Gaby Fringer and Claudio Ludwig sold their house, quit their jobs, and deregistered from Switzerland. Today, they live permanently in their MAN expedition vehicle, Manny. After a year and a half of preparation and a three-month trial run in Morocco, their planned route takes them through the Balkans, Turkey, and Central Asia to the Pamir Highway and on to Mongolia.
Gabriela and Claudio had what is generally considered desirable: a house, two stable jobs, two adult daughters, and a well-ordered life in Switzerland.
Then they began to question this way of life.
Working 46 weeks a year to have six weeks of vacation. Accumulating, managing, and maintaining possessions. Waiting for retirement—in the hope of still being healthy, curious, and courageous enough by then. For Gabriela and Claudio, this equation eventually stopped adding up.
So they started doing the math.
What would happen if they sold their house, their household, and a large portion of their possessions? Would that be enough to let them quit their jobs? Could they turn that into not just a long trip, but a whole new life?
The answer was: Yes.
They broke the news of their departure to their boss over a plate of capuns at Manny’s a year and a half before leaving. At the time, both were working at Schenker Storen in Chur: Claudio as managing director of the client division, and Gaby in administration. Their boss was happy for them, even though he would be losing two employees at once. They realize today that their departure left a lasting impression when former coworkers write that they miss the two of them and Claudio’s leadership style.
Then things got serious: Gaby and Claudio sold their house, moved temporarily into a rental apartment, and began systematically downsizing their possessions.
What do you really need when, in the future, your entire life has to fit into an expedition vehicle? What can you bring along? What will be sold? And which things, that once seemed important, are suddenly just things?
In October 2025, Gaby and Claudio moved into Manny full-time. At first, they remained at their previous residence while the final months of their old life played out.
Their journey didn’t begin with the turn of an ignition key. It began with calculations, resignations, decisions—and a lot of sorting through things.
If not now, then when? There might not be a tomorrow.
For many years, the family has been sending each other greeting cards for all kinds of occasions. In one of them, the two daughters wrote the sentence that gave Gaby and Claudio the final reassurance they needed to set out on their journey: “We’re incredibly proud that you’re doing this and living your dream, which fulfills you. We’re 100 percent behind you!” Today, some conversations on FaceTime are even more meaningful than before, because they make a conscious effort to set aside time for each other. And when they really need each other, planes fly in both directions. Still, a mother’s heart aches sometimes—even though Gaby is looking forward to her “post-parenting” years.
Three Months of Rehearsals in Morocco
Before they officially left Switzerland, Gaby and Claudio wanted to know if their plan would work outside the confines of trade shows, floor plans, and Excel spreadsheets.
From November 2025 to January 2026, they traveled through Morocco for just under three months. There, they found out whether Manny was suitable as a permanent home: What works? What’s missing? What needs to be optimized? And what took up space without serving any purpose on the road?
Manny’s kitchen also underwent a transformation in Morocco. Gaby and Claudio discovered tagine, local spices, and—above all—the combination of ginger with plums or apricots. “As novices, we really only knew ginger from tea,” they admit. The sweet-spicy blend has been part of their journey ever since.
The MAN was put to the test even off the beaten path. On Moroccan trails, they got lost in stream beds, maneuvered through narrow passages, and had to back out of entire sections. When the ground became muddy, sometimes the only solution was to keep driving determinedly. Or to dig.
"In the heat of the moment, things get loud and hectic. Looking back, they're always wonderful memories."
Those three months confirmed to them that it wasn’t just the vehicle that worked—their plan did, too. By the end of May 2026, their jobs were over and their household had been dissolved. As of July 1, Gaby and Claudio are no longer registered as residents in Switzerland. Their life had become the dress rehearsal.
Get off the rat race, jump into adventure
This lifestyle is financed by what Gaby and Claudio built up beforehand. Selling their house and their possessions laid the foundation for them to no longer have to work while significantly reducing their ongoing fixed costs.
Manny, however, shows that this isn’t just an impromptu, low-budget escape. The MAN TGM with an expedition cab from Krug represents a long period of family and professional life during which Gaby and Claudio were able to build something for themselves.
The money made the transition possible. But those who have a lot also have a lot to lose: a house, income, comfort, security. Gaby and Claudio could have stayed. Yet they left anyway.
MAN, Krug—and a Long-Term Project
Before deciding on Manny, Gaby and Claudio compared different manufacturers, visited trade shows, and looked at numerous vehicles and interior design concepts. In the end, they were won over by Krug’s overall package and the people behind the brand.
Today, they would choose a MAN and a Krug cab again. Whether it would be exactly this same layout and a MAN TGM is less certain. After all, according to Gaby, Claudio always needs a project to think about. Manny (see the room tour) is therefore likely to remain not only their home but also an ongoing project in the best sense of the word.
Across the Pamir Mountains to Mongolia
Gaby and Claudio had originally planned to spend the winter on the Arabian Peninsula. The political situation changed their plans. Shortly before their departure, they also lost their beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Maylo. To the two of them, he was an important member of the family—and was supposed to share their new life with them. But setting out without a dog was out of the question for them. So they waited for a puppy. The route and schedule were secondary.
Now the route takes them through Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece to Turkey. The following spring, they plan to travel through Georgia and Russia to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. After that, the Pamir Highway and Mongolia await them.
At least, that’s the plan. After a life full of schedules, Gaby and Claudio now enjoy above all the things that money can’t buy: time, warmth, nature, and the freedom to stay wherever they please.
They don’t know how long this life will last. Nor do they know which countries will actually allow them to follow their planned route, or where they’ll go next.
But that’s exactly the point. They used to have a house, two jobs, and a plan all the way through retirement. Today, they have Manny, a general direction—and no place they have to be on Monday.
