At one point, he wanted to travel around the world. Not by plane and overnight stays in hotels, but something completely different, more exciting, adrenaline-filled. A jet ski looked challenging, the Danube was nearby. He said to himself: “Hey, why not”...
So in October last year on a jet ski Kevin Neubeck (33) began his journey around the world from Germany - first along the Danube and the Black Sea, then across the Bosphorus to the Aegean, Ionian and Adriatic Seas, where he rested on Ada Bojana near Ulcinj for the May Day holidays.
Six years ago, Kevin moved from Germany to Cyprus. He says he traveled a lot, but conventional wasn't what fulfilled him...
As we sit on the terrace of a restaurant on Ada, at the mouth of the Bojana River, Kevin remembers when he made the decision to change his life, sell everything and head into the complete unknown, without a clear plan, but unwavering in his intention to conquer the world.
"I sold everything, bought a jet ski with all the equipment, packed the bare essentials, got a girlfriend." to Philip and a dog, a mini bull terrier, Chick, and off we went. Without a supporting team, without a fixed plan...,” says Kevin, who initially did his best to make the challenging journey unforgettable.
And despite the hardships on the river, the inconveniences at the borders, and the often harsh conditions at sea, the iron will was stronger...
The Danube is about 2.800 kilometers long. It rises in Germany and is formed by the Breg and Brigah rivers. On its way to the Black Sea, the Danube passes through 10 countries - Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine.
Kevin, Filipa and Chicko passed through those countries, then across the Black Sea to Turkey, and then to Greece, Albania and Montenegro.
Epilogue - in half a year, the intrepid crew has traveled through more than 13 countries, covering more than five thousand kilometers. In addition, Kevin has had to spend more than seven thousand euros on fuel alone for the trip so far.
“Every day was - check the route, check the fuel, check the weather and go. Rijeka was easier in a way, calmer and more predictable, but the borders were a constant obstacle. Police checks happened quite often. About 11 or 12 times in total,” says Kevin.
Most of the officers, he says, were just confused by what they saw.
“'Where are you from? From Germany on a jet ski?' That usually required a bit of an explanation,” says Kevin.
He remembers an engine failure on the Danube, in Slovakia, when a fisherman came to their aid.
The sea, however, is a different story.
“Waves, wind, long distances and much more physically demanding. Some days were calm and fast. Others were slow and exhausting. Fuel planning was always in the back of my mind. You can’t stop anywhere. Sometimes we had to be resourceful to get to the next marina, even though we were constantly on Google Maps,” Kevin remembers.
He also highlights the unpleasant situation when they arrived at the border with Turkey.
"There was a misunderstanding, they asked us for papers that maybe we didn't have to have. They said we were in their country illegally. That went on. At one point they even took our jet ski away, but we quickly cleared things up and moved on," says Kevin.
At sea, he says, there were also unusual moments and encounters that could not have been predicted.
"Dolphins appearing alongside us in the open sea, people in small ports watching us arrive as if it made no sense, riding together, falling into the water, laughing, and then continuing the journey. It wasn't one big highlight. It was simply day after day, navigating and moving forward. Without perfect conditions, without a perfect plan...", says Kevin.
He says he enjoys every moment with Filip and Chick:
“Chicko tolerates travel well, he’s used to it more.”
On Ada, their host was the owner of the restaurant "Tikas" Increasing Revenue.
"And yes, I'm in Montenegro now, just enjoying myself. Artan invited me to stay with him, at Amazonas Houses. We go to Tikas almost every day where there's great drinks and food, good people and a good atmosphere," says Kevin.
Still, he knows there is still a long way to go before the circle is complete.
"It started as a random idea. It turned into real life. And honestly, the only real reason was - why not," he says.
Kevin, Filipa and Chicko are probably in Croatia now, so they plan to go through Italy and Malta, to France, Spain and Morocco. It's not over yet...
The plan is to cross the Atlantic.
Calm seas and oceans, Kevin...
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