Between 30 March and 7 September 2014 I walked  a lot. Starting from my hometown Berlin I followed a route to the French town Biarritz that took me North and South, West — and also East — to finally write the word “home” (or as some remarked “emoh” as I started with the “e”.

Yes, after a rough start I ended up accepting rides people offered and using public transport on and off, so that in the end of 4,800km I had walked “only” 3,000km. I didn’t accomplish the public goals I had set out below. “Walking Home” was not a social movement that I might have dreamt of when I devised the trip. But I accomplished  a world personally, and I met dozens of interesting and kind people who went above and beyond to offer me shelter, food and occasionally a ride.

To get an impression of my 162 day adventure make sure you watch the video:

You can also browse in the sidebar on the right side of this page to find out more about how I got on “Walking Home”.

Here’s what happened after the Walking Home Project was over: What did you do one year ago today? – How Walking Home has changed me.

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Hello,

In this modern digital, global world do we more than ever need a nest to protect us from the speed and the endless possibilities? Is a person without a home poor and worth less? Or is home reduced to a few items we can easily carry with us; memories, trinkets, a Facebook account. Is everything else replaceable?

My name is Carola Bieniek. I am 34 years old. I live in Berlin. I am a travel junkie. I got hooked while traveling 10 months in Africa. I have been clean since July, 2012.

In March, 2014 I will relapse. I will begin a 4.000 km journey across Europe from Berlin to the Atlantic on foot. With each of my steps I will write ‘home’ on the map. My budget will be minimal. During the estimated 200 nights of the journey I plan to ask strangers for a roof to sleep under.

I will be homeless. But will I really have no home? Together with my hosts I will ponder this question. I will ask them to help me complete a simple sentence:  Home is…

On my website www.travel-b.com you can walk with me and follow my journey. I will keep a diary and let my hosts and other chance acquaintances provide insight on what home means to them. Maybe a long walk will help me kick the habit? I doubt it.

Let’s go!

CB

How can you become part of the project?

Join me online:

• Browse my diary here on the website.
• Subscribe to the newsletter. All the latest posts from the website will be conveniently delivered via email to your inbox every Saturday morning: http://eepurl.com/LfHOP.
• Follow me on the blog and on social media

…I am looking forward to your feedback and ideas on all channels.

Tell me about home:

• Join the discussion, here on the Blog or on Facebook.
• Share your picture: Create a picture – a simple photograph, a drawing or even a collage – of what “home” means to you, pin it on Pinterest, post it to my Facebook page or send me an email and you might soon find your picture here on the blog.
• “Home is…”: Complete the sentence, tweet it (@cbsoundso #walkinghome), post it to my Facebook page or send me an email and you might soon find yourself quoted here on the blog.
• Your story: Write me about what “home” means to you. Did you lose your home? Have you been travelling yourself? Are you campaigning to give others a home? Send me an email with your stories.

Tell others about the project:

Talk with your friends and family about the woman who travels 4.000 km across Europe to find out what “home” is all about. Who knows what interesting discussions you might have and how those bring you even closer together.

(TBC) Support the work of great organizations

I will set up a campaign on donation platform Betterplace.org and hope to raise 1 Euro for every kilometer walked for organizations working to give every person a home.

Sponsoring & media:

• Have a $? Ever dollar counts! Support the project on travel crowd funding platform Trevolta: trevolta.com/travels/Walking-Home-16441

• Do you happen to work for or own a business for outdoor equipment or electronics? I would be very grateful for your support for buying a few remaining items I would like to have on the trip.

• Do you work in media – press, radio, TV or online? I would be delighted if you report about the Walking Home Project. For more information and interview requests you can reach me at cb[at]travel-b.com. When you write about me please send me a link or scan for my archives.

Give me shelter:

You can follow my route on travel-b.com and http://www.tripline.net/trip/Walking_Home-6555231201231007903CE26FF823D5E7. Contact me via email or Facebook if you can provide shelter along the way for a night or two.** Thank you!

**Please note that the route might change. I’ll probably only know a week before where I’ll be going exactly. Thank you for understanding!