The Thought I Couldn’t Get Out of My Head for 3 Months

Hey, Johannes from GearUpYourLife here…

And while you’re reading this, I’m literally standing on the Zugspitze, the final stop of my 3-month trip before I finally head back home.
And let me tell you: 32 hours of driving sound way more romantic than they actually are. Even with all the beautiful stops along the way… it’s that strange mix of “I love this” and “why am I doing this to myself?” 😅

During these three months I had plenty of time to think, about traveling, about the channel, and about what’s next for me.
And since I’m writing this 3 days before im standing at the highest point in Germany, today’s theme fits almost too well:

And while I’m standing here — cloudy skies, but an insanely beautiful view — I’m realizing how many moments I’ve collected over these last three months. And how much I’ve been reminded of one very simple truth: sunshine matters… and long winter days hit way harder than they should 😅

People keep asking me if I’ll ever start vlogging. Why I don’t just show the places I travel to. And honestly? I love watching vlogs myself. And yes — with how much I travel, it would be “easy” to just film everything.

But today, sitting in Budapest, watching a random guide about which thermal bath is worth it, it hit me again why I don’t do it.

I constantly walk past people who film every second.
People saying things like:
“Wait, walk back, that looked good.”
“Stop, we need that angle again.”
“Hang on, the light is better over here.”

And it takes away everything I love about traveling.

I love being spontaneous. Changing plans last minute.
Or after 12 hours of driving in Belgrade, skipping the “authentic restaurant” and just going to McDonald’s because that’s all the energy I have left.

Or spending an entire day at the beach drinking Aperol, eating pasta in the evening, and calling it a day — without needing to “capture” anything.

And filming a vlog would destroy that freedom.
Because whether we like it or not, clicks and opinions matter and not only this the content you would get matters the most.
And a Vlog with me sitting there and filming random stuff, That’s not the goal —and it wouldn’t make me and you happy.

What I do love is talking about gear.
Writing my thoughts about the places I visit.
Taking photos for Instagram.
Stopping at a lemon tree because it looks cute even though 80% of the people who see that story probably wonder what the point is 😂

And now that I can finally film properly with my camera, reviewing gear has become genuinely fun again. Buying new stuff, testing it, chatting with you all about it — that’s what I enjoy.

So this slightly philosophical issue from Budapest all comes down to one thing:

Don’t turn every hobby into a job just because you can.
Especially if it kills the joy that made you love it in the first place.

I hope you enjoyed this issue.
It’s a bit more philosophical than usual, but yeah… sleep deprivation, too much caffeine, and 25k steps a day will do that to you 😂

But: I’ve tested a lot of gear on this trip. And I already showed you my top picks two weeks ago.

Now it’s time for the video many of you have been waiting for.
The last one in this series crossed 400,000 views.

Here’s the official continuation for the new year:

👉 Real Travel Essentials Worth Buying in 2026
(trust me… it’s the most “experience-tested” list I’ve ever made)

So If you want to see what actually survived last year, through 20+ countries, 200+ hours of driving, weird weather, too many coffees, and a few existential travel moments… this is the video.

Watch it here → https://youtu.be/QyrcfeOC5n8

PS:

I also published a brand-new written review on the website:
An honest verdict and full breakdown of the LEVEL8 Gibralta Carry-On.

SEE IT HERE !

If you prefer reading instead of hearing my voice..here it is:
(Watch it here !)