Experience: I live on trains

I pick my night train and wait for it to swing me across Germany as I sleep

I’m 17 and since August 2022 I have been living on trains. I grew up in a village in the north of Germany. I enjoyed travelling to Scandinavia with my parents and going on nature tours, and was also interested in computer programming. I taught myself how to program during the pandemic and decided that was what I wanted to do for my job.

After graduating from secondary school in summer 2022, I was set to start an apprenticeship as a software developer. Unfortunately, it was cancelled a few weeks before it was due to begin. I needed a new plan at short notice.