Contributor: VAEGABOND (Melli & Dani)
We’re Melli & Dani — long-distance bicycle travelers, storytellers, and the people behind VAEGABOND. Since 2019, we’ve been cycling around the world, and we’ve been wanting to properly introduce ourselves here for a while. So here we are.
The short version: we left Germany in 2019 with two bikes, one tent, and a whole lot of optimism. What followed was five years — 1,751 days — of the most intense, beautiful, chaotic, humbling, and unforgettable experience of our lives. Over 55,000 kilometers. 27 countries. Temperatures ranging from -20°C to +50°C. Altitudes up to 5,416 meters. Around 1,700 nights in that tent. And countless moments we couldn’t have planned if we’d tried.
We got married in Morocco — accidentally, sort of (that’s a long story involving a mud village and a very enthusiastic local). We crossed the Thorong La Pass in Nepal at 5,614 meters. We survived Dengue fever in India. We were escorted by armed police through Pakistan, rescued ourselves onto a rooftop during catastrophic flooding, and ended up spending a night in a Pakistani jail the very next day through a sequence of events that still sounds made up when we tell it. We crossed one of the highest paved border crossings in the world 
between China and Pakistan at 4,700 meters. We cooked meals at 5,400 meters elevation. We watched the sun rise over the Iranian desert in 50°C heat — and were blown away by the hospitality of a country that dismantled every preconception we’d arrived with. And we lost our cookies — and our dignity — to a troop of monkeys in Thailand who ransacked our tent while we were sitting ten meters away, scattered our medications across the ground, and left a smell in the tent that haunted us for weeks.
Through all of it, it was the people who made this journey what it is. Strangers who invited us in off the road and fed us more than we could eat. Locals who appeared out of nowhere to help fix a mechanical and refused any thanks. And Warmshowers hosts who made us feel, for one night, like we were home. That spirit of generosity is something we’ve carried with us across every border — and it’s a big part of why this community means so much to us.
We document everything — the adventure, the chaos, the quiet moments, the genuinely hard days — through regular YouTube episodes in both English and German, blog posts, and practical resources for anyone planning their own cycling adventure. Over the years, we’ve also written two books: a travel memoir from our Morocco chapter (Gone, Chased, Married), available at vaegabond.com/buch and a comprehensive practical guide to bicycle touring (Cycling the World), available at vaegabond.com/ratgeber, both now available in English.
Coming up: the full journey, told from the beginning.
We’ll be sharing a series of posts right here on Warmshowers that take you through our journey chronologically — from that very first day leaving Germany, through Morocco, Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, and beyond. The real stories, the ones that don’t always fit into a 20-minute YouTube episode. The detours, the disasters, the unexpected kindnesses, and the moments that quietly changed us. How two people and two bikes found their way through 27 countries, one pedal stroke at a time.
Whether you’re a seasoned tourer, a curious beginner, or someone who just needs a reminder that the world is still full of magic — we’d love to have you along for the ride.
Until then, come find us here:
🌐 Website: https://vaegabond.com
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/vaegabondsworld
▶️ YouTube (English): https://youtube.com/@vaegabondsworld
▶️ YouTube (German): https://youtube.com/VAEGABOND
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/vaegabondsworld
We’d love to connect — and maybe one day we’ll meet somewhere out on the road.
Ride on!
