It’s hard to believe, but I don’t like traveling. Traveling causes me a lot of stress. All the more surprising is that I have professionally traveled half the world and seen and experienced incredible things.
I have worked as a tour guide myself, with some dramatic experiences. One of the best was when I, in true James Bond style, chased a train with a rented bus through the European part of Turkey, where our railway car was located, the one that was supposed to take us to Prague. The train left Istanbul three hours earlier than scheduled, without my group and without any warning. That happens — not only are trains often late, as is so common recently in Germany, but they can also be early.

Or when I was alone in São Paulo without any jewelry (to prevent theft) and it started to rain. The rain in São Paulo felt more like a shower, and of course, I didn’t have an umbrella. The nearest place I could hide was a beauty salon that also did nail polish. My nails had remained unpainted throughout my life. Between work and family, there was simply no time. But in that salon in São Paulo, they didn’t just beautify my nails with color — they created an entire garden. Each of my nails was painted with a flower. For ten days, my nails were like a fairy tale prince’s. Two days later, I flew back to the wintry Switzerland, straight to a professional tax conference in St. Gallen. I had never received so much attention there as I did that year thanks to my flowery nails. Even the gentlemen from the tax authority were interested in the floral designs. Who would have thought rain in São Paulo could be so useful!

I love exploring foreign places, I’m fascinated by different cultures, and I enjoy chatting with locals whenever possible. One unforgettable experience was when I accidentally ended up at a wedding in Russia with lots of vodka and salted fish. I enjoy seeing new things — it’s the journey that’s difficult for me, even though I’ve never really gotten lost or had a bad experience. In contrast, my mother tends to get lost everywhere unless someone holds on to her firmly. As a child, she managed to fall asleep on the subway during a school trip in Berlin and ended up alone in West Berlin, without speaking much German. You could say she emigrated there unplanned and unwillingly.

On trips, there are always local souvenirs that carry a bit of the exotic, and people like to buy them to have a tangible memory of their experiences abroad. But they tend to pile up, and at home, these souvenirs rarely have the same power as the places themselves. That’s why years ago I decided not to buy souvenirs anymore. In the end, they just end up in the trash. Instead, I buy a magnet at every place I visit. I painted a wall with magnetic paint, and the magnets go up by the entrance. From time to time, I stand in front of that wall, and each little piece reminds me of amazing experiences, encounters, and unique stories that have accumulated over the course of my life.

There isn’t much space left, but still some. Although I don’t like traveling, I am drawn to faraway places. There’s still room for a few more magnets.