About
Notes of Nick
The story behind telling travel stories...
The story behind telling travel stories...
Created in 2023, Notes of Nick is a travel journal about unfiltered impressions and insights of life on the road.
Written and captured to inspire curious explorers to venture out into the outer and inner worlds of life and to write their own stories.
An EXPLORER'S JOURNAL
Based on my notes, this journal is for you: An explorer of life, someone who loves to uncover the secrets of planet Earth and who wants to grow along the journey.
Hallo! My name is Nick Koch, a German vagabond in his late twenties who has one strong conviction: I believe that in every corner of the world – from the mountains of Guatemala, the alleys of Paris, to the place you are sitting right now and reading this – there is something new to learn. Something to explore.
But I would go even further: Every place you set out to explore has even more to offer than you originally think. There is the outer world with all its facets, from sheer beauty to shocking misery, we can perceive with our senses. A world we can see, hear, touch, smell, you name it.
And taking place parallel to the adventures you experience in the outer world, there is the world you always carry with you. The inner world with all its facets. A world of thoughts, emotions, existential questions and gut feelings. As a non-native speaker, I especially like the English word „spirit“ to describe this world.
Those two worlds, the outer world and the inner world, define our experiences and are always available to explore.
ABOVE: Me, the author behind Notes of Nick.
LEFT: Me, the author behind Notes of Nick.
Driven by unbounded curiosity, my favorite way to explore both worlds is the act of traveling. I think no other activity is as rewarding and fulfilling as delving deep into the diversity planet Earth has to offer. Getting impressions of awe-inspiring landscapes, sensational wildlife, eye-opening cultures, and a lot more phenomena. And at the same time experiencing insights jumping into your mind. Insights about yourself, human life on Earth, the universe.
Don’t misunderstand me, these impressions and insights you have during your time on the road are not always sunshine and rainbows. No, sometimes the outer world or inner world – and a lot of times both simultaneously – can be tough. Seeing poverty and environmental destruction in the developing countries or feeling lost and confused during lonely times on the road, can be challenging.
But you know what? These impressions and insights are authentic, and they are bringing you understanding. First and foremost understanding about yourself – your purpose in life, who you want to be, and much more – but also about life on planet Earth. Past, present, future life, human and non-human alike.
And this is the context where Notes of Nick jumps in. Created in 2023, after an inspiring year-long trip through the Americas, Eastern Europe and India (which resulted in me leaving my job as a police officer), Notes of Nick is my passion project. A travel journal which captures all the different insights and impressions you get during your acts of exploring the two worlds.
I strive to write as authentically as I can, and give you real insights and impressions about the many places I visit. In my opinion, that is what travel writing should be all about. It should be about unfiltered looks into life on planet Earth and the effects it has on the development of your character. Because isn’t this the reason why you set out on your adventures in the first place?
RIGHT: My journals, the foundation of this site. A mix between commonplace book, planner and sketch-book, these journals collect my insights and impressions of the past five years.
ABOVE: My journals, the foundation of this site. A mix between commonplace book, planner and sketch-book, these journals collect my insights and impressions of the past five years.
The foundation of this project are the notes I take in my personal journals. By now I’ve filled five journals during trips through 40 countries. Every time I’ve encountered something fascinating on the road, read an interesting passage in a captivating book, or an insight jumped into my mind, I scribbled it down in one of these journals.
The purpose of keeping the journals? Just pure enjoyment, the strive for inner growth and maybe using the material to contribute something to others.
Enjoyment, Inner Growth and Inspiration to leave a lasting impact on planet Earth: These are actually also the benefits I wish for you to get out of exploring Notes of Nick. The mission of this passion project.
Besides the travel journal, I also plan to journal about and arouse interest for various conservation and social projects. If exploring the inner and outer worlds of life taught me two nuggets of wisdom so far it are the following:
Planet Earth is a place of infinite beauty and magic. Both attributes which come from Earth’s innate balance. A balance of ecosystems, biodiversity and life itself. Right now, we humans are disturbing this delicate balance. And this negative impact we have nowadays, only lets us see a small fraction of the unfathomable beauty this planet has to offer – if we let it regain its natural state.
So for the sake of Earth’s beauty and magic, as well as the sake of all living beings, human and non-human, we have to conserve and restore balance actively – in social and environmental challenges alike.A happy life is a life of purpose and contribution. Your purpose and acts of contribution can be expressed in innumerable ways that fit your unique personality. Everything is interwoven, so your true happiness, a feeling of fulfillment and bliss, correlates with your personal, creative expression of purpose and contribution. Make the world a better place in your unique way.
Alright, and now that you know about the purpose of Notes of Nick it’s time to explore. You can either jump right into The Notes here or delve into three of my favorite travel stories down below:
Stories of impact
Discover these stories which impacted me the most
during times on the road.
Entry N.01 MARCH 2023
At Bangalore airport, I made an encounter with a stranger that should change the course of my life forever.
Entry N.02 JULY 2023
A spontaneous roadtrip on the North Island of New Zealand exposed me to the reality of Van Life
Entry N.03 YEAR 2023
Experiences in Tonga made me remember something I always knew in my heart. A story about finding a special place.