Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Berlin 2019 – Highlights, Impressions, Modeling

I know Fashion Week Berlin 2019 was more than a couple month ago. It was in July 2019. Nevertheless, I would like to share my impressions with you. It was a crazy week and I met a lot of people. Who I met and on which parties I was, you will get to know in this blog post.

Impressions of the city of Berlin

As most of you know, Berlin is the capital and is the largest city in Germany with 5 million inhabitants.

I think Berlin is a very interesting city, because you are not limited in your options. You can achieve everything. There are many freethinkers and alternative ways of thinking are always tolerated.

There are very cool clubs to party, places to chill with friends and just hang out. Berlin compared to other German cities is a snappy city.

Why should I go to Fashion Week?

Anyone who is from the fashion industry, working for a brand, as a photographer, as a model or as a stylist. It makes sense to go to the fashion week because there can be great new people to connect with. As a social media creator you can connect with brands and work out deals. You can also get to know new social media creator. For Brands it makes sense to represent your own brand in order to increase it. So basically Fashion Week is great for networking. A little tip: always take a business card with you.

As a model at Fashion Week in Berlin

This year I was booked as a model for the finale of Berlin Fashion Week in the “Haubentaucher”. It was a lot of fun to run in this great location as a model on the catwalk. I was just back from Los Angeles for a week and really enjoyed it.

Fashion Week is great to enlarge the image as a model. Money-technically, Fashion Week is not really worth it as a model.

How do I get invited to a fashion week?

If you have a certain size or reputation in the fashion scene, you will usually be contacted via email from PR agencies. Maybe your management will also take care of inviting you to red carpet events and shows.

If you are at the beginning of your career, it makes sense to email PR agencies and ask for invitations for the Fashion Week. You can also contact large brands, which have their own shows.

There is also the possibility to get appointments for new shows through contacts you made just now on some shows. Not all shows are at one location. Sometimes  you get confused where the next show is. And only by asking, you can get a rough overview of the whole event schedule.

Impressions of Fashion Week in Berlin 2019

The Fashion Week in Berlin is always a lot of fun, because I meet a lot of people that I have not seen for a long time. So it’s like a class reunion.

Especially among social media craters and models, there are connections and it’s just a lot of fun to go out and celebrate. For me Fashion Week in Berlin is less to increase my reputation. It’s more to meet all people again. For example, I met Carlos or Luca again.

I’ve been to a lot of events this year, including the Hugo Boss party, the About You show, the Michalski show, Otto, Guido Maria Kretzschmar, the Bunte Magazin party, the Tigha party and many more.

It’s actually like every year so I do not want to talk a lot about the individual events.

Conclusion

That was just a small review of the Fashion Week in Berlin 2019 and some general information. For the next Fashion Weeks, I will write detailed blog posts and also go into the individual events. For modeling-questions and questions about my person you can go and check out my Youtube Account with Q&As and also My Instagram account 🙂

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments.

Model ABC: How to become a model? – First Steps

Since I’ve been working as a professional fashion model around the world many people had asked me how they can become a model. Thats the reason to make a short tutorial about how the model world works.

1. Am I able to become a model??!

This question does not actually arise because each person is unique in their own way and can therefore work as a model. You should always be clear about what type of model you are. Are you tall and thin and can work more as a high fashion model. Are you built more stable and therefore work more as a photo model.

You should always keep your strengths in mind and try to implement them in the field of modeling. For example, it’s cool if you have a lot of freckles. This can be shown very well in headshots and is super popular.

Your personality also plays a big role, because nobody wants a model, which is super shy and does not think creatively. It’s better to do a little too much than not enough!

Attributes in the model world can be:

Hair, face, eyes, body, pigments, size, etc.

It is not about “beauty”! Unique is the most important word here.

2. What are the model markets?

Each country usually has its own model market. Different model types are preferred for each market. In Germany, for example, you should be at least 185 cm as a man to work in the fashion sector. In Los Angeles, for example, if you work in the field of swimwear, you can still be under 180cm.

Every market is different, some are more popular if you are older some prefer with a beard and some smaller young ones without a beard.

It looks similar for women!

3. Whats the best model agency for me?

Basically, you can search for model agencies on the Internet. You can then make yourself smarter at www.models.com. Almost all model agencies are listed there and also divided into different categories.

The bigger is not better at the same time! It always depends on how well you get along with your agent. A healthy relation with you and your model agency is usually worth a lot more than size and name.

4. How to get a model agency?

The easiest way to get an agency is to introduce yourself to it by email. A small email is sufficient in which you briefly describe who you are, where you come from and what you do. In addition, you can of course also mention whether you have any experience in the model area and of course insert pictures. The pictures can already be model pictures, but do not have to be. All you need is simple photos with your cell phone on the front of a white wall with normal jeans and a white shirt. Everything also from the side and from behind. You can of course also add a few different poses, laugh or seriously.

5. What is a model book?

A model book or model book in English is a collection of the best pictures of you as a model. With this folder you introduce yourself to customers and can show customers who you are and what work you have already done. In the book model it is important to show different sides of you.

6. What are polar/digitals?

One speaks of polas or also digital if you want to have unprocessed pictures of your person from the front, from the side and from the back, to get a natural impression of you

You then send these to the model agencies in the email. They are also used to give customers an impression of you!

That was some information in the modeling area. If you have any special questions, please ask me in the comments.

 

I hope you liked this blog post?! If you have questions, feel free to ask me! I will answer everything and if you have suggestions on what to write in my next blog post, please tell me! 🙂

Otherwise, check out my Instagram account @fabianxarnold!

Best regards

Fabian

The best nutrition to be fit – by fabianxarnold

My last blog post was about showing you what my weekly workout plan looks like. In this blog post I want to tell you more about my diet.

