Lasse Stolley, this young German who has spent his life on trains for two years

This 17-year-old young man has chosen to live on the rails in August 2022. A lifestyle that he shares on his social networks and on his website.

It’s an unusual story: a 17-year-old German spends his days and nights on the rails. Since leaving his parents’ house in northern Germany in August 2022, Lasse Stolley has already traveled 675,000 kilometers on trains, the equivalent of 15 world tours and an average of 1,000 kilometers per day. It was when he came across a documentary about a traveler who spent his life on trains that the 17-year-old had the idea of ​​embarking on the adventure.

One day he discovers the Baltic Sea when he wakes up, another the snow-covered Alps. In his 30-liter backpack, Lasse Stolley slipped three t-shirts, three underwear, two pairs of socks and the essential earplugs. His annual rent is 5,888 euros, the price of the subscription which allows him to travel unlimited and in first class on the 39,000 kilometers of the German rail network.

This annual card allows him to ensure the logistical part of his trip. The subscription gives him access to Deutsche Bahn’s 15 first-class lounges in the stations, which allows him to take his meals for free morning, noon and evening. Cereals, soups, pizzas and fruits: the menu is not very varied but Lasse Stolley makes do with it. He also takes advantage of the sinks to wash and do his laundry. And he sleeps so well on the night trains that cross Germany that he explains that he has difficulty getting to sleep when he finds his bed in his parents’ house, whom he visits from time to time.

The lifestyle he chose brought him luck in any case, since the young man found his soul mate in the “frequent travelers” lounge at Cologne station. Since leaving school, the lanky young man has been a part-time developer for a small start-up, which allows him to work on trains.

The young man thus became an informed observer of the functioning of German railways. More than anyone else, Lasse Stolley is faced with Deutsche Bahn delays, train cancellations, random wifi connections. But the young man is rather lenient. He explains that no motorist complains about arriving 10 minutes later than expected. On his website, Lasse Stolley shares his favorite routes, including the one between Rhine and vineyard in the Cologne region. He tells the story of his visit to the ICE factory, the German high-speed train.

The teenager plans to lead this nomadic life as long as he has fun and makes discoveries. Few things are enough for his happiness: watching the landscape pass by through the window, exploring Germany and above all being free.

If you want to find the adventures of this young German, go to his website lassestolley.com.