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A teenager drives a thousand kilometers across Germany every day where he lives. He lives and works at ICE. This also brings problems.
Munich – Rental costs have been skyrocketing for years and many Germans can hardly afford them, especially in cities. It makes sense for young people, in particular, without necessary changes to consider alternative housing strategies. One of them gained national attention thanks to Lasse Stolley, because his solution is as creative as it is unusual: he lives in ICE.
Teenager Lasse Stolley lives on the train: “I have an extremely great freedom”
The 17-year-old software developer has been traveling across the country in first class since 2022 using his Bahncard 100 without having permanent residency. He sleeps on night trains and bathes in public pools and eats for free at the DB Lounge. He travels about 1,000 kilometers a day on German rail, Business Insider reports.
The solution seems to work well for Stolley: “I have a lot of freedom and can decide where I want to go every day.” at any time, whether at sea, in the Alps or in a big city.” Of course he is also affected by the many railway strikes.
Lasse Stolley lives on ICE trains in Germany. ©Lasse StolleyInstagram
17-year-old becomes a digital nomad, but first he had to convince his parents
Before nomadism, he had completed high school. His plan to train as an IT specialist came to nothing because the training was cancelled. A YouTube video inspired him to give up his previous life. He writes about his constant travels on a blog.
However, Stolley's parents were not very enthusiastic about his plan. He told the portal that he needed to be very convincing. But now they support him financially and pay for his health insurance, for example. Stolley also makes money as a programmer at a startup in Cologne.
Lasse Stolley lives a minimalist lifestyle – noise-cancelling headphones are essential
At first, it took some getting used to before Stolley was able to get life on track well. He has almost nothing, minimalism is his constant companion. “The most important thing is my laptop and my noise-cancelling headphones, which give me at least some privacy on the train.” In his 36-liter backpack, he only carries four t-shirts, two pants, a pillow collar and a travel blanket.
And how much do young people save by living like this? It's definitely cheaper than an apartment. Much of his costs can be attributed to his equipment: the Bahncard cost him the youthful price of 5,888 euros. In total, you should spend around 10,000 euros per year on your lifestyle.
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17-year-old young man lives on the train – “There is a lot of theft on night trains”
Stolley would like to work with the railroad as an outside consultant to fund his travels. After all, hardly anyone knows better than him what goes wrong as a customer at ICEs. “My wish would be to give feedback to transport companies, for example Deutsche Bahn or train manufacturers, and be compensated for it.”
He has an example ready: he has suggestions for improving night trains, especially when they travel through metropolitan areas like the Ruhr area. On night trains you need to “be very careful with your luggage, a lot of things are stolen from them”. There is a lack of security personnel, unlike Frankfurt and Hamburg. An ICE train with 250 passengers on board recently had to be evacuated due to a gas leak. (cgsc)