TRAVERSE 47
At 35, Dominik Reinhard had what many would consider an enviable life. He had spent more than a decade in the corporate world, completed an MBA and built a successful international career based in Switzerland. Yet despite the professional achievements, something was missing.
“ I realised that work-life balance needed a reset,” Dominik says with an impassioned tone.
What followed was a decision that would change the trajectory of his life. Dominik sold his belongings, left his corporate career behind and set off on what was initially intended to be a three-month backpacking trip. Instead, it became a two-and-a-half-year round-the-world adventure that would eventually cover more than 70,000 kilometres and 30 countries.
That extraordinary journey became the basis for his book, The Long Road South, a deeply personal account of riding solo through South and North America and discovering that the most meaningful destinations are often internal rather than geographic.
From Germany to the Open Road
Born in 1981 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany, Reinhard developed a fascination with travel early in life. Family holidays through France and Italy exposed him to different cultures and planted the seeds of curiosity that would later define his life.
His adult years, however, followed a more conventional path. He pursued higher education, built a career in business and travelled extensively for work. But corporate success brought with it an uncomfortable question: was this the life he truly wanted? Rather than ignore the feeling, Dominik chose to act. His departure in 2016 was not initially centred on motorcycles. He began as a backpacker in Southeast Asia, but quickly realised that buses and trains did not offer the independence he craved. In Vietnam, he bought a small Honda Win and set off across Vietnam and Laos. The experience confirmed what he had sensed all along: the motorcycle was the ideal tool for exploring the world.
Learning to Travel Slowly
After Southeast Asia, Dominik spent several months in New Zealand, converting a Nissan Caravan into a mobile home and travelling the country at his own pace. Then came the most ambitious leg of his journey.
He flew to Brazil, purchased a BMW F 700 GS he named“ Fury,” and began riding south.
TRAVERSE 47