Sasch's Blog #1: Kicking Off with a Cargo Bike, 40 kg of Luggage, and 1,600 Meters of Elevation Gain

Sasch has been a longtime companion of Ticket To The Moon, and adventure runs through his veins. Over the coming weeks, he’ll be sharing updates with us regularly about his extraordinary journey to Greece. We’re already looking forward to sharing his stories with you—from the challenges on the road to the magical moments in the hammock. 

Here is his first account of the start of an adventure that has already pushed him to his limits:

"Blog posts?!? Aren't those usually posts that start on Day 1 and continue to cover subsequent days?!"

Let's be honest!! What's "NORMAL" for a travel blog anyway?

The journey I, Sasch, 53—too young to be old—would like to tell you about got off to a start that was anything but NORMAL!

Eighteen years in Austria, in Saalbach—I’d left that behind three days earlier and had myself driven to Laax, Switzerland, with a trailer equipped with a rooftop tent and all my belongings, with the goal of setting up my new base there.

Just an idea…

The idea of setting out on a cargo bike from Laax to Corfu came about in the spring of 2025. The idea of volunteering at a local animal shelter was conceived in 2022. A dog chooses ME, and we continue our journey together—to see this whole project through to the end.

In short… I took the Laax gear out of the trailer, sorted through it, and rethought things—until the cargo bike was finally ready to go with a total weight of 40 kg.

Everything you need for the trip—don't forget the Ticket to the Moon hammock!

And then I set off, heading toward the Lukmanier Pass. The weather was perfect—not too warm, not too cold—and the first few kilometers went by smoothly. But doubts began to creep in relatively quickly as I approached the pass I mentioned earlier.

Pedaling was tough; I couldn’t find the right position on the bike. My butt, knee, and feet were aching, my hands had gone numb, and… FROM THEN ON, MY EGO TOOK CENTER STAGE for the next 15 km and 1,600 hm.
What do YOU think you can actually accomplish here? Too much luggage, not prepared enough, the bike not adjusted properly—a cargo bike, of all things!?! Not fit enough, too old—just to mention a few tidbits from the “BRAINFCK” menu.

ACTUALLY, on some of my previous bike trips, everything had always turned out fine by the end of the day anyway, but THIS PASS here—mentally speaking—really wore me out!! I mean, like, really!!

IT'S INCREDIBLE what thoughts can do to YOU! But that's exactly where MY JOURNEY begins!! To be able to explore those boundaries, bring them to light, get to know MYSELF even better, and LEARN how to deal with moments like these.

But then: Once we reached the pass, at the top of the reservoir, all the thoughts and “pain” we’d endured up to that point seemed to vanish into thin air.

What happened? Is it over already? Easy, hop right up here! No problem, I'll do it again in a sec!! ;-)

Seriously!! Standing at the summit, with my self-brewed "reward" cappuccino in hand, I had to laugh out loud as I thought back on all the complaining I'd done during those last few kilometers.

"LUKMANIER PASS!! NOT YOU, MY FRIEND! NOT YOU!!"

And what could be better than a well-deserved cup of coffee after a trip like that?