Preliminary

I would also like to say that there is not the perfect diet and it can have different effects on each body.

It always depends on how your metabolism works and is adjusted and whether you have a strong body or are rather thinner. Every body is different. You should always listen to your own body and not just follow the rules of others.

My starting situation

As many of you probably know, when I was 16, I started going to the gym. Since I have always been one of the thinner ones and very active in sports, I had problems with gaining weight . Therefore, I would like to focus more on this situation in this blog post because it can be hard for some people to gain weight. But of course I would like to give tips on how to incorporate a diet or whether it makes sense at all to torture yourself with a diet. Maybe you just prefer to change your complete diet?

Healthy weight gain

Altogether there are three Marco components. That would be fats, proteins and carbohydrates. What has always worked best for me is to reduce fats and to consume healthy fats like nuts or fish and to keep proteins high with a normal dose of carbohydrates.

To gain weight you should generate a calorie surplus. To keep it healthy, it was easiest for me to eat a lot of pasta, lots of rice and potatoes. Then there were always proteins such as beans, lentils or chicken. I have always had a lot of strength.

Many may think that it does not matter what you eat when you want to gain weight. But for me it was very important because I wanted to gain weight but stay shredded! Not taking any fat but simply building lean muscle, it was important for me to eat healthy and use healthy carbohydrates. Of course there were also cheat days from time to time like a burger, pizza and so on. But in general I ate very clean and stayed shredded, but gained weight.

Lose weight and lose fat

After a couple years I was too big for fashion modeling and had to much muscle mass and also fat. For that I ate less carbohydrates but a lot of vegetables and protein, like eggs and chicken and also lentils and beans, of course, no cheat days. After 3-4 weeks you should definitely see significant differences! It is important that you do not make the diet change abruptly. Slowly prepare your body for it. Even if you end the diet, you should not make it abrupt, slowly get used to normal.

How good is a diet in general?

Actually, I’m not a fan of diets. Sometimes I have done it to achieve faster results faster. However, to achieve long-term success, you should make a healthy and balanced diet. This also includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta and proteins.

I never made a nutrition plan. I was always a friend of to eat what was in the fridge. However, it is easier for many people to make a pla, when to eat something.

Diet depends on the sport!

The diet also depends on the sport. If I do more exercise, I also have to get more energy (carbohydrates). Otherwise, I achieve less athletic performance. That is different for everyone. I did sports twice a day and therefore I need more energy. if you do less you also need less energy. You should also plan when you do sports and when you eat it. If you want to lose weight, it is the best to eat a few proteins and vegetables before training and then carbohydrates, proteins and fats after training.

If you want to gain weight, you should also eat carbohydrates before training to provide the body with enough energy and thereby gaining weight.

Conclusion

I never thought too much about my diet, just made sure to do enough exercise. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a feedback or write an e-mail. Be sure to check out my Instagram account for daily inspiration.

 

 

Modeling in Singapore 2019 for 3 month

I was in Singapore for modeling from September until December 2019. It was my third Modell Trip and so much staff changed during that time. In this blog post I will tell you more about what happened in Singapore.

 

First arrival and impressions

When I arrived in Singapore I got on the train and drove towards the city centre because I had rented an apartment there. My first impression was that the streets are so clean and everything was very safe. There were cameras everywhere and you didn’t feel like you had to be careful. Singapore wasn’t as Asian as I thought it was. Everyone spoke perfect English and the street signs were in English.

The public train system was also well developed. You can tap with your credit card to pay the train or you can buy a card at 7Eleven.

 

It’s so hot in Singapore

Since I was living in Australia for a year, I was used to the heat. But Singapore wasn’t just hot! It was oppressive! You have the feeling that you start to sweat as soon as you get out of the air conditioning. Fortunately, air conditioning was available in all public buildings and on the trains.

The sun is not as strong on the skin as in Australia. Nevertheless, you should always wear long clothes or use sunscreen because the sun is strong there too. Singapore is located directly on the equator.

 

 

Modeling in Singapore as a Male Model

My reason to go to Singapore was that my mother agency from LA said that the model market in Singapore should be very good.

You have the chance to model for big magazines. So, you can build your portfolio as a model. That can help you for example, to get the visa for the United States.

My mother agency from LA got me a model agency in Singapore.

Right on the second day when I arrived in Singapore, I went to the agency and picked up my model cards.

The day before you always get the information about the dates and castings that are due the next day. The normal procedure looks like this:

You go to auditions, introduce yourself, hand in your model card, do a few digitals and then you wait to see if you get the job or not.

In three months, I modeled for three magazines and for several companies in the e-commerce sector. I am happy with my time in Singapore because it has brought me closer to my goal of modeling in America.

 

Party and social life in Singapore

I am very disappointed in partying and social life in Singapore. In the last few years I have been to a lot of parties in Australia, America and also in Europe and you cannot compare anything to the parties in Singapore. I didn’t like the music in Singapore at all. It was a remix of songs I heard ten years ago. Alcohol is so expensive in Singapore that I always thought whether it was worth drinking or not. The only thing I did was that I went to movies!

Cinemas in Singapore are cheaper than in Germany. So, during the week in THE CATHAY you only pay the equivalent of 6 € for a new movie!

 

Beaches in Singapore

Singapore is right on the water but has almost no natural beaches. The only beach there is on the island of Sentosa and it is an artificial beach. You can’t compare it to a normal beach. The beach vibe is not like in Australia. There are not many people at the beach and the water is not great either because the water is very warm and there are no waves.

 

Conclusion about Singapore

All in all, Singapore was definitely worth it. Since I was able to drive my business forward and also made good progress in modeling.

However, I would not go to Singapore for life because it is just too boring and there is nothing really you can do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first trip to America – California 2019

2018 was a great year, but my experiences in Los Angeles should top that, at parties with Drake’s dad, at Dan Bilzerian’s home, or in the Mustang to Las Vegas!

