Hello everyone and welcome (back) to our blog. There’s big news: The #ContiEuropeanRoadshow – drum roll, please – is now on the road! The first destination: the Baltic States, Jelgava in Latvia to be precise. Therefore, I would like to share with you in this post how I prepared for the trip and how I experienced the first kilometers of the roadshow – since more details are anxiously awaited, aren’t they?

Before departure: the last days in Germany

The last days before the start of the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow were dominated by one thing above all: preparations! After all, I’ll be on the road for four weeks before I head back home. As you can read in my post “Routines-Routines: My personal recipe for success”, I am a structured type and appreciate a certain order. After the washing machine shifted into high gear, I sorted my clothes into three categories – Continental, personal, and sports – and packed them accordingly.

The preparations were not only about me, but also about the truck – it had to be ready for departure abroad. In addition to a few papers and registrations, a lot of small things were necessary – such as the final labeling or packing of the trailer and lists of stocks and storage locations in the truck. Before departure, there was also some reworking on and in the truck to do, for which I needed a corresponding briefing after completion – and what can I say: The result is really worth seeing!

Ready, set, go: the roadshow has started rolling

Throughout the preparation, my excitement for the roadshow has been growing. Now we’re finally off – and I have to say that the first few kilometers were really laid-back. On the way towards the Baltic States, I immediately noticed that the traffic situation is changing remarkably: In Poland and Lithuania, there is much less traffic overall. Freight traffic seems more manageable – all very pleasant. From my point of view, no comparison to many German highways!

But I also faced my first challenges, for example with the toll regulations in Poland. The information situation is sometimes very non-transparent, and no one was able to give me specific information about what exactly has to be done. The process can be handled via an app, a vignette, or a toll terminal – so, which is the right one for me? Especially since the corresponding little houses are quite hidden… An exciting affair, I tell you – but that probably applies to the entire roadshow. I can hardly wait to see what happens next!

On the way to Latvia: A little break with the showtruck near Warsaw in Poland. Photo: Ronny Nittmann

Especially at the beginning of the roadshow, however, I am clearly dealing with a few questions: Will everything go according to plan? Will I be able to use a gym to maintain my routines? Will we find solutions to problems that (unexpectedly) arise? And so on… I’m excited to see what the next few weeks in the Baltics and Poland will bring!

Until then – see you on the road,
your Ronny

Do you want to know the answers to these questions? Check them out in my blog post about the first four weeks of the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow!