Name: Stefan K.

Age: 31

Occupation: Occupational Psychologist

Blogging since: 2014

Most Recent Trip: Hitchhiked around the world

Next Trip: Iceland

Blog: Warmroads

 

DW: Which book did you read to prepare for your last trip?

Stefan K.: At the start of my hitchhiking journey, I read "On the road" by Jack Kerouac. It turned out to be a two-year road trip - and I couldn't have found a better book to help me get ready for it. It gave me a sense of freedom. I couldn't wait to get out there, and see what life on the road was really like. Later, I was in the US - hitchhiking, and hopping trains like a real hobo. Those were guys who traveled around from one place to another on freight trains, doing odd jobs to earn a little money. That was my "Kerouac Commemorative Tour," and it was inspired by that novel.

Which books did you take along with you?

I prefer print editions, because I don't like to just sit around with a digital device. When I was in Colombia, I printed out a copy of Hermann Hesse's "Steppenwolf," and carried it around in my back-pack. It gave me something to think about while I was on the road.

In Kazakhstan, one of my Kazakh friends let me borrow a copy of Erich Maria Remarque's "Heaven has no favorites." It just happened to be in German, and it was the only thing I had to read at the time. In Canada, I read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The gambler" - one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. It was winter, so I had a good excuse to just stay in bed and read. When I'm travelling, I enjoy reading Terry Pratchett's fantasy novels - from the "Discworld" series. They're really funny. I've read nearly 30 of them so far.

Name a book that saved the day during a trip.

"Anxiety - Using depth psychology to find a balance in your life," by Fritz Riemann. I was sailing across the Atlantic to America. It was a three-week trip, and things were pretty intense on board. Our captain was neurotic, and that book helped me to understand why he behaved the way he did. It was like I was doing my own private case study. It didn't make the situation any better, but it certainly was interesting.