Footsteps of Freedom: the path to a writing and hiking life

Resignation and cold feet

It’s been quiet on this blog for a while, but that’s about to change. The time is almost here: I’ve handed in my notice.

March 31 is my last day at work, and I hope to officially start my life as a hiking and writing nomad in May. To be honest, I find it quite exciting and get cold feet every now and then, but there’s no turning back now…

Why the best stories happen on the road

During my sabbatical (from May 2024 to January 2025), I discovered that the best stories don’t happen behind my desk, but somewhere on the road, with all my belongings in my Wheelie hiking trailer and wild camping in my tent or sometimes just under the open starry sky.

My best ideas often come after walking miles and miles, far away from everyone.

On this blog, I’m going to share those stories.

And if you enjoy that, you can always sign up for the newsletter. You’ll automatically get a message whenever a new story is published. No strings attached, of course.

A little preview: The heat of the Sultans Trail

Next week, I’ll start a series about a trek I did in September 2025: a section of the Sultans Trail. This long-distance hike runs from Vienna to Istanbul, about 2,500 kilometers long, through eight countries and eight nature reserves.

I walked a part of it, from Belgrade to Sofia. As a wage slave, I didn’t have any more time. But I’m definitely going to walk the whole route one day. This has left me wanting more.

And what a three weeks they were.

Three weeks of heat.

Three weeks of walking through Serbia and Bulgaria.

Three weeks in a world without trail markers, where the alphabet looks different, where churches are Orthodox, where monasteries sit on hills, and where paths were more than once impassable.

Along the way, I met people who crossed my path, I walked sections where the trail no longer existed, and I reached places where time seems to move just a little slower.

Starting next week, I’m going to tell the whole story. Day by day. Kilometer by kilometer.

And this is only the beginning.

What can you expect here?

As I said, I’ve since quit my job. April 1 (no joke) marks the start of my new life (emptying the apartment, final preparations) and I hope to leave for good in May. Where to exactly?

I’ll find out along the way.

What I do know: I’m going to walk, write, and share the stories here. The life of a hiking and writing nomad.

If you don’t want to miss anything, you can sign up for the newsletter. You’ll get an automatic notification when a new story appears. But feel free to choose: you can always unsubscribe.

If you do stay, you’ll be walking along with me step by step.

You are more than welcome.

Note: Just as my path on the road has yet to take shape, this website will also grow with me in the coming period. Soon you’ll be able to read my stories not only in Dutch, but also in English and Spanish. Please be patient; it’s being worked on, along with other improvements. I’m not satisfied yet!