On 17 November 2023 the day came: after more than thirty years in management positions, Andreas Starlay had his last working day. «I was able to round off my career with an exciting project,» he says. As IT manager at Swiss Casinos he was responsible for introducing a new financial system. «It was satisfying to pave the company’s way into the future.»
He looked forward to the new chapter, but also knew: «The transition from work to retirement can be hard.» A neighbour of his, also a manager, fell into a deep hole after retiring. «He died six months later – I didn’t want that.» A keen golfer, he first wanted to spend his free time in South Africa. But he soon realised that wouldn’t fulfil him in the long run. «As long as I’m healthy, I need a real challenge.» Besides, he is single and free of family obligations.
Travel! That was always his passion. As a teenager he hitchhiked across Europe and Australia with a tent and rucksack. Andreas wanted to feel that again. If not now – when? «Covid and the war in Ukraine showed me that the world can change within 24 hours,» he says, «I wanted to enjoy nature in all its diversity – who knows how much longer we’ll be able to.»
No sooner said than done. After handing back the keys to his flat and sorting out a few organisational matters, he set off on a journey to the deep south. His new home, at first, was the roof tent on his Land Rover Defender. «It was glorious to bake in the stone desert of Morocco in the midday sun and then spend the night at minus six degrees.»
But he soon found he needed better equipment to travel in style; today he lives as a modern nomad in a winter-ready Kabe Imperial luxury caravan with every conceivable comfort, from underfloor heating to a leather sofa. «I park it somewhere and head off in the Defender into regions that would otherwise be unreachable.»
He drove to Norway, to the Lofoten Islands and on to the North Cape. «The moment I stood at the northernmost point of Europe was indescribable. You feel small and at the same time incredibly free.» Later he was in Spain. While camping in a cork-oak forest, four joggers came by and kept him company. Over coffee, one of them invited him to his olive farm, where he spent two days. «Experiences like that are priceless.»
Andreas keeps no fixed daily routine. «I let myself drift. On fine days I get up just before sunrise, enjoy the birdsong and make my breakfast.» Every day brings something new – be it an outing into nature or a spontaneous encounter with complete strangers. «But there are also days when I just sit and let the silence wash over me.»
For Andreas, the freedom to enjoy life to the full is the greatest happiness of retirement. His tip: «Find something that fulfils you. It needn’t be anything grand. Sometimes it’s enough to wake up in the morning and start the day without pressure.» The most important thing, he says, is no longer to define yourself by your job. «Now I’m simply Andreas – the traveller.»
This article appeared in MEN issue 2/24 (November 2024).
