They Biked Around the World for 3 Years. Then Came Baby Pablo

Hi friends, Franzi and Fabian did what a lot of us only daydream about: they left everything behind and set off to see the world. Three months ago their little boy Pablo was born, and he's turning their lives upside down for now. But one thing is already clear: Franzi and Fabian plan to hit the road again soon, in spite of Pablo, or maybe more because of him. Thank you so much for this fascinating interview, and all the best to your little family!

You spent three years traveling all over the world. Tell us a little about it.

The idea of a trip around the world came to us at the end of 2019. We had been to a few house showings and talked to a few banks, and it suddenly hit us that we were only doing this because it's what society says you're supposed to do at this stage: go look for a home to buy.

Then Fabian's sperm test results came back, and they were disastrous. We found out we couldn't have kids, and we thought: "Let's do something totally crazy." I had watched the documentary "Pedal the World" on Netflix. It's about an ordinary guy from the Palatinate region in southwestern Germany who cycles around the world for a year. I was hooked right away, and after some serious persuading, Fabian eventually came around, too.

We started selling everything, and I mean everything! The apartment got emptier and emptier. We kept only a few select things with sentimental value, and only as much as would fit in our old childhood bedrooms at our parents' houses. After the selling marathon, we quit both of our full-time jobs (during the pandemic, no less, so people definitely thought we'd lost our minds) and gave notice on the apartment.

In April 2021, after more than a year of preparation (the first and second lockdowns got in our way), we finally pedaled off on our bikes with fully packed bags. Behind our backs, people were actually placing bets on how soon we'd show up at their door again. They generously gave us three weeks.

You definitely won that bet!

Absolutely! Three weeks turned into three years. We explored more than 20 countries by bike and covered more than 18,600 miles (30,000 kilometers) without a motor. The first year we headed west to Portugal and across to Morocco. Then we went deep into the north, over the Arctic Circle up to the North Cape, and came back to Germany through Finland and the Baltics.

From there, in December 2023, we flew with our bikes to the end of the world: New Zealand. We cycled both islands and continued our trip in Australia. On the red continent we rode right through the Outback, our biggest adventure so far, and we loved it. We'd both do it again in a heartbeat. In Indonesia we took our first bike break. Bali was supposed to be a vacation, all relaxing and unwinding.

That sounds like a big BUT is coming!

You're right. We found nearly dead puppies, took them in, worked with the local vet, raised donations, had several strays spayed and neutered, and finally found homes for the three puppies in Germany. We'd raised more than 4,000 euros in donations through GoFundMe by then.

Three years on a bike. Where did you sleep? It's easier when you travel by camper, after all…

For most of those three years we slept in our own tent, cooked our food on a gas stove, and carried everything we needed in our bike bags. We paid for it all with our savings, our YouTube channel and eventually with something we learned along the way: how to be happy with very little. Why did we do it? Because we wanted out of the rat race. We were looking for freedom, we found it, and honestly, we didn't want to give it up anytime soon.

And then Franzi got pregnant. That must have been a huge surprise.

We were already back in Germany after rescuing the puppies from Indonesia. Sadly, Franzi's family was hit by a terrible loss, and traveling was the last thing on our minds. Franzi had an appointment with her OB-GYN because she thought all the stress and grief might have pushed her into menopause early. But the doctor said: "Nope, you're pregnant!"

It was a huge surprise, because after seven years of "infertility" and zero birth control, nobody expects something like that anymore. But we realized pretty quickly that we didn't want to give up traveling.

How did you decide where and how your baby would be born?

We briefly considered having our son in Germany. After doing some research, though, we decided differently. Our boy is now named Pablo, with Antonio as his middle name. If we ever end up "stuck" in our favorite country, Portugal, Pablo won't stand out there name-wise 🙂

Now you're living in 28 square meters (about 300 square feet) in an attic apartment. You made a reel about it that I found totally fascinating. The most common question in the comments was: Why would you do that to yourselves, living in such a small space?

Yes, we hear that question all the time! But honestly, it doesn't feel like giving something up at all. We lived in a tent for months on end while traveling, so 300 square feet is pure luxury by comparison. Running hot water, heat that kicks in right away, a door you can close. We haven't had that much comfort and privacy in years. 

