In record time, Saskia has now also rocked her Class C (truck) driver’s license! This means that we can both drive the big rigs now.

And for those who have been following our timeline, it won’t come as a surprise that the final big steps are now slowly approaching. A few days ago, our house was put up for sale, and at the same time, we have scheduled our first live viewings of potential trucks – things are getting real!

Now that we’ve passed our motorcycle license, we were able to take our time and choose a second motorcycle without any constraints like “must be big enough for Class A” and also take it for a test ride.

Several models made it to the shortlist, but we ultimately chose our 🐦‍⬛ Raven, a Husqvarna 401 Svartpilen 2024. Compared to our CFMoto 700CL-X Adventure, everything is a size smaller – making it lighter, more agile, and more economical.

Another big step for the journey is complete – we both now have our motorcycle licenses (Class A) and have already been able to take some first (local only) trips. These are the first rides as we envision them over the coming years, marking what feels like the start of Season 0 of our journey.

It all took a bit longer than expected (due to external factors), but now it’s done, and we’ve taken our first rides in the currently golden October with 和子 Kazuko.

We are currently in Austria - more specifically in Styria - on vacation. In addition to the many beautiful hikes and excursions we are doing here, we also have a short trip via the Sölkpass to Schladming - the home of Krug Expedition Vehicles.

After several meetings at various Abenteuer Allrad and the Offroad Event in Biberach, we now had the opportunity to visit the production site, see many sample vehicles, and also exchange ideas with the Krug team.

After this site went live and we received some initial feedback, I have compiled the most frequently asked questions into a FAQ section.

The most important information is that we are not yet on the road. We are still in the preparation phase and have quite a bit to do before we can start.

I have also added a new page where I present the planned route of our world trip. Of course, as of today, this is still very rough and subject to change. But this gives you a general idea of where we plan to go.

After some longer thinking about the name of this blog / our social media accounts, we decided to unite everything under the name exmo.travel.

“Exmo” is the short version of “Expeditionsmobil” and “Travel” is clear. We think that fits.

The last two days I have now largely rolled this out and created or updated the appropriate social media accounts.

You can now find us under:

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Mastodon
• Facebook

There are already a few first videos online on YouTube, but there will definitely be more to come.

Obviously, a large truck is not always the first choice to get into tight inner cities or other hard-to-reach places. So how do you get around there? With the motorcycle, of course!

As we both did not have motorcycles before, we decided to venture into the world of motorized two-wheelers. Our first choice was the CFMoto 700CL-X, which we liked the most after some research and test drives.

We have named her 和子 Kazuko.

On the last weekend of April this year, we were finally able to participate in the Krug Allrad Event in Biberach.

The program included off-road driving training, technical sessions, and, of course, the opportunity to network with other off-road enthusiasts.

I’ve put together a video for you - it’s a bit long, but you can definitely see the fun.

This brings me to link our newly opened YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@exmo-travel

Part of the planning for the big trip is a full-size truck that can take us to remote areas. Of course, this also requires the appropriate driver’s license. We both already have a driver’s license that allows us to drive trucks up to 7.5t, but that is not enough for what we have in mind.

Today I took my class C driver’s license at Dekra - from now on I am allowed to drive trucks over 7.5t. That was a big step and I am glad it worked out.

When it comes to expedition vehicles, the Abenteuer Allrad in Bad Kissingen is undoubtedly a highlight every year.

At the expo itself, you can find almost all manufacturers of expedition vehicles, as well as countless inspirations for the “small details.” It’s hard to imagine how many like-minded enthusiasts gather here (Bad Kissingen regularly collapses under the visitor pressure).

But in my opinion, the camp area is even more exciting. Here, you’ll find all sorts of vehicles and their owners. This is where you learn about reality—what works, what doesn’t, and what creative solutions exist.