This Could Have Gone Wrong

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– In today’s video, I make my way from Poland to Germany to pick up my truck Odyssey, after having shipped it all the way from the United States in a cargo container. Where is Odyssey? A 17-year-old car that hasn’t been driven in three months, that may, or may not work.

The car won’t start. And I’ll have to drive it 500 miles back home. What could possibly go wrong? Oh God. Today is a pretty special day because, today, no tomorrow is gonna be a special day. Tomorrow I get to pick up Odyssey, my truck. I haven’t seen her in three months, so I really am not sure what I’m going to find, whether I’m going to find all my things inside still.

Whether the car is in good shape, good condition. I don’t even know if she drives. The last time I saw my truck was in late September in New Jersey, when I dropped her off at a shipping agency. Let me just say, that place did not inspire my trust. I felt a little bit nervous honestly, like I was going to another country to pick up a long, lost relative or something. So, Odyssey has had quite the journey, and I’ll talk a little bit more about the process of shipping a truck across the Atlantic Ocean a bit later on.

But in order to go and get her, I also have to make a bit of a trip. And yeah, this is the second flight of the day for me. I flew from Wrocklaw Poland, to Zurich in Switzerland, from Zurich in Switzerland, I’m flying to Bremen in Germany

And from Bremen taking the train to Bremerhaven and then a taxi to my hotel. And tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get to see her and hopefully she’ll be able to take me back to Poland because I’m planning to drive her to Poland. And I honestly, I have no idea whether she’s in good shape,

Whether she’s even drivable. I’m just kind hoping that she is. I was really excited to go see Odyssey, but well, I guess this wintery German setting, kept reminding me that I am no longer in the wide open spaces of the Western USA. This is very much bleak and dreary central Europe in December. Not the worst place to be sure,

But definitely not the best either. So I’m gonna tell you a little secret. I actually didn’t have to come all the way out here. I originally booked for Odyssey to get shipped directly to Poland, but there were so many delays and I ended up not knowing when the truck would

Even make it to Poland. It was just, It was a bit of a mental drain for me. So I was like, nope, I’m just gonna take matters into my own hands. So about five days ago, I booked my ticket to come out here. It would’ve saved me a lot of hassle, potentially if I hadn’t done it,

But I am sentimental that way and a little bit reckless, and that’s fine. I’m here. Finally made it. So this is Bremerhaven, and I was here almost exactly two years ago while dropping Odyssey off to be shipped to Mexico. Big machinery here. Cool. So these are the other two cars currently here. Cool. And there she is. Oh, just a few last checks before I leave her here.

Now I’m back to pick her up. It’s been a long day. So, this feels like I am about to complete some sort of cycle, some sort of chapter, and I’m so excited about it. But I do worry a little bit because this truck has not been driven at all in three months, right? So I don’t really know if she will start tomorrow,

And I don’t really know what state she’s in, honestly. So, I’m a little bit nervous, but I think, you can’t let these thoughts consume you, right? You just have to like wait it out, go there and see it for yourself. And then if it’s really bad, then you find a solution then.

But hopefully it’s not terrible. And hopefully she’ll take me all the way back to Poland safely tomorrow, because I have big plans for this truck, for this winter. Okay? I have some cool adventure plans, so I hope I get to do them.

Also, if you have any ideas for cool winter trips in Europe with a truck, let me know. Let me know in the comments. I’d love to read your suggestions. All right, I’m gonna hit the sack and wake up tomorrow nice and early and go get Odyssey. It’s so exciting.

As I record this voiceover, I wish I could tell you that I felt like a kid at Christmas, unable to fall asleep from excitement. But the truth is, I’m in my 30s and after a day of two flights, a train and a taxi ride, I was kind of tired.

