autumn 2012 - 4-Seasons.de

92 Colleague Globetrotter Colleague Globetrotter 93
Conversion
to a
Globetrotter
Who would ever drop a career in the trendy computer game
scene to sell backpacks? Philipp Clodius would.
He did not regret that step a second.
Some go to a monastery, other people go to see a guru in the
East. Philipp Clodius, 31 years old and an expert on backpacks
at Globetrotter Cologne, goes into the forest. Philipp’s
ticket to peace starts with a ride on the Eifel railway accompanied
by a friend. They get off the train somewhere, hike for a few kilometres
and look for a field to pitch their tent. »And then, a beer after
work and I will sleep like a stone. When the sun rises and the birds
start singing, I wake up straight away. We start walking, have breakfast
at a nice spot later on and then try to hike as much as possible.«,
he explains and laughs. After an XXL hiking day like this or a
similar intensive climbing trip he feels exhausted but happy: »I
feel as snug as a bug in a rug, simply free and balanced.«
Text and Photos: Manuel Arnu
Inner balance means a lot to him. He demonstrated this two years
ago when he drew a line under his first career. He had studied the
media sector at the Fresenius college in Cologne and then started
working for Electronic Arts, one of the biggest producers of computer
and video games. Philipp wore a suit, a tie and angular designer
glasses – all in black, of course. The game world is a creative
and dynamic field to be in but Philipp did not feel he quite fitted
in: »The job was creative but I was sitting in my office all day.«
Philipp grew up in Bergisch Gladbach. He was no city kid, he preferred
to go off into the green foothills of the Königsforst. His restart
brought this feeling back alive: off with the suit and away
from the virtual cyber world, and straight back into nature. And >