Oxford. A career in London. A life with bright prospects. And a young woman who suddenly has very different plans. At age 26, Eva zu Beck buys a one-way ticket to Nepal. What begins as a break turns into an extraordinary life full of adventure, freedom, and the question of what truly makes a person happy. Today, she is one of the world’s most famous adventurers, hosts her own series for National Geographic, and inspires millions of people with her films.
There comes a moment in life when you ask yourself if that’s really all there is to it.
For Eva zu Beck, that moment comes surprisingly early. She’s in her mid-twenties, studied at Oxford, works in London, and leads a life that many probably envy. Her résumé is impressive, and her career prospects are excellent. But she isn’t happy with it.
Eva was born in Poland in 1991 and grew up in Poland and England. After studying German and French at the University of Oxford, she began a career in the media industry. She was married, earned a good living, and had every reason to stick to the life plan she’d laid out for herself. But the more she thought about it, the clearer it became to her that she actually wanted something completely different. She wanted to explore the world, have adventures, and find out what life beyond her familiar routines had in store for her.
In 2017, she quit her job, ended her marriage, and bought a one-way ticket to Nepal. She didn’t have a detailed plan for the coming years. Instead, she had a healthy dose of curiosity and a willingness to embrace things she didn’t yet fully understand.
In the Himalayas, she embarked on her first extended treks, even though she had neither special experience nor the proper gear. The physical exertion, the majestic mountain landscape, and the encounters along the way inspired her so deeply that her planned break gradually evolved into a completely new outlook on life.
The world is bigger than we think
In 2018, Eva traveled to Pakistan, where she ended up spending more than a year. She explored remote mountainous regions, lived with local families for periods of time, and discovered a country that is often reduced to conflicts and security issues in the international media. What she experiences inspires her: overwhelming hospitality, breathtaking landscapes, and encounters that change her perspective on the world.
She begins documenting her travels on YouTube. Her videos quickly gain an international audience. Eva approaches her hosts with great curiosity and openness. She is interested in their culture, their daily lives, and the personal stories behind the headlines. In the process, she repeatedly pushes herself to her limits.
In 2019, she buys two horses in Mongolia and sets out alone across the steppe. It’s an adventure that would challenge even experienced riders. Eva first has to learn how to handle the animals and navigate the challenges of such a journey. She makes mistakes, improvises, and experiences just how demanding it can be to be on her own in a largely uninhabited landscape.
A year later, she finds herself on the Yemeni island of Socotra—a fascinating world with bizarre dragon’s blood trees and landscapes that seem to be from another planet. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a virtual standstill, Eva stayed on the remote island for about three months. She spent a lot of time in nature, slept under the open sky, and experienced a daily life that had almost nothing in common with her former life in London.
These experiences change her. Eva gains self-confidence, develops new skills, and learns to cope with uncertainty. She discovers how much she can accomplish on her own and how enriching it is to open herself up to unfamiliar people, cultures, and situations.
Over time, however, she also comes to realize the price that a life of constant movement can exact. Every new departure means saying goodbye. Friendships, relationships, and the feeling of belonging somewhere take on a different meaning.
A Land Rover Named Odyssey
In 2022, Eva fulfills a dream that many in the OLLI community can relate to very well. She turns an old Land Rover Defender into her home and sets off on an extended journey through North America. Her Defender is named Odyssey and, at around 18 years old at the time, is already quite a seasoned companion.
The journey begins in Mexico and takes her through the United States and Canada all the way to Alaska, partly with two Friends of OLLI, Mathilde and Nick from @nextmeridian.expedition. Along the way, she’s joined by Vilk, a young German Shepherd who becomes her constant travel companion from then on.
Together, they spend months exploring the diverse landscapes of North America. Eva explores remote regions, drives along isolated trails, and enjoys the freedom to largely shape her daily routine as she pleases. Her Defender offers just enough space for everything she needs and takes her to places that would be difficult to reach in a standard travel vehicle.
Of course, such a life also comes with its less romantic realities. An older off-road vehicle requires attention, remote regions demand thorough preparation, and with a dog on board, Eva bears additional responsibility. Yet it is precisely this blend of independence, improvisation, and direct experience of nature that makes being on the road so appealing to her.
Over the years, “Odyssey” has become far more than just a means of transportation. The Defender represents a life choice that has guided Eva for many years now: to live as independently as possible and to remain open to whatever happens along the way.
From Traveler to Adventurer
As Eva explores ever-larger parts of the world, the nature of her adventures is also changing. The young woman who set out for the Himalayas in 2017 with little trekking experience is becoming an athlete who deliberately takes on extreme physical and mental challenges.