In this blog post I will tell you everything!

 

The first impressions of Los Angeles

I arrived in Los Angeles during the night and it was so crazy to see all the lights of LA from the plane. I took an Uber to the hostel, which I had booked for a few days. Unfortunately there are two hostels with the same name and i went to the wrong one. I took another Uber and went to the right hostel, what a perfect start! It was right on Hollywood Boulevard and I thought it would be a good location for my first accomodation in LA. But when I got there, I realized, Los Angeles has a lot of homeless people. I was a little afraid to walk through the streets. The hostel was a dump and I slept with four others in the room. I’m not going to tell you more about it!

The next day I went up to the Hollywood Sign. The weather was hazy and foggy. Not a nice first day to get to know Los Angeles. The city was pretty grey, a lot of concrete and garbage and many homeless people. When I went down the Hollywood Boulevard in the afternoon, I really expected something different. It’s more like a garbage dump than the big Hollywood Boulevard you know from TV. But when I got out of Hollywood it was very nice, Beverly Hills, the Rodeo Drive and also Santa Monica were so beautiful with palm trees on the sides, beautiful cars and beautiful people.

The city itself is just too big and you can not take public transport, which annoyed me. Sometimes you need more than 1.5 hours from Santa Monica to Hollywood.

Party in Los Angeles

From my time in Germany I was used to a lot, but in Los Angeles the whole nightlife is even more exhausting than in Germany. The clubs are closing at 2:00 am, but you will go to the Hills for an afterparty. Every single day is a big party and you have the chance to have the best night ever, depending on which celebrities are in the club. For example I met Drake’s dad at the club and went to an after-show party with him.

In the clubs you can only get in if you know the promoters, since it is not for the “normal” public. I was lucky that I got to know a few promoters through Instagram and came into the clubs. There I met a lot of people, for example Bianca Ghezzi one of the assistants of Dan Bilzerian. That’s why I came to Dan Bilzerian’s house to do a series for the Bachelor Ignite season with Billie Jo Powders. His house is just crazy. He has everything you need, a gym, a pool, rooftop, billiard, punching bag and much more!

 

Road trip to Las Vegas / Grand Canyon – is it worth it?

The city that everyone knows from movies was definitely on the list to visit for a long time. It’s only about 6 hours  from Los Angeles by car. We rented a Mustang convertible for a weekend and drove there for a couple days. It was less about the city Las Vegas, it was more about the road trip itself and just the roads of America and the freedom to enjoy. We made a stopover at Hoover Dam and then came to Las Vegas. Las Vegas was not as pompous as I thought. It was just a street where 16 huge hotels are lined up.

Our hotel was one of the oldest at the very beginning of the street. It is called Circus Circus. When we made our way to our room, we were amazed. We had a theme park in our hotel, with two roller coasters, casino and shops. In Las Vegasall the casinos are in the hotels. The first night we went to the casino in Cesar Palace and into a strip club after. On the second day we went to a pool party where the Chainsmokers hung up and in the evening we went for some food.

The next day we went to the Grand Canyon, because it is only about 2-3 hours away by car from Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is definitely the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t stop looking down the canyon. Unfortunately we did not do a helicopter flight. That would be something I would do the next time. I can highly recommend to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

          

Road trip to San Diego – Must do?

One week after Las Vegas, we did another road trip to San Diego. A buddy and I took the train this time. I had a friend in San Diego where we stayed for two days. He also showed us around. Mission and Pacific Beach are the two main beaches in San Diego. They have a much better beach vibe than the beaches in Los Angeles, especially for teens (lots of bars, lots of party, nice promenade). It’s a great place to get down. The city with Little Italy and all the bars is really cool and it is not big as Los Angeles. We also went to San Diego ZOO and SEA LIFE, which I really can’t recommend. I got bored after a few hours.

San Diego is a very cool city and I highly recommend a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego.

    

My Fitness Routine – by fabianxarnold

Welcome back for a new blog post. Finally I will write down my fitness routine many of you had asked for.

Before I start telling you more about my fitness routine I will speak about my goal in fitness. That’s the most important thing. Without to know your goal you can’t work out the right way.

 

What is my goal in fitness?!

My goal in fitness is not to become bigger! Because of modelling I have to stay slim and shredded. If I become too big I would be a fitness model and wouldn’t get work as a fashion model. Because I’ve been working out since 6 years I have enough muscles and don’t need to gain more. So basically I will just stay as I am but more shredded. 

How do I achieve my goal?

The easiest way for that is to count calories. I always try to stay in a daily calorie deficit. That means I burn more calories than I eat/drink.

Example: 3500 cal burned – 2700 cal food/drinks = 800 cal deficite

How do I count the calories I burn?

There are two ways your body can burn calories: Active and Passive.

Active means you do sport or work out. So your body will burn the calories because you are moving. I count those calories with my Smartwatch.

Passive means the calories that your body needs to keep your body alive, for example as energy for your heart, brain and so on. Every day is very similar. You can track that with your Smartwatch or you can calculate it online. Unfortunately I didn’t find a good calculator because they are all just using age, weight and height without using personal data like a smartwatch!

The total calories you burn today is the addition of active and passive calories.

Example: 2000 cal passive + 1400 cal active = 3400 cal total

How do I coun’t the calories I eat/drink?

There are many apps on your smartphone where eyou can track the food and drinks you have. I use “My Fitnesspal” and im really happy with that.

You can scan the barcode or type in whatever you eat or drink. It will show you the calories and also the makros (Carbs, Protein and Fat).

I will tell you more about what I eat and drink in the next blog post.

 

What is my workout plan?

