Before the Year Ends

Hey, Johannes from Gearupyourlife here…

As we’re slowly reaching the end of the year
and in just two days, it’s already 2025
I wanted to use this last edition of the year to say one very clear thing first:

Thank you.
And yes, I really mean you…the person reading this right now.

Thank you for every comment, every click, every like,
and even for the small moments where one of these posts made you smile.
None of this is taken for granted, not for a second.

This won’t be a year-in-review though.
That’s coming on YouTube in the next one or two days.

This is more about one question:
Where is GearUpYourLife going next year?

What’s coming next

Here’s what you can generally expect going forward:

• Only real footage filmed by myself in every video, starting February 1st

• More in-depth videos and real comparisons, not just lists

• More reviews and more personal stories from the road

Let me quickly explain what this actually means in practice.

Main Channel (GearUpYourLife)

The Real Travel Essentials format will officially become a series.
There will be one episode every month, each one focused on a specific theme.

Examples:

• Real Winter Travel Essentials

• Real Travel Tech Essentials

Each episode will always be a curated summary 
only the gear that I personally consider the most useful and best in that category.
Something you can rely on, where you already know:
This is worth watching.

Once I’m back in Germany, I’ll start filming everything myself again.
Every gadget, every setup, every detail — fully hands-on.
Honestly, something I should have done much earlier.

You can also expect way more in-depth videos and comparisons, like:

• My 5 favorite backpacks

• Which carry-on to choose if you’re just starting to travel

Less surface-level content, more real decision help.

Review Channel

Starting January 7th, there will be two videos per week.

One video will focus on a hyped or popular product,
for example something like an Osprey daypack or the Peak Design Tech Pouch.
This will become a series like:
“I Tested the Most Hyped Travel Gadgets.”

The other video will be more niche-focused 
products I’ve mentioned many times before and that quietly work really well.
A good example would be something like the AeroPress for coffee on the road.

So overall:
a lot more content, a lot more variety,
and a lot more honest testing.

Website

The website will become a much bigger part of everything.

Every review, but also:

• Packing lists

• Country-specific packing guides

• Formats like Best Gear of 2025

New content will be published weekly,
and some of it will be exclusive to the website only.

Newsletter

Here I want to be completely honest:
I’m very happy with how the newsletter is running
and from your feedback, it feels like you are too.

So content-wise, nothing will change here.
Same style, same honesty, same focus on real travel.

I know this is a slightly different kind of update
than what you usually see from creators.
But I wanted you to know exactly who you’re following,
why you’re following,
and what you can expect every week.. sometimes even daily.

With this email, the year officially ends here in the newsletter.
So thank you.. truly to all 1,657 active readers every single week.

I promise that next year will be at least as good
and very likely even better.

And just a reminder:
on the 31st, something big is coming to YouTube
a video I’ve been working on for a long time.
Don’t miss that one.

Safe travels, and a happy new year to everyone.
Johannes