This Wasn’t the Newsletter I Planned to Write

Hey, Johannes from GearUpYourLife here.

This edition is purely personal — so consider this a little disclaimer upfront: no travel hacks, no gadgets, no value other than me just being real with you for a moment.

About a month ago, I told you that on October 1st I’d be heading off to Southeast Asia for three months, with Vietnam as the first stop. And honestly, I was so excited. The first time I went there it was unforgettable — I still remember walking through Hanoi’s night markets, the smell of street food everywhere, scooters rushing past, and me just thinking: I need to come back one day. That place left a mark on me.

But sometimes life throws you in another direction. Last week my girlfriend, the person I always travel with, had surgery on her esophagus ( i have googled it i had no clue what it means in englisch to be honest ) . She’s doing really well, and long-term everything looks positive. But for the next six months she’s not allowed to go through big climate changes… which basically rules out Southeast Asia’s weather completely.

On top of that, just yesterday I found out I’ve got a medium case of pneumonia. Not exactly the best setup for hot, humid weather either. So for now, Southeast Asia is off the table. And yes, it hurts , I had been dreaming about this trip for months.

But here’s the good news: we’re not canceling, we’re just shifting. On October 1st we’ll start with a month in Croatia, and after that spend the next two to three months in Greece, mainly Crete and Athens. The adventure goes on, just in a different direction.

What does this mean for content? The website launch is still happening. The new channel content is still happening. Honestly, maybe even better, because Europe will give me more time to focus on the creative side. With the pneumonia, it’ll be delayed by a week or two, but that’s it.

So yeah, today’s newsletter was a very personal one. If you read this far, thank you. It means a lot to share this side of the journey with you. And if you’ve been to Croatia or Greece, I’d honestly love your recommendations ,reply to this email and let me know what I shouldn’t miss.

Safe travels,
Johannes ✈️

PS: Next week we’ll kick things off with a new giveaway, and right after that… the website will finally be live for you.