To be honest I don’t have a proper plan right now that says I go on these days and those days are off. Because in modelling every day is different so I plan every week different. My goal is to burn 1400 Cal active and to move more than 10 km per day.

I try to do sport 5-6 times a week, 2 times I go for a run and 4 times to the gym. When I go for a run I try to get at least 9km.

My Gym Plan:

I normally do Push, Pull, Leg.

That means one day I train all the muscles I need to push (chest, shoulders and trizeps), on the other day I train all the muscles I need to pull (back, neck, bizeps) and on the last day I train legs.

I train Abs every 3 days for like 20 minutes (Sit-ups, Planks, …).

When someone ask me how many reps I do I just answer that I’m not counting my reps. I train until my muscles are burning.

 

1. Push-Day

Warm-Up-Run 5 min

Chest (4 exercises):

  • Benchpress Barbbell flat (5 sets)
  • Benchpress Dumbbell incline (3 sets)
  • Chestpress Machine decline (3 sets)
  • Flyings (4 sets)

Shoulders (3 exercises):

  • Shoulderpress (3 x Superset)
  • Shoulder Side raises (3 x Superset)
  • Battle Rope (5 x 30 sec on / 30 sec off)

Trizeps (1 exercise):

  • Cable Trizeps extension (4 sets)

 

2. Pull-Day

Warm-Up-Run 5 min

Back (5 exercises):

  • Lat-Pull wide (4 sets)
  • Lat-Pull close (3 sets)
  • Back-Row wide (4 sets)
  • Back-Row close (3 sets)
  • Lower Back (5 sets)

Neck (2 exercises):

  • Back-Shoulders-Raises (3x Superset)
  • Neck with Dumbbell (3x Superset)

Bizeps (1 exercise):

  • Bizeps-Curls (4 sets)

 

3. Leg-Day

Warm-Up-Run 10 min

  • Squats (5 sets)
  • Lunges (3 sets)
  • Leg extensions (3x Superset)
  • Leg curls (3x Superset)
  • Leg press (3 sets)
  • Calves (4 sets)

 

Its important to say: Everyone is different! Not only because you are working out like me, means you will look like me. Every body works different and also food is almost more important than the sport sessions.

My next blog post will be about my food routine.

I hope you liked this blog post?! If you have questions, feel free to ask me! I will answer everything and if you have suggestions on what to write in my next blog post, please tell me! 🙂

Otherwise, check out my Instagram account!

Best regards

Fabian

 

Q&A – Fitness and more

 

 

Squads and Soccer

 

 

I love traveling. Asia is a great area to travel because its warm the people are so nice and the food is really good!

 

 

My main goal is to stay healthy and fit. To be perfect for modeling and perfect for me.

 

 

 

 

I dont like any milk products, because its really bad for the skin and i got pimples from it :/

 

 

175cm and now 183cm

 

 

Yeah I like Bali a lot!!!

 

 

 

I played soccer for my whole life and trained ABS since I’m 16. I do intermediar fasting. So i dont eat anything until miday. Aslo you need to eat less calories than you burn!

 

High Intense Training. Many reps and less weight! Full body!

 

 

You can read that in the first blog article in chapter fitness.

It’s all about motivation!!!

 

 

 

 

 

There are many websites out there! Just google how to become a model!

 

 

Thats soooo hard. Sometimes I cant eat healthy while traveling.

 

 

 

No I’ve never been to Africa!

 

 

I dont think so!

 

 

Because its a really good market for work and magazine publications!

 

 

Eat less carbs and sweets and more protein! Do a lot of cardio!

 

 

 

Just go to the gym! You need to focus something why you are going to go to the gym!

 

 

Eat a lot of healthy carbs like potatoes and noodles, rice!

 

 

I started the proper fashion modeling last year when i was 21. Just google it and search on websites!

 

 

 

 

I try to eat healthy and burn more carbs than i eat!

 

 

I really dont know 😀

 

 

Happiness is to be alive and to be with my family and friends!

 

 

 

My main goal is to stay healthy and fit. To be perfect for modeling and perfect for me.

 

 

I try to eat healthy and burn more carbs than i eat!

 

 

 

 

183cm, 76kg and i dont know about the body fat!

 

 

Iss weniger als du verbrennst! Viel Protein und Salat und Gemüse!

 

 

 

Just play soccer or go running!

 

 

Whats about the exercise?! 😀

 

 

Family and friends!

 

 

I eat everything but no milk

 

 

 

 

Trainiere hart und bau muskeln auf! Das Sixpack kommt von alleine 🙂

 

 

 

I have started when i was 16. I just want to be healthy!

 

 

I got scouted when i was 18 years old.

 

 

I edit my pictures with Lightroom and Photoshop!

 

 

Benchpress for Chest, Row for Back and Squats for Legs!

 

 

 

 

I eat healthy like salad, vegetables, chicken and rice or noodles! between 2 and 3 times a day!

 

 

Yes i will do it!!!

 

 

You have to train hard to see results. Food is only 50%!

 

 

 

I go almost every day!

 

 

 

I love playing soccer and any kind of sports in general! Photography also and traveling!

 

 

 

6 years.

 

 

To remember the hard time in my life when i got treated like shit in school.

 

 

 

 

I think to do sports is really important for a clean skin! Also to moisturise it!

 

 

 

I think i would love to fly. Because you are free and you can go wherever you want.

 

 

I dont really know :/

 

 

 

My goal is to be healthy and to enjoy my life as much as i can!

 

 

 

When you cut you should skip carbs and eat more protein. Like a low carb diet! Brown rice is better than white rice!

 

Just do more sprints! OR high intense sessions!

 

 

MY goal is to be healthy and to enjoy my life!

 

 

i dont really have a secret!

 

 

 

 

I remember the hard times!

