The best decision of my life – Laura says:

The tough decisions are often the best ones in the end.

Mine was definitely to go travelling after high school.

It was a tough decision, not only because I had to leave my friends and family behind but also because leaving Germany was against the will of my parents who didn’t like the idea of their little girl on the other side of the world.

(even though they changed their mind after they visited me in Australia)

My dad didn’t want to support my idea financially (I thank him for that now) which left me no choice but to work really hard since my mind was made up: I’m going to travel.

As soon as I earned enough for my flight and had a little budget left over to survive a couple of months abroad in the worst case of not getting a job, I took off.

Funny that in the end, I managed to travel across the world for a little less than 3 years!

The first step out of your comfort zone is the hardest. You find yourself suddenly alone in a place where you know no one, not sure if you will get a job or meet people or what’s going to happen.

Everyday procedures like transportation, communication in another language, and money exchange, those simple things are testing your patience and resourcefulness.

There were often situations that pushed me to my limits like a stolen passport in Canada, a missed flight in Thailand because of a foolish Tuk Tuk driver who nearly killed us in the crazy Bangkok traffic or an 8-hour bus ride to get to Laos, which in the end took me 3 DAYS…

But you manage it. You alter your options and you move on.

In fact, you become confident, strong and independent.

I was suddenly surrounded by the most interesting and inspiring people from all over the world with amazing stories. They infect you with their excitement for travelling and provide tips on how and where to get work and tell you about the “must do’s and see’s” and without realizing they become amazing friends.

Within a heartbeat you have a decent job like bartending, or cleaning windows or you go fruit picking until the only things you see in your dreams are mandarins in all shapes and – nothing but mandarins.

Before long you are not worried anymore but you feel free and happy, excited about what’s happening next.

You walk the little streets and get lost because that’s what you want to do.

You meet locals and their amazing cultures like the Lao kids who were scared to touch my white skin because they’d never seen anything like it before!

You explore – you go on crazy adventures – road trips – see breathtaking landscapes – wild and crazy animals – sleep in tree houses or on the most beautiful beaches you can dream of – you go surfing or snowboarding – dive with whale sharks or swim with huge turtles – eat the fish you just caught yourself, grilled on the fire on the beach, while listening to “the guy with the guitar” playing “Wonderwall” over and over again – or find yourself camping in the most untouched forests. And the food, oh my god the food…

You breathe it all in and live it all up and along the way you learn so much- not just about the world and life, but mostly about yourself.

Laura Zeman is doing her Ausbildung, a two-year apprenticeship, at the Michelberger. In conjunction with studying, she must gain experience working in various areas of the hotel. She has done restaurant service and reception and now you can catch her running around the hotel, keeping the ship in order in housekeeping.