Walking the world: from Austria to Japan [inside my journal]

Gregor Sieböck took a very long walk on the wild side. The Austrian spent three years trekking from his home country to Japan. Now walking is his job. He shares a lucky escape from wild boar, his wanderer’s philosophy, and why he wrote the entire manuscript for his latest book in his paper republic journal…

When did you start walking across the world and why?

After completing my postgraduate studies and working at the World Bank in Washington, it looked like my career was set. But I politely declined the job offer, and instead embarked on my first global journey, walking from Austria to Japan, via South America, the USA, and New Zealand. I covered 15,000km on foot and it took me three years.

How did this journey change your life?

After I returned to Austria, I gave hundreds of lectures about my experiences and wrote several books. Then I began a new journey. But this time, without a fixed destination; I decided to let the path unfold as a walked. 

This led to other projects: more books, more lectures and four cinema documentaries. Walking, and sharing my experiences of the world, has been my job now for the last 22 years.

How do you support yourself financially when you’re wandering the world?

I have created several revenue streams. I take photographs and create photo stories. Then, somewhere on my journey, I rent some old cinema or town hall, put up my posters and give a talk, where people pay to come.

Sometimes I earn enough money before I do a trip, so that I don’t need to work during the trip. I also earn money via my book sales from the five books I have so far written.

How does your paper republic journal come into your book writing?

My latest book was written entirely in my notebook, in three stages. I first took rough notes in my notebook on the road. Then I took those notes and fleshed them out into a manuscript in another notebook. Once I was happy with that manuscript, I typed it up on my laptop.

I find it’s much easier and faster to take notes on the road using a pen and paper, rather than a phone or computer. And I write much better when I am sitting on a beach or in some remote cabin with pen and paper, rather than typing. I usually go somewhere where I'm not disturbed. I wrote most of my last book directly into my paper republic journal in a log cabin in Norway’s arctic circle.

Your new book Frei Sein Zu Gehen was released in summer 2025. What’s it about?

The title roughly translates as To be Free to Go. It's part travel memoir but also about living freely and how people can live an inspiring life. I have met so many interesting people in my travels over the last 22 years, and they have shared with me so many great stories. I wanted to share those stories with others; to give people some of the inspiration that I was fortunate to receive.

I started writing it in 2020, just as the Corona pandemic arrived. I managed to sneak into Norway just before they closed the borders and I spent the whole winter and spring up writing it in the Arctic circle in a friend’s log cabin by a lake.

What makes paper republic journals especially good for writing your travel notes and books?

I really like the longevity of your journals; the leather cover which I can always reuse once I have filled my notebook. I also love high quality, handcrafted products. I have the feeling that paper republic has the spirit of doing the right thing; using good leather from a trusted source and making these wonderful items in an ethical way, in Austria, to a very high standard.

Another feature which is ideal for travellers like me, is that I use it to store all the little trinkets I pick up along the road: postcards, business cards, other little souvenirs. 

I also like how my paper republic journals travel with me through life, and become more beautiful, because they collect stories – not just inside the page with all my notes – but also on the outside; all those marks and scuffs are little stories too. I feel that my grand voyageur will travel with me for the rest of my life.

Being on the road so much, do you ever miss the feeling of connection or having deeper roots to one place? 

I'm not always moving. I really love Austria, my home base. I feel very connected to this country. I especially enjoy giving presentations in Austria. There are many people who can't travel for various reasons, so I bring stories from the wider world to them. 

When I am abroad, I'm walking. And walking is a very different way of travelling. It’s obviously slow. I try to focus on ‘The Power of Now’ when walking. In years gone by, I was physically in one place, but my thoughts were often elsewhere. Now I really try to be where I am, both in body and in mind, and with this comes a sense of peace and connection.

Finally, there are many places where I feel a connection because I keep returning, Patagonia for example. I have been back 15 times since 2004 and have built friendships which give me a sense of connectedness. Every time I return, I go deeper and deeper, into the same place.

What are worst experiences you've had whilst travelling?

I have had very few negative experiences on the road. I have not been robbed. I didn't get beaten up. I have had no catastrophic incidences. But I believe there’s a reason for this; I realised very early on that it's important to be present where I am and to listen to my intuition.

Some examples: I was in New Zealand, sleeping in my tent in the rain. I suddenly woke up with the feeling that it was not a good place to be. So I got out of the tent, into the rain in my underpants, packed everything up and moved my tent to a new spot, 300 meters away. Later that night, a huge storm came and a tree fell on the exact spot where my tent had been pitched before.

Another time, I was walking east out of Vienna and late that evening, I put up my hammock. It was all set up when I had the feeling that it was not a good place to sleep. So I moved it 20 meters to a new spot. In the middle of the night, I heard a huge noise. ‘What the hell is that?’ I thought. I looked up and saw a group of six wild boar had ploughed through the area exactly where my hammock was hanging before.

What’s your advice for someone who would like to make an epic journey like your?

Just start. Things get much easier when we do them. The longer you think about something, the more complicated it seems to get. 

What helped push me was setting a date. I said to myself: “on the 30th of June 2003 I am going to start walking to Japan.” 

Of course, then I had all these questions and negative thoughts: “Will it work out? Where will I stay? What if something goes wrong?” 

But I had set my date, and on the 30th of June, I left.

It's also important to share your dream with people who will help it not hurt it; other travellers, walkers, and adventurers. Because if you only share it with people who have no connection or interest in doing it, they will most likely tell you all the things that could go wrong; all the reasons you should not do it. 

You must protect your dream. If you share it with the wrong people, you risk killing it. But if you share it with the right people, your dream evolves and becomes real.

See Gregor’s books here (in German) and more of his work at his website: GlobalChange.at