We like keeping things minimal. It forces us to live consciously, not hoard, and keep sight of what really matters. We also save money, time, and energy, and what we get in return is freedom. We like the saying: "What you own, owns you." And it's just true.

Plus, right now it's really not a problem at all, because a baby loves being close and cozy. We don't even need a baby monitor here. But of course this one-room apartment is just a stopover, because we definitely want to hit the road again soon.

How else do you try to live sustainably and affordably in everyday life?

A lot of it stuck with us from traveling. We buy very little new, almost everything secondhand, and we think twice about whether we really need something. When I think we need something, or I just want something, the first thing I do is open the eBay Kleinanzeigen app (think of it as Germany's Craigslist).

And when I no longer need something and it's just lying around in the way, I take a photo and post it for sale. We spend less on a lot of the things other people spend most of their money on. We could afford a bigger apartment, but we don't want one. We could buy a new car, but we don't see the point. We want to show Pablo, too, that happiness doesn't depend on how big your apartment is or how new your car is.

For us, sustainability also means wasting less (time, energy, money, attention) and actually experiencing more. What really matters to us is time. And you can't buy time for any amount of money. But everyone can decide what to use their time for, or what to fill it with. We definitely want to work less, so we'll have less money, but we also need less than other people, because we've chosen a different lifestyle. In the end, everyone lives the life whose priorities they've chosen. Our number one priority was traveling, free time we could spend however we felt like. Now it's Pablo and as much time together as the three of us can get. 

You've been parents for three months now. What has surprised you most about parenthood?

How much love a person can feel. We thought we knew love, but the love for your own child? Oh, that hits completely differently. With that much love come completely new worries, too, ones you maybe never had before. Worries about health, an enormous urge to protect this little person you created yourself. It starts with the "grabby grandma who comes out of nowhere" at the bakery and ends with worrying about the state of the world.

We knew it would be intense, but that you can be dead tired, overwhelmed, and endlessly happy and grateful all at the same time? You have to experience that to understand it.

What do you find the biggest challenge so far?

Definitely the balance between closeness and breathing room, between being parents and staying a couple, between everyday chaos and the plans and dreams we're working toward.

But we try to remind each other that this is just a phase, that we're going through it together, and that things will be different again very soon. Right now we're under enormous pressure: Fabian's full-time job, social media, a construction project we're managing ourselves, the search for the right new camper van, and of course our determination that Pablo comes first in everything.

Do you already have plans for when you'll be back on the road?

Oh yes. If it were up to Franzi, we'd have been back on tour yesterday. But we're working flat out to hit the road again next year, which is why we're carrying such a double load right now. Very soon we'll be turning our lives around 180 degrees again.

We've already given notice on the one-room apartment, and we're searching hard for a motorhome for the three of us. To finally enjoy sunrises again, out in nature, smelling the morning dew, a cup of fresh coffee in hand, looking forward to a new day of freedom, and finally doing it as a family of three. But we're not rushing. Everything has to fit: the right motorhome at the right price, and everything here in Germany has to be sorted out, too. We want to start with shorter trips, so for the first time we're setting up a little "base" here while we travel. Right now it's still a shell, so it's a complete construction site. 

What do you most want to show your child about the world?

That freedom and home aren't a place, they're feelings and people. We want to show him that you can find a home and be happy anywhere, in a tent, in a van, in a smile.

And that wealth has nothing to do with money. It's about experiences, encounters, and moments. We want Pablo to not just see the world on our travels but to feel how beautiful a simple life can be. As a family, we also want to limit ourselves to what's truly important and essential in life, and that's people, nature, learning, and feeling.

What do you love most about traveling in general?

That feeling of being alive. That deep certainty inside us that this is how everything makes sense. Waking up not knowing where we'll sleep that night. Starting the day totally free and curious, not knowing exactly what it will bring, which landscapes we'll marvel at, which people we'll get to meet. That life is shaped only by what's essential, with no distractions and nothing pointless. That the time you live feels full and never wasted. Traveling has changed us. When we're not on the road, everything just feels like a compromise.

You can find more info on their website: https://quitandgo.de