 

 

 

Du solltest niemals zufrieden mit dir sein! Ich versuche einfach alles taglich zu verbessern! Gleich lean aber vlt mehr muskeln 🙂

 

 

I try to eat carbs and protein after a gym session!

 

 

Because i can travel the world while working!

 

 

 

 

 

I think i just drink all the time without even thinking about it!

 

 

 

Burger!!!

 

 

 

I dont really know! Maybe next year!

 

 

Geh laufen und mach viele Sprints!

 

 

I’m 183cm 🙂

 

 

 

Kohlenhydrate sind auch wichtig damit dein Korper kraft bekommt!

 

 

 

If you eat healthy for a week it will be much easier to eat clean!!! Its all about a routine!

 

 

I cheat when i feel like i want to cheat… Maybe once a week.

 

 

A lot of running and gym!

 

 

 

Yes i can!

 

 

 

Wollt ihr mich als Personal TRainer haben?!

 

 

 

Alexis Ren, Zac Efron, Ariana Grande, the rock.

 

To think about the past and why I want to change something!

Road Trip – East Coast Australia – # 9 Work and Travel Australia 2018

What is Australia without road trips? I believe that anyone who visits Australia just wants to have the best time of their lives! And a road trip is the perfect opportunity to have the best time with unforgettable experiences! December 2018 was this time for me. I was on a month-long road trip with my best friends Charlie Taylor, Kevin Delan and Carlos Böttcher!

In this blog post I will give you more insight into our great time along the East Coast of Australia!

Our vehicle – The ultimate dream campervan

If you go on a road trip, you should definitely think about which campervan to go with!

We were a group of 4 so we decided to go with a huge family campervan. On one hand, it lessens some of the road trip feeling. On the other hand, everyone has a lot more space and for a month, sometimes, you need that! We had 2 large beds with 2 people sleeping in each: a bed over the driver’s cab and a bed in the back of the campervan.

Here is a picture of our campervan:

Our Route – The East Coast of Australia

The route we chose was easy: just along the coast from Sydney to Cairns. Since I love to plan everything in advance, I planned this road trip quite a bit in advance.

Our mission was to get to Cairns in 28 days. Here’s a screenshot of my road trip planning notes!

And now, I want to share with you our stops along the route:

Stop 1: Narrabeen Beaches

The first stop was the beaches in the north of Sydney. After we got out of the city, we went to the beach to switch off for a bit!

But to be honest, it is a rather normal beach that you do not necessarily have to stop at or stay long 😉

Stop 2: Palm Beach

On the second day, we took a walk to the Lighthouse of Palm Beach. Palm Beach is a beautiful place to just relax and enjoy the sunset.The special thing about this beach is that there are beaches on both sides: one faces the sea and the other faces the bay. This is definitely a must see!

Stop 3: Hunter Valley

The following day we drove a bit into the country, in the direction of Hunter Valley. The Hunter region is the wine growing area Sydney and was really lovely. There are so many places to go wine tasting! We also went to a festival, which made Hunter Valley amazing, all over again.

Stop 4: Port Stephens / Nelson’s Bay

The beaches of Port Stephens and Nelson’s Bay are stunning! We had an incredibly relaxing time there. An insider tip is to go to the Tomaree Mountain to see the sunset. The views will transport you to Thailand! With an incredible view over the country, I think it was one of the best sunsets I have ever experienced.

Stop 5: Byron Bay

Everyone was raving about Byron Bay, so we had to make a stop there. But to be honest, Byron Bay was not that exciting. It is a small seaside town with a lighthouse. We were anticipating the incredible atmosphere that Byron Bay was recommended to have. However, we did not really experience that aura, because we did not live in a hostel. Furthermore, the weather was not the best. Maybe that was the reason that we did not find it as exciting as anticipated.

Stop 6: Gold Coast

The name Gold Coast alone tells you that it is an incredibly beautiful stretch along the East coast. It is, essentially, a city by the sea with many foothills. The party center, Surfers Paradise, is filled with skyscrapers and is very popular amongst teenagers. We stayed in a hotel in Surfers Paradise which was loads of fun, with 2 days of partying! Gold Coast was definitely worth stopping at.

Stop 7: Brisbane

Brisbane is the largest city in Australia after Sydney and Melbourne. They have a beautiful skyline and we rented the “lime scooters” to commute around. These electric scooters are available around every corner and you can rent them via an app. You pay a few cents a minute and it is definitely worth it, because you get to experience the whole city in a short amount of time!

My favorite place in Brisbane is the Southbank. It is on the other side of the river and you have a great view of the city. There are many restaurants, bars and an artificial lagoon that you can swim in!

Stop 8: Glasshouse Mountains

The Glasshouse Mountains are further north of Brisbane. We only made a little stop there. It is an experience close to their beautiful natural flora and you can definitely spend a few hours hiking there.

Stop 9: Fraser Island

This was my second time visiting Fraser Island. This time we booked a two-day tour to see everything on Fraser Island.

I would recommend renting a four-wheel drive from the start, or drive your own onto the island. It is just a lot more fun to spend a week driving on the island. You get to drive on the beach and there are many scenic spots to experience nature in the summer.

Stop 10: Airlie Beach / Whitsundays

Airlie Beach was definitely the coolest city I experienced on my trip!

It is a small town with many bars, restaurants, discos, and a lagoon. The lagoon is lovely and a great place to refresh yourself. You can spend several weeks, or even months of your trip at Airlie Beach!

We visited the Whitsundays on a sailboat and I have to say, Whitehaven Beach definitely impressed me. It is covered entirely in white sand, as you know it in the Caribbean! It was certainly worth it to spend A$450 for the experience.

Stop 11: Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island is a beautiful island, further up north than the Whitsundays. You can definitely spend a few days here. Even though there is not much going on, the island is more about relaxing, hikes and koalas. I even hugged a koala!

