chosen and heartfelt gifts were meant to accompany us and remind us of our workplaces.

We want to take this opportunity to once again thank our bosses and colleagues from the bottom of our hearts.

Canceling and Clearing Out Our Apartments

Giving notice on the apartments was easy - just write a letter.
But emotionally, it wasn't easy at all. After all, we had twenty years of memories in those homes. They were our sanctuary! Andrea's apartment had a beautiful layout, was centrally located, and comparatively inexpensive. Frank's apartment was smaller but made perfect use of the space. The location on the edge of town wasn't ideal, but thanks to the tram it was never a problem - and the rent was very low.
So why give them up? Or at least keep one?
Very simple: we wanted maximum flexibility during our travels. Plus, they were rental flats. It was unlikely our landlords would have agreed to open-ended subletting. And we would've constantly needed to handle rental matters like additional charges, rent increases, and so on. Not to mention the risk: What if the subtenant moved out suddenly, stopped paying, or trashed the place? We would've needed someone local to manage everything which would've created more costs. And lastly: we don't even know whether we'll return to Augsburg or Germany at all. So giving up the apartments was the only logical choice.

But dissolving our households was much harder.
Since we wanted to give everything up, it wasn't possible to store large amounts of clothing or furniture anywhere. So we wanted to sell as much as possible - furniture, clothes, small items, anything still useful - to help fund our travel budget.
What a slow and tedious undertaking!
There was a yard sale in the neighborhood in autumn 2024, but it brought in far less than we hoped. Everything we had carried outside almost felt like it was carried right back in. Even though many potential buyers passed through all day. We weren't offering the typical flea-market trinkets. Instead, we had useful, often nearly new household items and fashionable clothes. In the end, the fact that we made over €100 surprised us. But still, nobody was interested in the big items like shelves, the sofa or the fridge. At least we had some great conversations with people curious about our trip.
Other attempts - distributing flyers, hanging notes on trees - were also barely successful. At times it felt like being zoo animals being stared at, as if people were just curious how world-travelers-to-be lived and what they were getting rid of. Often we heard: “Oh, we just wanted to look.” Many people also had outrageous expectations regarding prices, especially for high-quality, functional appliances, furniture or bicycles. Some comparisons were truly apples to oranges.
We became frustrated and disappointed, especially by the rudeness of some people. So we listed many items on classifieds. That was fine for all the small stuff: cutlery, T-shirts, Hard Rock Café glasses, AIDA and KUKA collectibles, etc. But even there, people often tried to push the already low prices even lower - with very creative excuses: needing to organize a van, suddenly missing €5, and of course there being “no ATM anywhere nearby”. If we didn't agree to their price, they simply disappeared. Some didn't show up to confirmed appointments, others showed up unannounced, or hours late.
We started thinking half the world had forgotten how to behave.

But there were also nicer experiences. In fact, we noticed that it was especially our foreign neighbors who behaved politely and reliably. Some kindly asked if we could deliver and were willing to pay extra. We were even invited in for coffee and Indian pastries once. German inquiries, by contrast, were often cheeky, rude, or just plain silly. Like the person who asked if we could ship a bathroom cabinet. Sure - by freight forwarding, which would cost more than the cabinet itself. Then came the question: “Well, can i carry it?” Yes, probably down the stairs - after that it gets tricky 😉.
But of course, not everyone was like that.

At the yard sale, a young woman looked through the apartment because she and her boyfriend were moving in together in November. She loved several furniture pieces. Soon after, the two of them came by, looked at everything, and ended up buying quite a lot. We were over the moon that many bulky items were finally finding a new home.
Andrea's beloved sofa and coffee table, Frank's loft bed, room dividers, and more went to happy new owners who appreciated getting quality furniture at a good price.
When moving day came, the couple hadn't found helpers. So they kindly asked whether we could assist. When asked so nicely, how could we say no? We helped carry everything and made several trips to their new place. As a thank-you, they invited us to dinner.
Once those big items were gone, the apartments felt noticeably emptier. A sense of relief finally set in. But then there were still boxes everywhere that needed sorting. Things we still wanted to sell, plus personal items we wanted to keep (photo books, wedding photos and videos, certificates, sheet music, etc.).
So we lived out of boxes for a while and kept trying to sell the remaining stuff.

Books, DVDs and CDs were sold through platforms like Momox, ZOXS, Studibuch, Buchmaxe and rebuy with the help of the Sell4More App. Good clothing, jewelry, watches, stuffed animals and shoes went to Sellpy. Everything still usable but not sellable was donated to a charity shop. Only completely unusable items went to bulky waste.
Despite all our efforts, several trips were needed to get Andrea's apartment empty and broom-clean by handover day. Meanwhile, Frank≈s apartment looked like a hoarder's home.

Step by step, we brought order back into the chaos and sold even more. But despite all efforts, we couldn't sell everything. Luckily, a new tenant was found who bought everything we had left - like the ironing board, desk, dishes, and more.

Sorting Out Insurance Policies and Subscriptions

When you plan a trip like ours, it's obvious you need to quit jobs and apartments - but very few people think about canceling insurance policies and subscriptions. Over the years, they pile up, and it's worth reviewing what you really need.

• Will we still use Spotify or Netflix?
• Do we need Amazon Prime while traveling?
• And a daily newspaper certainly won't be delivered to the camper van!

So we went through our accounts, noted all recurring payments, and canceled every unnecessary contract. It's best to start early because many policies have notice periods and fixed terms.

Then came the insurances:

• Which ones do we still need?
• Which ones can we do without?
• What about expensive but useful private pension plans?
• Do we need additional or special insurance?

Hardly anyone can answer those questions just like that - we certainly couldn't. So we contacted insurance brokers and got extensive advice. It's best to choose brokers who aren't tied to a single insurance provider, as they can compare many options.
One broker even went through our entire folder of insurance documents, threw out unnecessary papers, and created a complete overview of all our policies. We ended up with sorted documents, a summary of everything we had, recommendations on saving money by combining policies, and suggestions on what to cancel or make contribution-free. After several detailed and competent consultations, he prepared the necessary letters and arranged the new policies. So now we were completely up to date insurance-wise.

For example, we made our private pension insurance and disability insurance contribution-free. Our ADAC memberships (more on that in another post) were converted into a partner membership, same as our liability insurance. Andrea added dental insurance. We also took out legal protection insurance and contents insurance that also covers the van. Our accident insurance stayed - that's something we believe you should always keep.

Only one major insurance was still missing: long-term travel health insurance. That's rarely offered by brokers because demand is so low. We'll cover this in a separate article.

Besides the insurances, we also reviewed all subscriptions.

• Spotify and Netflix were canceled.
• Landline contracts were canceled.
• The TV guide subscription was canceled - we didn't have a TV anymore anyway.

We also reviewed our mobile phone plans. Andrea's contract especially needed changing. She still had a contract with a phone included and was paying a high monthly fee. Switching to CallYa significantly reduced the cost. And for the time abroad, she can choose a CallYa plan with no monthly charge, allowing her to keep her number without unnecessary costs and continue using WhatsApp.