So I fell asleep within about eight seconds. I wanna take a moment to address something quite important. So, one of the questions that I get asked the most frequently is, how do you stay safe as a solo female traveler? And this here is actually a really great example of that. So, originally I was planning on doing my morning run

And running to the warehouse where Odyssey is stored. I was like, okay, I’m gonna get my workout out of the way. Great. And then this morning I realized that, I don’t know this town, I don’t know how safe it is here. I would be running in the dark

With potentially no cell phone signal and through a port, through an industrial area. And it’s just, I just dunno how safe that really is. So, I decided that instead of running, I’m gonna take a taxi. So, just one very small way to stay safe. I also stay safe by staying hydrated. That’s a really terrible segue, really bad. But this is the sponsored part of today’s video. Thank you bottle bottle. This is one of the few travel accessories that I don’t go anywhere without. And I know you might be thinking it’s just the bottle. What’s the big deal? The bottle bottle actually has some

Really cool features that make it really practical, whether you’re traveling, or just for daily use. One of my favorite features of the bottle bottle, is this bottle storage box, which is like a little secret compartment. You can just twist it and it comes out and you can put anything in it.

I usually put electrolytes inside, but you could put pretty much anything you want inside. But it’s big enough to fit keys and vitamins and small change. I also sometimes use it as a nifty little water bowl for Velek whenever we’re on the go and I have forgotten to bring his actual water bowl.

‘Cause there’s different ways that you can drink from this bottle. You can unscrew the top completely, you can lift the big lid, or you can just lift this tiny little bitty bit. I don’t know what that’s called, but it’s really convenient when you’re driving and wanna have a sip of water.

The bottle bottle also has a really cool and useful handle and it’s made from really insulated material, which means it’ll keep your liquids hot, or cold, however you want them. It also comes in a whole range of really cool colors and this one is my favorite.

And you can get a discount if you use this code at checkout. For more info, check out the link in my description. All right, thanks for watching. Back to the video. When you order a taxi in a town in Northern Germany,

You can expect it to come on time and be nice and clean. Hi. Hello. – [Driver] Hello. – What I didn’t expect was that my driver would play reggae on the radio and tell me all about his time living in Jamaica. “A bit different from here” I said. He responded with, “Well yes, “but this is where my roots are”. Okay, I think this is the right address,

But it’s still very dark and not very busy here. And I just hope that there’s someone in that office. I hope that that’s the right office. It wasn’t, but I guess this is why phones were invented. Okay, I’m in the wrong place. It wasn’t number 18, it was number four and that’s like a 10 minute walk from here. Damn it, in this weather. Okay, let’s do this. Oh, dreary old Europe in December. I do ask myself sometimes if I’ve made a mistake by coming back here, but you know, maybe that taxi driver wasn’t wrong. Roots can count for something. And even in the dreariness and bleakness of this season, you can always find things to look forward to.

So, I guess this must be it. I mean, to my eyes, it just looks like a junkyard filled with cars and huge trucks and just this big warehouse and I don’t really know if there’s an office somewhere here. At least I can’t find it. Oh my God, so creepy.

Such a dodgy atmosphere out here. Thank you. – [Speaker] Straight on the other side. – [Eva] Oh okay. – [Speaker] In this corner you’ll their office. The container’s over there. – Okay great, thank you. So a nice gentleman has let me into this huge warehouse and apparently I have to cross it

And get to the office on the other side. So many cars and a lot of them are like pretty dead. What do they do with these broken down cars? I have no idea. Oh there’s a Defender, but it’s not Odyssey. So what does it take and how much does it cost

To ship your car to another continent? Well, it’s actually not that complicated. You start by contacting a shipping agent. This person will find the right ship and the right sailing date and arrange most of the logistics. I worked with a company called Caravan Shippers in Germany. They processed the customs,

So that all you need to do is make sure you have all the car documents, international insurance, and of course some cash to pay for the shipment. When I sent Odyssey from Germany to Mexico in 2022, I paid about 2000 euros. It was a row row shipping, or roll on, roll off.

Basically your car is not in a container, just inside the ship, like in a ferry. This time around I sent Odyssey from New Jersey to Germany inside a container, because it felt like a safer option. I paid about 3,500 euros this time, which included a really high fee

For some obscure customs document I didn’t have and that had to be written up. Last time the shipping took just under two months I think. This time it was three months because Odyssey missed the scheduled sailing due to that really expensive missing customs document. Okay, I am in the office