Stop 12: Mission Beach

Here, I felt like I was being transported back to Thailand! There were palm trees and coconuts everywhere on the beach. Unfortunately you cannot swim in the open sea because of crocodiles and jellyfishes. There is, however, a cordoned-off area for swimming. It was a lovely opportunity to have visited but this is not somewhere I would stay longer.

Stop 13: Daintree Rainforest

This is the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest in the world: 200 million years old, 4 times older than the Amazon! On one square meter, you will find more plant and animal species than in all of North America. It was interesting and eye-opening to visit this “magical rainforest”. Definitely worth a stop.

Stop 14: Cairns

I expected a lot more from Cairns. We stayed there for 3 days over Christmas and it rained the whole time! So a tip for you: If you want to travel northern Australia, be sure to visit during the Australian winter. In the summer, Australia’s northern regions experience the wet and rainy monsoon season.

Disappointingly, Cairns was rather boring. There is a lagoon and a couple of restaurants but nothing too exciting.

 

I hope you got a little insight into my fun-filled and exciting road trip!

You should also check out my Instagram account @fabianxarnold and if you have questions you can email me. I look forward to your feedback and wish you a nice time.

 

 

How has my life changed in Australia?! – # 8 Work and Travel Australia 2018

In February 2018, I came to Australia as a backpacker. That should change soon. I had slowly settled in Sydney and worked as a Labourer for a few weeks. And then suddenly came this event, which has changed everything. In this blog post I will tell you a very exciting story. Therefore, stay tuned and read it to the end.

 

Fabian – the backpacker in Sydney

In Sydney I had settled down so far. I lived in a hostel right at Darling Harbour until then. The city of Sydney was very nice. Everything was so big and even more exciting than Melbourne. The city center was very busy and not as chilled as in Melbourne. You just realize that it’s more about work. But every time when I went to Bondi or Manly I felt like I was in another world. The lifestyle has grabbed me immediately. Everyone was active in sports! Surfing, doing sports on the beach, playing football or even exercising in the outdoor gyms. What was really amazing for me was the whole BBQ area, which is set up everywhere on the beach and which anyone can use for free.

My job was hard and tiring to work in the sun as a labourer. But it was worth it, because I earned a lot of money. I made a lot of friends in the hostel, so it felt like I had a second family in Australia.

 

The event that should change everything!!!

And then the day came when everything was about to change. I was invited to an event from Bodaskins, which opened a pop-up store in Sydney. I was very excited about what to expect as it was my first event in Australia. Of course, I was a bit excited too. That’s always part of it. In the evening I went by bus to the event. I was about 20 minutes late. I got into the store and luckily not so many people were there. The music was loud and everywhere were leather jackets in all colors and patterns. Otherwise it was a white room without decoration. I looked around but did not know any of the people. I went to the bar and got myself a drink first, with which I then walked a bit around the area.

After about 20 minutes, a guy came to me, who was also alone. This guy was Australian, about six feet tall, and blond hair. He had a very strong Australian accent at the beginning, and it was very hard for me to understand him because of the loud music. Actually, I did not understand him the whole evening. But I noticed right away that he is a very nice guy who I will get to know better. I spent the evening with him, and we walked around a bit. We learned more about each other. He was a rugby player and had played for the Australian national team.

After an hour, he introduced me to his manager. He was very open-minded and wanted to get to know me. Of course, I had nothing against that. This may be a chance for me to gain a foothold in Australia. After another 20 minutes, a man came in, which is one of the most famous journalists in Australia. He said to the manager he should definitely sign me, as I have a lot of potential. That made me very happy. When the event ended around 10pm, I was just about to take the bus home when the rugby player asked me if he should drive me home. I said, “Yeah, why not?”

In his car, we continued talking and I looked at his Instagram account. His name was Charlie Taylor (@charlietaylor on Instagram), he was 22 years old and was born in Sydney. He had about 178,000 followers on Instagram at the time. At this time, I had 142,000 followers.

He drove me home and we exchanged our numbers, so we could stay in touch.

The next weeks after the event. The beginning as a model and influencer.

The next few weeks had changed a lot. Charlie went to Love Island. This is a TV show that is about finding love. That was the reason why I had not seen him after our first meeting at the event. Even with our smartphones we could not communicate because he did not have a phone for the time he was on Love Island!

The manager of Charlie had contacted me in the meantime and asked for a meeting. Of course, I confirmed that directly. When I met him, it was clear to me that he believed in me and that I should trust him. I signed with him and was thus as a model and social media area as an influencer in the agency The.MGMT housed.

It was the first time for me to have a management and I thought from now on everything will be better. That’s the way it should be.

I was constantly invited to events, I came to the newspaper more often and my followers grew very fast. This was partly due to Charlie, because of the very strong social media growth due to the TV show Love Island.

After several weeks working as a labourer, I was fed up with racking my guts at the construction site. Since I now had a management role as a model and influencer, I wanted to focus 100% on it and seize the opportunity. So, I quit my job as a labourer and was 100% time focused on modelling. Through my manager, I also got a free gym, where I could now train regularly again. I often done cardio sessions with Charlie. He had stopped playing rugby to focus on Social Media 100%.

It was a very cool time always go to events with him and enjoy life in Australia.

 

Best friends Charlie and Fabian. DifferentSame.

In July, I decided to move from the hostel to Charlie’s apartment because he was looking for a roommate.

With Charlie I become good friend. Every day we did something together and lived together. Also, our characters were very similar. We are both very determined and want to achieve something in social media. We are both very athletic and love to be outside and among people. After a long time, which we had done something together, we were always better friends. Small quarrels meant that we only got to know each other better. I got to know his past and he mine. I believe only by arguing, one is welded closer to each other!!

