Hello Jet Set Zero! My Name is Michael (27, Social Worker) and I’m from Germany … well actually I’m from Bavaria, that’s near Germany! You may ask yourself why I’m telling you this … first of all, because I really really like Bavaria! Its a great place to live, we have beautifull mountains, clearblue lakes, amazing food and most important – all my friends and my family are there!  And second – I have to apologize for being from this country! I hope you will understand, that sometimes without any purpose I will make some mistakes …  maybe I write “mäibi” wrong or my language sounds a little bit rude! Forgive me, I’m from Bavaria!

Why am I writing here? Easy answer – because I’m living the dream! The last eight month I’ve been traveling through Southeastasia – Thailand (1), Laos (1), Vietnam (2), Thailand (1) again, Cambodia (1), Vietnam (1/2) again and Thailand (1 1/2) again! Long time, a lot of storys, a lot of questions and only a few answers! But these answers I wanna share with you, I hope you will enjoy them and if you have more questions, just ask!

How do I know Jet Set Zero? I was lucky, really lucky! It began with one of my many visits to Bangkok … sitting at the table in my favorite guesthouse and thinking about what to do and where to go next it happend: Tyler showed up! He told me all about the idea of JS0, about his life, about his feelings, about his wishes – in only two days I knew that I’ve found a new friend! We had some great days with the whole cast, wondering through the city of angels and all of them where so amazing, friendly and open that I was sure never  to forget them!

After my next trip through Cambodia and a pretty difficult time in Vietnam (long story, maybe I will tell it to you someday) I decided to go back to Thailand, not really knowing what will happen … and I ended up sharing a room with Bogdan and Evan, eating with ThaiMum + Dad, going to a Lakehouse, making Party with Ladyboys, relaxing in Pai, watching Loi Kratong, having great and deep conversations, making new friends and definetly having one of the best parts of my whole journey! I was “at home”, with my big JS0-Family and for a moment there was no other place on earth that I wanted to be more!

Goodbye Jet Set Zero! In Germany we have a saying: “Everything has an end, only the sausage has two!” So true, isn’t it? Also my time in Thailand with all the new friends had to come to an End … and what an END! Last Dinner with ThaiMum + Dad, I swear I have never seen so many men crying at the same time! It was heartbreaking but yeah, life goes on! Goodbye JS0!

Hello Jet Set Zero, again! And here we are again! In the spirit of JS0 Jean-Pierre and I decided to go to Australia and to be totaly broke when we arrive there … well the “broke-thing” was not really a decision, more the fact that I enjoyed life without any regrets! And I still dont have them! For what? Money is just money … it makes things sometimes more easy, the rest of the time it is just “there”! So, at the moment we are couchsurfing in Penang (Malaysia), in two days we head to Kuala Lumpur and from there … PERTH, Australia! Our Goal? Guess what … life in the country, make some money, go on traveling! Jet Set ZERO continues!

Ok, I get it now. I see how people can just leave home, head off to some far corner of the word, and just never come back. Shit just happens when you’re out here on the road. Opportunities present themselves and all of a sudden you’re canceling that upcoming plane ticket and booking a flight to someplace that you never really intended to go.

A couple of weeks ago I met up with some climbers from an internet forum and made friends with this Australian dude. Over what winded up being more than a few post-climb beers he told me all about what he really loved about Australia. It was real down to earth talk. Why the girls in Brisbane were better than the girls in Sydney, what the bars were like, and eventually drawing parallels between what’s happening to the Aborigines and what’s happening to the American Indians. This guy is probably going to be a friend for life, I can already tell. It was one of those chance encounters that you don’t come across too often. At some point, after the beers had loosened our bravado, we opened up a bit.

“Man, you would fit right in with my boys back home. I’m glad that we met,” I said.
“Snap brother!,”he replied.
“What? What does that mean?” I asked.
“Same. It just means same”
***in case you didn’t know. that’s how guys open up.**

Maybe a week later I’m sitting in a bar with him and his girlfriend, discussing what kind of job opportunities are available to foreigners in Sydney. He says that he can get me some work with his friend who does construction. “It’s good money,” he says. “And I also know a guy who runs a hostel. Ya know, friend rates.” A few days later we’re at a climbing gym and he’s telling me about various mountains in Australia and how long it’s going to take to drive there from Sydney, and I’m telling him about the cheap flights that I found from Thailand to Australia. I’m not even fucking there yet!

Who knows what’s really going to happen post Jet Set Zero season 8? Anything could happen! But it’s good to know that the world is continually opening doors for us. All it takes is one person or one moment to totally change the game. All of a sudden a three month trip can turn into a one year journey. Here’s to never looking back!