Thomas Wittmann has been known in the district at least since his moped tour to Las Vegas.
Now the 25-year-old is on a world tour with his girlfriend.
Lengdorf / San Christóbal - A trip around the world in times of Corona?
Impossible, most people think right away.
Thomas Wittmann (25) from Lengdorf has been proving that it can be done very well since March.
Together with his girlfriend Kathi Spagel (24) from Isen, the actor and film producer is currently exploring other continents.
The young couple has already visited the Seychelles, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico.
In the year of the pandemic, however, traveling is associated with a lot of spontaneity and challenges.
More and more people are using the international easing to finally go on vacation again.
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Picturesque setting: The coast in Anse Lazio is one of the most famous beaches in the Seychelles.
Usually there are tons of tourists there.
However, Thomas Wittmann from Lengdorf and Kathi Spagel from Isener were there all alone.
© Private
Wittmann can understand this longing. The 25-year-old has already seen a lot of the world. For example, he drove with his brother Julian in 2018 on the Zündapp from Lengdorf to Las Vegas. The trained real estate agent went to Canada for “Work and Travel” with his partner at the beginning of 2019. Because of the extensive work for the "Ausgrissn" movie, however, they returned earlier so that Wittmann could better support the production. "Our plan was to make up for a longer trip after 'Ausgrissn'", explains the Lengdorf native. However, everything was delayed because of Corona. Spagel, who works as an educator, signed a fixed-term contract until the end of 2020 in the hope of going on a big trip with her boyfriend afterwards. “We would not have thought that Corona would last so long,” Wittmann admits.
Little by little, the idea of venturing out into the big wide world grew up despite the pandemic. "We thought that if we postpone it any further, we probably won't do it anymore," explains the 25-year-old in view of further plans for the future. The start of the “very spontaneous trip around the world”, as Wittmann calls it, was delayed a little at the beginning of the year, as the Lengdorf native was in front of the camera for a new police call film until the end of February.
At the beginning of February, the young couple booked their first stop: the Seychelles. The islands in East Africa were still considered a risk area at the beginning of March. Wittmann and Spagel had to be in quarantine for ten days when they entered the country, "although they have a different view of this than we do," explains Wittmann with a laugh. During that time, he and his girlfriend were allowed to move freely around the hotel grounds and even to the beach. After the quarantine, the two, who each travel with a 17-pound backpack, explored the country. "It was fabulous. It felt like we were the only tourists and we had dream beaches to ourselves, ”enthuses the film producer. The locals, on the other hand, would have been very happy about the guests.
After a stopover in Frankfurt, we went on to Costa Rica. A negative test was necessary to enter the country, which, however, made Wittmann sweat. “The people in the Seychelles are rather relaxed and not that quick to evaluate the test.” The result came very shortly before take-off. In Costa Rica tourism was booming a little more. Without quarantine, Spagel and Wittmann visit many national parks and volcanic areas, the Monteverde cloud forest, or have completed a surf course. The personal highlight of the Lengdorfers there was “the sauguade coffee”.
With a negative test and an entry form, I went to Panama for three and a half weeks.
The young couple watched the hustle and bustle on the Panama Canal and went on a night hike to Volcán Barú - the highest mountain in the country at 3500 meters.
After five hours of climbing, the tourists saw the sunrise over the clouds.
“That was a breathtaking experience,” says Wittmann looking back.
The world tour then led to Mexico, where the couple has been staying for a month and a half.
They have already explored various cities there as well as the well-known wonder of the world, the Mayan site of Chichén Itzá.
Wittmann recently went to the cinema for the first time in months, as he says, giving him goose bumps.
So far, all the shops and restaurants at the travel destinations of the Erdinger tourists have always been open. Common hygiene rules such as washing and disinfecting hands or using a mask when entering shops also apply there. In Panama in the Boquete district there was once a kind of curfew - but only for a single day. Wittmann suspects political reasons behind this action. In Mexico, even the soles of the feet are sometimes disinfected. Otherwise, according to Wittmann, the North American country tends to have the lowest pandemic regulations. "Sometimes life here is very much the same as before, and there are often large crowds," reports the 25-year-old. The Lengdorfer and his girlfriend attach great importance to always complying with the regulations when they travel.Of course, they want to avoid an infection with Covid-19 - regardless of the location, "but we are not afraid either. Otherwise we shouldn't be allowed to fly away either. "
The couple want to stay in Mexico for a few more days. After that it will probably go to Alaska. Canada, South America and Hawaii are other countries that Wittmann would be very interested in. The two world travelers are currently planning to be on the road until the end of the year. Both would have saved a lot for their trip in recent years.
Since Thomas Wittmann and his brother Julian started their own production company “Schau Hi Films” a few years ago, the 25-year-old has to work from another continent from time to time. Preparations for new film projects in the coming years are already under way. So far, Spagel and Wittmann have not regretted their trip around the world. They irregularly share their experiences on the Ausgrissn Instagram channel and so far have hardly received any critical inquiries, but rather received much more encouragement. For the couple, however, it is challenging that the planning of further travel destinations must be made much more quickly and involve much detailed research. Despite restrictions, Wittmann describes the current time as “a very good time to travel. When you have reached your goal, you will be rewarded for the effort. "
Markus Ostermaier