Besides Instagram we wanted to start with YouTube. Since we both did not really know how to properly cut videos, we needed a videographer. One of my backpacker friends was very interested in videography and also bought a drone. His name is Robin aka @thePostler on Instagram.

We offered him to live with us in the apartment. So, we were already three. The three of us started making videos for YouTube. After several weeks we had the idea to create a YouTube Channel for Charlie and myself. We called it DifferentSame because it describes us both very well! We come from different countries, but actually have the same thoughts and goals. Therefore, we are different but same!

 

Exciting events for YouTube.

In the next few months we did a lot. We were invited to YouTube workshops by Google and got to know an incredible number of new people. Today I can say that I know more people in Australia than in Germany.

We’ve travelled to Melbourne for the YouTube show in Australia. We flew to Thailand to live cheaper and to produce cool content.

Unfortunately, Robin left us after Thailand because he wanted to go to Germany … Therefore, the project YouTube and DifferentSame was put on hold.

I moved to an apartment in Bondi and Charlie found a new apartment in Marouba, another part of Sydney.

 

The here and now.

Today (January 2019) I’m still living in Bondi and Charlie moved with his girlfriend to an apartment in Zetland (part of Sydney). We have not seen each other much lately, as we both have our own business to do. Charlie has found a new videographer, with whom he now goes more into comedy. He also founded his own clothing brand for which he is currently in China. My best friend from Germany Kevin visited me and Carlos (@carlosbottcher on Instagram), whom I can also count as one of my good friends! I concentrated more on modelling. In a few days, my parents will come to Australia, which I have not seen in almost a year. That’s why I’m so excited!

 

In December, Kevin, Carlos, Charlie and I were on a road trip. We travelled the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns with a Campervan from Apollo Campers within a month. I’ll tell you more about that in my next blog post. You can also check my Instagram account @fabianxarnold or if you have questions you can email me. I look forward to your feedback and wish you a nice time.

 

Yours,

Fabian

Sydney – What’s my first impression ?! – # 6 Work and Travel Australia 2018

Tasmania was choppy. Now it was back to Melbourne, but only for a few days. Because the next road trip was already waiting for us, Melbourne to Sydney. Actually, the plan was only a few months to work in Sydney. But a few months lead to half a year to now 8-9 months and still continuing. My experience and to learn about the road trip from Melbourne to Sydney and my first impressions of Sydney you will learn in this blog post.

Goodbye Melbourne !!!

Now was the time to turn my back on Melbourne till indefinitely. In the past months (February and March 2018) I had experienced so much, I had ups and downs and can say that these two months have brought me a lot further in my life. As a person I have already changed a lot, I could just spend time with myself and my thoughts.
Nevertheless, I was also very excited about what I would expect in the next few months! As I mentioned before, I first wanted to come to Sydney to earn some money there. I did not have a job yet. After that it was planned to travel the east coast of Australia. How, where, what and when was still open!

Roadtrip Melbourne to Sydney


For the road trip to Sydney we had borrowed a camper van again. This time not only Mirko and I were on the road, but also two Englishmen whom we had met at the hostel in St Kilda (Melbourne).
Our goal was to be in Sydney in 10 days. By driving through one on the highway it would take about 15 hours of driving time. However, our plan was to drive along the coast, taking with us the beautiful beaches and attractions.

Our camper van

As you can see in the picture above, our camper van was in flower pattern, two people could sleep in the camper van and two people had space in the roof tent, In the trunk a small kitchen was installed with a sink and a small gas cooker, we also had room to store our food.
At first I thought it would take too long to set up the roof tent, but when we first set up the roof tent I noticed that it was really easy!
For the future, I will definitely get a camper van with a roof tent again, because it is very easy to assemble, disassemble and also super comfortable. The only downside to the roof tent is that you can not sleep in private, everyone can see you sleeping, because the tent is set up, If you would just sleep in the car, you could just park on the road and then leave from the car, that was a lot easier in Tasmania. You did not have to worry about a parking space, In Tasmania you can camp anywhere and on the mainland of Australia you can rest only on camper places.

First stop Wilson’s Promontory National Park

Our first stop on the way to Sydney was Wilson’s Promontory National Park, from Melbourne we needed about 5 hours, we had planned two days for the National Park. On the first day we visited different beaches and looked at the landscape. We stayed at Camper van Resort at Wilsons Promontory National Park, cooked and had dinner together,  after we cooked we went to the beach and watched the sunset, It was really beautiful.
The next day we hiked the mountain Mount Oberon which took about 2 hours. The view was just indescribably beautiful, after we were back down we drove on with our camper van and hiked the Wildernis way. There we also saw kangaroos and could even pat them.
Unfortunately, the weather did not play in our favour, well on these two days. Therefore, we could not look at the full beauty of the national park, It was definitely worth a visit, but wasn’t that magical.

No real highlights between Melbourne and Sydney

After Wilson’s Promontory National Park, there were no other amazing highlights on the way to Sydney, their were normal cool beaches and cool places to have a campfire, but nothing about which I would continue to write longer. The next highlights were just outside Sydney, namely Pebbly Beach and Jervis Bay / Hyam’s Beach.

Where can I find kangaroos on the beach?

Where I find kangaroos on the beach is a really good question. That’s what I thought, at least when someone asked me if I knew this place but then we came to Pebbly Beach. On this beach were really kangaroos and you could even feed, pat and take pictures with them, the beach was not the nicest, but not the ugliest. This was definitely a highlight on my road trip from Melbourne to Sydney! I would definitely go back to take pictures with the kangaroos.

Whiter Can not Be The Sand (Hyam’s Beach)

The beach in Tasmania was in my opinion  the whitest beach I have ever seen, but Hyam’s Beach is about 2 hours south of Sydney, Jervis Bay has topped it all off but that was partly because the weather was just perfect, we had a completely blue sky and the sea was turquoise green, so for anyone in Sydney, drive to Jervis Bay for a beach day.
At Jervis Bay there is not only Hyam’s Beach to see, but it is a huge bay in which an incredible number of different places have their uniqueness.

