Day 1: Marcel sets off on his epic 465 mi. trek on foot to WordCamp Europe. He starts off in his hometown of Paris, France and heads south towards the French-Italian border. Along the way, he stops to take in the sights and sounds of the countryside. He also stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 2: Marcel continues his journey south, crossing the border into Italy. He stops in the small town of Aosta to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Alps as he makes his way through the region.
Day 3: Marcel continues his trek south, passing through the Italian cities of Turin and Genoa. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 4: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Italian cities of Florence and Siena. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 5: Marcel continues his trek south, passing through the Italian cities of Rome and Naples. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 6: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Italian cities of Salerno and Bari. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 7: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Croatia. He stops in the small town of Split to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Adriatic Sea as he makes his way through the region.
Day 8: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Croatian cities of Zadar and Dubrovnik. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 9: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Montenegro. He stops in the small town of Kotor to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Bay of Kotor as he makes his way through the region.
Day 10: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Montenegrin cities of Budva and Ulcinj. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 11: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Albania. He stops in the small town of Tirana to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Albanian countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 12: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Albanian cities of Shkodra and Durres. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 13: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Greece. He stops in the small town of Thessaloniki to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Greek countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 14: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Greek cities of Athens and Patras. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 15: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Italy. He stops in the small town of Bari to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Italian countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 16: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Italian cities of Naples and Salerno. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 17: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Slovenia. He stops in the small town of Ljubljana to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Slovenian countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 18: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Slovenian cities of Maribor and Celje. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 19: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Austria. He stops in the small town of Graz to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Austrian countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 20: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Austrian cities of Vienna and Linz. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 21: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Germany. He stops in the small town of Munich to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the German countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 22: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the German cities of Nuremberg and Frankfurt. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 23: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into the Netherlands. He stops in the small town of Utrecht to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Dutch countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 24: Marcel continues his journey south, passing through the Dutch cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. He stops to take in the sights and sounds of the cities before continuing on his way. He stops to rest and refuel at local cafes and restaurants.
Day 25: Marcel continues his trek south, crossing the border into Belgium. He stops in the small town of Brussels to rest and refuel before continuing on his way. He takes in the stunning views of the Belgian countryside as he makes his way through the region.
Day 26: Marcel arrives in the city of Antwerp, Belgium, the final destination of his epic 465 mi. trek on foot to WordCamp Europe. He takes in the sights and sounds of the city before heading to the conference venue to join the other attendees.
On May 19, Marcel Bootsman will begin his long 465 mi. (748 km) trek on foot from his hometown of Berkel en Rodenrijs to WordCamp Europe in Berlin. That’s right, he’s walking across Germany. And better yet, he’s donating all the proceeds to DonateWC.
We love it when people think, or should we say step ?, outside the box. Being a bootstrap company ourselves, innovation and creativity aren’t just nice to have, they’re a necessity. When we see others in the space coming up with ingenious ways like this to contribute to the WordPress community, we have to be part of it.
Check out how you can help and follow along with Marcel on what’s going to be the most epic WordCamp adventure ever documented!
Who is Marcel Bootsman?
Marcel Bootsman left the corporate world behind in 2009 and founded his own company, Nostromo. Marcel does everything from WordPress development and maintenance (theme, plugins), to building responsive ecommerce sites (WooCommerce), and even consulting for marketing agencies. He lives with his wife Beatrijs, son Noam, daughter Mila and dog Grover, in Berkel en Rodenrijs, a village near Rotterdam.
I no longer wanted to use my creativity and knowledge in my spare time alone, I wanted to help clients solve their challenges and problems.
Marcel Bootsman
Founder, Nostromo
Not only does Marcel use WordPress to make a living, but he also very active in the WordPress community, specifically Nederlands / Dutch. He’s a moderator on the WordPress NL forum, a translation editor for NL, and has organized various WordCamps and Meetups through the years.
In fact, Marcel was the organizer for WordCamp Rotterdam 2019 where the Kinsta team actually had the pleasure of meeting Marcel in person.
The Kinsta team is enjoying WordCamp Rotterdam today! ?
If you’re attending, make sure to stop by our booth, say hi, and pick up a free copy of our “Speed up WordPress” book. ? #WCRTM @WCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/yt6WV3J4zP
— Kinsta (@kinsta) April 12, 2019
Walk to WordCamp Europe
Starting May 19, 2019, Marcel Bootsman will begin his 465 mi. (748 km) journey walking to Berlin from his hometown of Berkel en Rodenrijs. The trek will entail of 32 days of travel with 6 days of rest, ending on June 19, 2019.
First off, why walk to WordCamp Europe? Marcel has three reasons:
- To raise funds for DonateWC and help support the community. We encourage you to chip in and help donate!
- To step, literally, out of his comfort zone and try something new. Everyone drives/flies to WordCamps, but who actually walks to one?
- To have fun and meet friends along the way. Many awesome people and members of the WordPress community have helped by providing places for Marcel to stay along the way.
If you aren’t familiar with it, WordCamp Europe is the largest WordPress conference in the world. It’s an annual event that welcomes everyone and aims to form and strengthen connections between European WordPress communities and beyond, it includes two conference days and a separate Contributor Day, when people gather to give back to the WordPress Open Source Project.
WordCamp Europe, or WCEU, is hosted in a different European city each year and organized by a team of volunteers selected from the WordPress community. In 2019 it will take place in Berlin, Germany on 20-22 June at the Estrel Hotel and Congress Center.
Kinsta is proud to be a Gold sponsor for Walk to WordCamp Europe! It’s all for a good cause and we wanted to help. You’ll see him sporting some Kinsta swag along the way. ?
Thanks @kinsta for the sponsor-wear for #WalkToWCEU.
So, now you all know what baseballcap I’ll be wearing during the route.
— @[email protected] (@mbootsman) April 24, 2019
Donate and Proceeds Go to DonateWC
You can help Marcel! Donate and proceeds raised from Walk to WordCamp Europe go to DonateWC. DonateWC is an initiative founded by Ines van Essen, and aims to provide people with lesser financial means with funds to get to a (big) WordCamp.
Helping people with financial challenges to attend a WordCamp is something that strengthens the community and brings people together. By raising funds for DonateWC, I’m helping these people, and supporting the WordPress community (which I have been doing for a while in other areas the last years).
Marcel Bootsman
Founder, Nostromo
From donations collected, they provide deserving community members with the following:
- A WordCamp ticket
- Door to door transportation
- Accommodation
- Food and drink money
- Internet access
- A once-in-a-lifetime experience
Follow Along on Marcel’s Adventure
We’ll be following Marcel along on his adventure and sharing updates as he makes the long trek to Berlin. The Kinsta team will also be at WordCamp Europe and we hope to see you all there! Make sure to stop by and say hello if you’re attending. ?
If you can, we encourage you to donate (https://walktowc.eu/donate/) and help make the dreams of attending a WordCamp possible for individuals who might not be able to attend otherwise. Marcel is trying to raise $6,700 (€6000). With that amount, three people can go to a WordCamp (based on average costs).
Marcel will be tweeting and posting vlogs along the way, make sure to follow him:
Are you ready to walk to the next WordCamp? ?
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