And I just signed a document to get Odyssey. So, she is here and I’m about to go and see her. I’m so excited. She’s there, I see her. Oh my God. Oh my God, Odyssey. Oh my little baby. Hello little baby. Oh, you’re so dusty. Look at you. So, they have to jumpstart her because the battery has run out. She’s been here for a little while, so that’s understandable. The jumpstart was taking a bit too long for my liking. Little did I know that this was a sign of things to come. She’s alive. She’s alive. Oh my God, I am so excited. I’m so happy. Oh my God, she’s on. She works. She’s alive. Also, totally forgot just how cramped this car is inside. It’s like no space in the driver’s seat anyway. Oh my God. And we’re out of there. Freedom. Oh my God. I’m so relieved first of all, that she seems to be working fine. Everything seems to be here, but I’m so excited for our new chapter. You know, it really feels like I kind of needed this closure, to have the car here to just be able to

Move on to the next thing. Because I still felt like I hadn’t closed the North America chapter fully, given that Odyssey was still in transit. But now, now it’s different. Now it feels like we’re done. Feels to me like the tires are a little bit deflated, which would make sense because you know, they had to fit her in a container somehow. She’s pretty tall, but I don’t have, I don’t know where all my like gear is. Probably I’m gonna have to go to a gas station

And get some air. Okay, all done. Ready to go. I have a little problem. The car won’t start. Fuck. The battery’s completely dead. Maybe someone can help. Maybe these guys will help me. I’m so sorry to bother you. My car’s battery died. Could you help me start it with your car? I do have the static cables in the back

Because I thought I might need them, so I kind of left them outside. Perfect, yes. Done. Thank you so much. Okay, she is running and I am keeping these cables in a very visible place that’s easy to access because, I just, I have a feeling like this could be an issue. I think Odyssey really needs to go and see a mechanic at this point, which she will.

I have a trusted mechanic in Wrocklaw called Pepe, who I know will fix her up real good. But before we can do that, I still need to get her to Poland. So, I guess I’m just not gonna stop for the next 100 miles or so, so that the battery can recharge.

♪ I want it that a way ♪ ♪ Tell me why ♪ ♪ Ain’t nothing but a heart ache ♪ So I just stopped to fuel up and I’ve been driving for the last couple of hours, tried to start the car just now and it’s not working. Something’s wrong with the battery, so I have to ask for help again. Thank you. Okay, so this is probably gonna keep happening. There’s something clearly wrong with the battery. So I have 620 kilometers left until my hometown, and that means I will definitely have to stop to refuel at least one more time. One more time. So I’ll have to jumpstart her one more time with someone’s help.

This is a little bit ridiculous. So originally I was planning to camp halfway so that I wouldn’t have to drive the whole way in one go, but that’s just not gonna happen given the current situation. I mean, if I wild camp somewhere, I may not be able to find anyone there in the morning

To help me jumpstart the car. And I don’t wanna stay at like a gas station parking lot that would really suck. So I’m just gonna suck it up and I’m gonna go all the way home tonight. It is annoying to have to change plans like that, but you know what?

It’s really not a big deal. Like this is not a huge issue. I can get it fixed and in the meantime I’ll just ask nice people to help me out and hopefully it’s not too much to ask. But yeah, plans change. All right, this is the last gas station before I get home, and the last time that I will have to switch off the engine. All right, I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna turn her off. And she did. I’m just gonna try something. I’ve been driving for a long time now,

So maybe the battery is back to its living its best life. Let’s see. Come on. Yes, oh my God it works. Thank God. Oh my God, okay, it’s fine. It was just the super drained battery that was the issue, but we’re good now. Oh, what a relief. Oh my God. I made it. I made it. Odyssey has made it. We made it in one piece and without a breakdown. Now it’s time to get all the stuff out of the truck. After nearly two years of crisscrossing North America, from Mexico to Alaska, Odyssey is back in Europe. As I unpacked, I was happy to see that nothing went missing during the shipping and inside

Everything was just as I had left it back in New Jersey. Well, welcome Home Odyssey. Hey, if you’d like for your name to appear in these credits, or if you’d like to get early access to all of my YouTube videos, or if you’d like to get access

To my making of, slash behind the scenes videos for every single film that I publish on YouTube, you may wanna subscribe to my Patreon community. There’s loads of different perks. Patreon is where I usually post my early life and travel updates. Where I make loads of exclusive content

And we get a chance to connect on live calls as well. It’s a really, really great community. And yeah, if you’d like to see more of me, this is the link somewhere here on the screen. Anyway, see you in the next video.