These were actually the highlights of the road trip, next time, I might think about visiting the Wilsons Promontory National Park from Melbourne, then taking the plane or train to Sydney and borrowing a car for a two-day trip to Jervis Bay and Pebbly Beach , The road trip was actually quite boring and apart from these three highlights, there was nothing great to see.

My expectations for Sydney

Sydney. Now I finally arrived in the city that everyone in the world knows, I talked to a lot of backpackers and Australians in Melbourne, the question always came up, which city was better: Melbourne or Sydney. Most have answered that Melbourne is the prettier city. Of course Sydney has beaches, better weather and you can surf, Melbourne on the other hand is more of a European city with a beautiful but normal beach in St Kilda, the temperate weather, no major harbour and landmarks. Sydney has the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, which is known all over the world.
Melbourne should also have more of the more chilled atmosphere, In Sydney on the other hand people live to work and one can notice the tense working atmosphere on the street. All people in suits run the streets and look very stressed out because of these many benefits, I had no good expectations of Sydney and thought I would not like it and I would move away anyway, but in the end everything was different than I expected.

My arrival in Sydney – Indescribably big

We arrived in Sydney in the afternoon with our camper van, It was rush hour and we really took forever until we arrived at our hostel, which was right on the Central station, we just threw our things from the van to the hostel and drove them immediately to the car wash and then brought to the delivery station.
From the delivery station we had to take the bus to Central station, we noticed that Sydney is much bigger than the centre of Melbourne, Outside the skyscrapers the streets are huge and there are so many shops and large houses, which actually belong to the city centre.

The best hostel in Sydney


The hostel we booked for our first nights in Sydney was a very expensive hostel at $ 42 but we figured it would take the first few days whether or not we liked Sydney, we would treat ourselves to a better impression of Sydney. The hostel was really nice, we slept in a share room, but it felt like a hotel, the rooms were really clean, everyone had electrical outlets in his locker, the lockers were so big that you could put your whole suitcase in there, the kitchen was really big and clean and there was a rooftop area from where you could see the skyline. All in all, the hostel was the best I have ever been to, the name was Bounce Hostel at Central station.

Since it was already evening, we have only just bought something to cook and eat, In the evening we sat down in the roof top area and looked at the skyline, Sydney’s skyline is much nicer than Melbourne’s, as there are many more skyscrapers, creating a wall of skyscrapers, we then went to bed to be fit the following day.
The next day we went on a tourist tour, we started at our hostel at Central Station, walked through the city along Hyde Park, through the Botanical Gardens and to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, From there you have a very nice view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, we went further, closer towards Opera House. I’ve heard from many that the Opera House is very ugly by day, as I stood in front of it, I could understand why so many had said that to me. It has a light beige grey tone and the facade are ugly with big panels.

Tip: Go and see the Opera House at night when it is illuminated, because then it is really nice!

The next stop was the Harbour Bridge, we walked past the Rocks and went under the bridge, the sight was really indescribable, I had never seen such a big bridge.
To get on the bridge on it we would first have to walk a large detour. Because the bridge is so high that it protrudes 100 meters into the city.
On the bridge, unfortunately, you could not see so much, because everything is blocked off with fences, so you can not jump down and nothing can fall. Another option would have been to do a bridge climb, but this costs several hundred dollars and that was too much for us.

After the Harbour Bridge we arrived at the Darling Harbour, this is the harbour where there is a boardwalk with plenty of bars, restaurants, shops and sea life attractions. During the day the harbour looks very nice, but at night, it’s even better. Everything lights up and the skyline is reflected by the water. When it’s still warm, it’s the perfect atmosphere to go out with friends!

Never trust an Irish gipsy


We were in the morning in the kitchen and wanted to make breakfast, the receptionist came to the kitchen and asked if anyone was looking for a job, my friend Mirko and I were on fire immediately because we were looking for work anyway. The receptionist said downstairs at the front desk would be a gentleman who looks for workers for a day at the construction, We came down immediately and talked to the bloke, he said that it is not about construction, but only distribute flyers, we figured $ 28 an hour, that’s easy money, we grabbed our backpack without breakfast and went with him into the car to distribute the flyers, he said we have to download an app so that he can track how many miles and which roads we have walked He wanted to pay after km. Everyone has been allocated an area and should rappel this alone, of course, there was a certain competitive situation, because everyone wanted to do more miles than the other, In the end, I ran 23 km in 5 hours and was completely drenched with sweat. I called Mirko and an Englishman Luke with whom I had worked that day, Luke is a very good friend of ours.
I then met with the two of them and then went back to the hostel. We called our employer and asked how we looking for the payment, he said, “I’ll pay you tomorrow.” The next day we called again and he said, “Yes, I pay on Friday.” Then we called again on Friday He said, “Yes, I pay on Sunday” This went on and on, eventually he told us that he had already paid us.. we than realised this guy has just screwed us!
It was an Irish Gipsy who had just taken advantage of us to distribute his flyers, however, we could not undo our work, we learned a large lesson from this mistake.

Tip: Never trust an Irish Gipsy

Conclusion

My first impressions wasn’t as bad as I had thought, although Melbourne has me wanting to come back, I was by no means disappointed with Sydney, let’s see what else happens! Now it’s time to find a job and earn money.

In the next blog post, I’ll tell you more about job hunting in Australia. How do you find a job? Which jobs are eligible? How much do you earn in Australia?
I’ll tell you more in my next blog post, you can also check my Instagram account @fabianxarnold or if you have questions you can email me. I look forward to your feedback and wish you a nice time.

best regards

 

Fabian