On the road with Marta Greber
Words & photography by Marta Greber
I used to travel a lot by myself when I was younger. While at university, I would take all my exams in the first term, so I could grab my snowboard and drive to Zakopane, which would still be free of tourists before the season kicked off. And then I went to the USA all by myself for a few months – Las Vegas to be specific – as part of a university work and travel program.
I loved the freedom of not being dependent on anyone; I could do whatever I wished, accountable only to myself. After finishing my studies, I met Tomasz – who still seems to me to be the coolest guy in the whole world – and at some point we started travelling together. We spent months wandering around south east Asia, China and Nepal, and it looked like I’d found my “other half ” travel companion.
Then, one cold morning, about five years ago, our daughter Mia joined us. Though she started travelling young – on her first road trip at just two weeks old, and her first flight at six – I thought my life had changed, and that my crazy adventurous travels were only a nice memory. How little did I know…
When Mia turned two years old, I told Tomasz I’d found a great deal for tickets to Hong Kong and New Zealand, and I’d like to go there with Mia for a girls trip. Which father of a two-year-old wouldn’t accept the present of a whole month to himself? This is how the adventure started.
Hong Kong was a very easy experience, we wandered happily around the city and Mia enchanted everyone she met. Then we flew to Christchurch and picked up our 50-year-old VW T2 camper – I had gone a bit wild with all the planning. The next three weeks taught me everything I needed to know about motherhood, my relationship with my daughter, what is important and what is not. It was the best life decision I’ve ever made (well, maybe after marrying her dad and deciding to have her). This trip changed everything in my life.
I came back home and bought our first, 25-year-old, camper van – and we’re now on our third. We took Mia and spent five months travelling together around Europe. And one day, after two seasons of summer van adventures we decided to pack up our life in Berlin and move it to our camper permanently.
Today is Wednesday, and I’ve been living without a permanent address for over half a year. There are so many things I’ve learned about life from living within 12 square metres, and not in an apartment.
The next three weeks taught me everything I needed to know about motherhood, my relationship with my daughter, what is important and what is not.
I also produce less trash and I choose wisely what to buy, as it’s not so easy to dispose of your rubbish and there’s not much extra space in our van. I do not waste food, and I spend way more time in nature.
I am definitely more eco-friendly, without much effort, though I used to make a lot of effort in this direction. Why? Because I can only tank 100 litres of water, and it has to last for a long time. Now I know how to use as little as possible, and this knowledge comes from a kind of laziness: the less I use, the longer I can drive without looking for a new source.
I also produce less trash and I choose wisely what to buy, as it’s not so easy to dispose of your rubbish and there’s not much extra space in our van. I do not waste food, and I spend way more time in nature. When I get into an argument with Tomasz and I need to leave the room, the only way out is outside, so accordingly I have a choice: nature or solving our problems by talking.
To be serious, I love living on the road, because it made me change old and not-so-good habits. I do not waste time, I prefer to spend it with my two people. I go to sleep early, so I can hug my daughter and tell her stories while falling asleep. I wake up early to admire the sunrise and have my time with nature. I read more books and use way less internet (mostly because we don’t have that much internet to use).
I meet people I could never meet otherwise, I hear stories that influence me as a mother, wife and person. It makes me remember that people are great and helpful and this has made me love my family more. Somehow I remember way too many “family moments” and I never want to lose them, so I write them down in a journal. There are tough moments; life is not a piece of cake. Sometimes our camper breaks, sometimes we get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception, sometimes Tomasz and Mia play on my nerves and sometimes the coffee is gone.
And so after only six months, all I can see are the advantages. All I can see is my family and how much I appreciate this extra time we have together.
