Featured Travellers: Verena Illmer – BJJ Globetrotters
Age: 31
Belt: Purple
Profession: Yoga & meditation teacher, proofreader for French and Spanish
How many years in BJJ: 6
Other martial arts: I did some traditional Jiu Jitsu for a couple of years, several years ago
Where do you live: I live in a van; I’m mostly in Bocholt (Germany) where I train, or am travelling
Where are you from: Voerde, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Other fun or curious information you would like to share:
When you are in Spain, “coger” means “to take”, but in Latin America it means “to fuck”. Think twice before you speak ;-).
Verena Illmer – BJJ Globetrotters
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Since I was a child, I always loved travelling, just like my dad. When I started training Jiu Jitsu I quickly realised that I love visiting other teams and training with a lot of different training partners. Not only because it’s a lot of fun and you get to know a bunch of cool people, but also because it helped me a lot in Jiu Jitsu in general, getting new insights from different sparring partners and coaches and experiencing new styles of Jiu Jitsu. So it was very natural to me to combine both by training a lot in other gyms during my travels (also because Jiu Jitsu people are the most welcoming when it comes to inviting you to the gym), and I improved this “ability” by moving into a van, which gave me the chance to travel and train even more.
Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
My last big trip was to Spain in January and February. I competed in Paris and went to a seminar there afterwards (Mica Galvao & Diogo Reis, highly recommendable!), from where I drove all the way down to the Atlantic coast of Andalusia, passing through mountains and the mostly unsettled central regions. I stayed some 6 or 7 weeks there for surfing, training, and enjoying the sun, meeting a lot of cool and extremely friendly (Jiu Jitsu) people.
My next trips will be to several of the Globetrotters camps in the summer, some by airplane, some by van. The next trip might be in fall, maybe somewhere in France/Spain/Portugal for surfing, maybe a larger trip outside of Europe. I tend to not plan a lot in advance, as usually when I make plans I end up doing something completely different anyway. :)
Verena Illmer – BJJ Globetrotters
What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
What I love the most is being able to go wherever I like to, knowing that no matter the place, I will find beautiful new places, experience things I’ve never done before, and meet lovely people in other gyms. I’ve actually never been disappointed with that one, which is for me something unique and beautiful in our sport: you can go to almost any gym in a random foreign country and know you will be welcomed as if you were an old friend, even if you’ve never been there before. This makes it so easy for me to travel, because I never feel like I miss anything; I can feel home in any place I go (perhaps also because I can take my home with me on the road…).
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
A lot! Apart from being sure that you are never actually alone no matter where you go, because you can find the coolest and kindest (and craziest, in a positive way) people in the gym close to your destination area, you get a lot of useful and precious helps or tips regarding your journey and activities. The best surfing spot, a good local restaurant with reasonable prices, a secret beach… Just ask your travel training partners! The help and support is incredible and I appreciate it so much, even more travelling in a van. For example in Spain, I never had to worry about water, because everyone was more than happy to fill my water tank at their house. And even better, almost every single coach whose gym I visited invited me to dinner with his wife or family at least once, providing me with the best local food, as if letting me train with his team and learning from him wouldn’t already be a huge pleasure for me.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
The hospitality in other countries. At least in the beginning – now I’m more used to it. When I went to Chile some years ago for some volunteering in a nature park, I went to the southern region “Región de los Lagos”. Being there in the Chilean winter, it was freezing cold, much more than what I had expected and was prepared for (or was willing to endure…), and I would have to spend 3 months in a cabin in the woods with the two other rangers, remotely placed from civilization and without electricity, running water, or anything close to heating. In summer, it would have been great for me, but being winter I got a really bad flu, a middle ear inflammation, and could barely sleep. So what did the ranger do? He first organised a place to stay for me in another nature park in the central region of Chile with milder weather, which belongs to the huge family of his friend. They welcomed me like a member of the family. I lived in their house, shared my everyday life, my sorrows and laughs with them. I felt so at home there that I didn’t even want to leave. After that, I visited the family of the first guy for a while in the northern part of Chile near the ocean and also lived with them in their apartment, sharing a room with their daughter and again being welcomed like their child. I spent a beautiful time there with them and never felt strange or out of place.
Both families did not even know me, they had never seen me before, but invited me to live in their house with them for how much time I wanted to stay, asking nothing in return, providing me their help, their food, their company, whatever I needed. It was something that really surprised me at first, but in time and during several travels I noticed that this is much more usual in countries other than Germany and I learned to appreciate it a lot.
Verena Illmer – BJJ Globetrotters
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, I would consider myself more of a budget traveller, as I travel in my van, spending money only on diesel and nothing else. It is a beautiful, relaxing, cosy and less expensive way to travel – even more so when you live in your van and always have everything there that you need (and possess) without ever having to pack your bags. :)
Before I bought my first van, I mostly spent the nights in hostels in shared rooms, which was funny and economical as well, but I wouldn’t do it that much any more or not for such a long time – I’m getting old…
I tend to not plan a lot for my travels. Sometimes I even change my destination (the city, but sometimes even the country) the evening before I want to depart. I stay where I feel good and happy, and leave when I want to see something new. Being able to do that is something I appreciate a lot travelling in a van.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Be friendly, polite, curious and open-minded. Don’t be shy to ask if you don’t know or don’t understand something (same as in Jiu Jitsu classes :)) and offer your help whenever you can. Don’t expect others to be or act like you, try to understand and respect the local habits, try to communicate (even being able to say “Hello” and “Thanks” in their language is a good start to get in touch with the locals). Don’t act like you don’t want others to act in your home country!
