Leaving home without a cell phone and a wallet is probably hard to imagine for many people these days, but setting out on a long journey with an unknown course without these two almost vital utensils is possibly unimaginable. Samuel Kennerknecht from Habach has done the unimaginable.
Habach – It all started at the beginning of March. Samuel Kennerknecht set out on a journey, leaving his parents’ home and heading out into the wide world. Without a cell phone, without a wallet. Only with an ID card and the clothes he was wearing. The 24-year-old not even took the “Emergency fifty”[Euro], which his mother wanted to give him. His destination: unknown.
“My parents probably didn’t sleep well the first few weeks”
“I thought Samuel could do it, no question about it,” says his mother Ulrike. But she was still worried, of course. The young man is also aware of this: “My parents probably didn’t sleep well for the first few weeks,” he writes in a report about the first days of his adventurous trip.
He first went from Habach to the nearby Highway entrance. From there, he hitchhikes to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. His goal there: first of all, to find work. After all, he still needs a meal and place to stay for the night – and he has to pay for that somehow.
Samuel Kennerknecht earns his money on the go.
In his mind, he’s already picturing how he’ll be at the gas station. Cleaning car windows – even topless if necessary. But it doesn’t come to that. In addition to a carpenter’s shop, where he cuts what feels like 1,000 balcony slats, he also helps outwith a bricklayer. With his first money, he first buys himself lunch.
He does not have to spend his first night on a park bench, as he had feared in the beginning. A young woman he happens to meet on the street is very enthusiastic about his travel idea and provides him a place to sleep for a night. So the first day went about as he had imagined. In addition, he received two valuable gifts: a toothbrush and a travel diary.
Gain valuable experience and have adventures.
But how does one actually imagine such a journey? What drivesa young man, who could supposedly be much more comfortable, into such an adventure? “It was also important to me to deliberately expose myself to a situation that is not entirely easy,” explains the 24-year-old. He wanted to learn to organize himself, learn new languages, gain valuable experience and have adventures. All he needed for that was “nothing but time.” After graduating with a degree in business psychology, these thoughts stuck with him and he set out on his journey. Samuel wants to use his experiences to encourage others to try something crazy.
Habacher documents his journey on social networks.
Samuel documents his experiences with pictures and short entries on the social network Instagram. He can now also get in touch with his parents. He has now earned enough money to buy a smartphone. And to the great delight of his mother Ulrike: “Just the first few weeks, when Samuel didn’t have a cell phone, were quiet and full of worry.”
Samuel Kennerknecht was in Spain, when he sent his report to the local newspaper. His first destination there: the capital Madrid. A few days ago, he also shared pictures on his Instagram account showing him sight seeing in Barcelona.
Is the uncertainty frightening?
Kennerknecht had previously spent a long time in Italy. There he had found work at a mountain hut on Monte Baldo in order to be able to finance his onward journey. Kennerknecht often decides spontaneously where to go. He is often asked if this uncertainty does not frighten him.”Since I’m a Christian, my Confidence helps me,” he explains and says: “If I stay at home because of fear, something awful will keep me away from the beautiful things and I don’t want to let that happen.”
So the journey through the world without any money will probably continue for a while.
(Published 18.08.2022) Original text in German by: Tobias Schwaninger