In 2024, she will participate in the Gobi March, a 250-kilometer stage race through the desert. In March 2025, an even more demanding challenge follows: the Lapland Arctic Ultra, spanning over 500 kilometers. For days on end, she must cope with the cold, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation as she makes her way through the Arctic landscape.
What drives someone to voluntarily subject themselves to such hardships? For Eva, it seems to be, above all, a fascination with her own potential. She wants to understand how people cope with extraordinary stress, what abilities they can develop, and how much of what we consider to be our limits is actually immutable.
This curiosity has now come to shape her professional career as well. What once began with travel videos she shot herself has evolved into an international career as a filmmaker and host.
With *Superskilled with Eva zu Beck*, she’s getting her own adventure series on National Geographic. In it, she visits people who have developed remarkable skills and tries to learn from them. In Mexico, for example, she meets the Rarámuri, who are known for their extraordinary endurance in long-distance running. In Tanzania, she visits the Hadzabe, whose traditional hunter-gatherer way of life is closely tied to their natural environment.
Eva is interested in the knowledge and experiences of her hosts. She immerses herself in their way of life, asks questions, and tries to master the challenges herself. In doing so, she combines her role as a host with the spirit of adventure that has driven her since her very first trips.
Today, Eva zu Beck reaches about four million people through her social media channels. Her films, expeditions, and documentaries have made her one of the best-known figures on the international adventure scene.
A remarkable journey for someone who, nine years ago, quit her secure job to fly to Nepal on a one-way ticket.
How much freedom actually makes you happy?
Amid all these spectacular experiences, Eva has increasingly been pondering a question that seems surprising at first glance: How happy does a life make you when you can do practically whatever you want at any time?
She has earned a freedom that many people dream of. She can travel wherever she wants, turn her passion into a career, and largely shape her own schedule. But her years on the road have also shown her how challenging a life without a fixed home base can be.
Eva speaks openly about loneliness, self-doubt, and exhaustion. About how difficult it can be to maintain close relationships when you’re constantly on the move. And about the search for a balance between a thirst for adventure and the desire for stability.
This candor is what makes her story particularly interesting. After all, Eva has now achieved much of what she had hoped for at the start of her travels. Nevertheless, her search for a fulfilling life is far from over.
Perhaps that is also the most important lesson she has learned from her adventures so far: freedom is something very personal. What it means to one person may look completely different to another. And sometimes, one’s own idea of it changes with every new experience.
Over the past few years, Eva has proven that she is willing to make unconventional decisions and accept their consequences. She has learned to navigate foreign cultures, overcome physical challenges, and keep going even when things don’t go as planned.
Her personal motto is “The World Belongs to the Brave.”
Anyone familiar with her story understands that, for her, this phrase goes far beyond spectacular expeditions. After all, perhaps the most important step of her journey so far was the one that started it all: the decision to shape her own life according to her own vision.
And where will this path lead her next? We can’t wait to find out.
The Wilder Way: Eva zu Beck on Courage, Adventure, and a Life Full of Freedom
Is a life of freedom and independence really the ultimate dream life? In her new book, *The Wilder Way* , Eva zu Beck takes us on her eight-year journey through a mix of a thirst for adventure, self-doubt, and overwhelming happiness.
We read the book and were particularly impressed by the candor with which Eva tells her story. She takes us to spectacular landscapes, extraordinary encounters, and places you’d love to discover for yourself right away. At the same time, she offers a very personal glimpse into the less glamorous aspects of her life.
Identity crises, fears, and exhaustion are just as much a part of her story as a deep connection to nature, boundless curiosity, and the wonderful feeling of being exactly where she’s meant to be. Eva vividly describes how her idea of freedom has changed over the years and why a self-determined life constantly demands new decisions.
Our verdict: A personal, inspiring book about the search for oneself and the courage to follow one’s gut. It stirs wanderlust, sparks reflection, and lets you at least begin planning your own adventures in your mind.
And perhaps that is precisely the most beautiful effect of this book: that at some point you put it down and ask yourself what you’re actually waiting for.
Eva zu Beck – The Wilder Way
About courage, adventure, and a life full of freedom
Malik Verlag / Piper · 336 pages
€20.00 (DE) · CHF 26.90 (CH)
ISBN 978-3-89029-626-5
→Discover the book at Piper Verlag
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Photos: © Eva zu Beck
We're giving away four copies!
Would you like to read Eva’s book yourself? Then we have something for you: OLLI is giving away four copies of the German-language edition of *The Wilder Way*.