"Life is too short for lousy jobs."
In 2014 I was stuck. Trapped in a stuffy online marketing office building websites for tractors under a miserable boss, freshly single, and feeling like my life was a never-ending loop of work, eat, and sleep. I had a plan sitting in my drawer since 2011 — visit every European capital on my old Vespa.
So I quit my job. I gave up my apartment. I bought Madalina — a 1979 Vespa P200E — and I simply hit the road.
I did not find a shortcut back to myself. I found La Vida Vespa.
This trip was not a holiday. It was the beginning of everything.
Madalina was my first great travel companion — a 1979 Vespa P200E, one of the most reliable and beloved large-frame Vespas ever built. She carried me through 32 countries without giving up. The relationship between rider and machine that began on this trip defined everything that followed.
Every Vespa I have ridden since has had a name. That started with Madalina.
This was not sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. This was a real adventure.
Solitude and community I experienced moments of deep silence — sleeping under the stars on an Italian mountain peak, completely alone, completely free. And I met hundreds of Vespisti across 32 countries who welcomed me with open arms, food and a place to sleep. Both experiences were equally unforgettable.
Morocco Standing in southern Spain, Africa felt close enough to touch. I crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on impulse and rode into Morocco. The blue streets of Chefchaouen. A world completely different from anything I had known. That detour became one of the defining moments of the trip.
The Isle of Wight At the legendary Isle of Wight Scooter Rally in the UK I found my first iconic pilot suit. A small moment — but one that felt like putting on a uniform for a life I had chosen.
The transformation I came home with Madalina covered in the signatures of hundreds of people who had helped me along the way. And I came home as a completely different man.
La Vida Vespa 2014 was the moment I tasted blood. I discovered that you do not need a €20,000 machine to explore the world. All you need is determination and a little bit of madness.
I came home broke. I felt richer than ever before.
Why did you start riding long distances on a Vespa? After a burnout in my management job and a painful separation, I quit, gave up my flat and bought a 1979 Vespa P200E. The 2014 Europe tour was my way back to myself — and the beginning of La Vida Vespa.
What is Madalina? Madalina is my 1979 Vespa P200E — my first long-distance travel companion, named and loved like a partner on the road. She carried me through 32 countries and 22,450 km without giving up.
Why Morocco? Because Africa was right there. Standing in southern Spain with open road ahead, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar felt like the obvious next step. That is how La Vida Vespa works — you follow the road.
How did you finance the trip? I lived on a maximum of €50 per day — basic accommodation, cheap food and the generosity of Vespa clubs along the way. I came home broke. Worth every cent.
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