Leonie Müller, a 23-year-old college student, has ditched her apartment last spring to live on trains and she likes it. "It all started with a dispute I had with my landlord. I instantly decided I didn't want to live there anymore - and then I realized: Actually, I didn't want to live anywhere anymore," Müller told The Washington Post through an e-mail.
Müller instead bought a subscription which gave her access to every train in the country for free. With her on her every trip is a backpack containing her clothes, her laptop computer, college documents, and a sanitary bag. She washes her hair in the train bathroom. Having this unusual housing choice gave her the freedom she truly enjoys. "I really feel at home on trains and can visit so many more friends and cities. It's like being on vacation all the time," she said.
"I read, I write, I look out of the window and I meet nice people all the time. There's always something to do on trains," Müller added.
She is also able to visit her boyfriend, who lives across the country, more frequently. "Normally, we would have to have a long-distance relationship, but living on a train enables me to see him all the time," she said.
Aside from these, the German millennial has her financial gains as well. Her rental used to cost her $480 a month, while her flat rate ticket costs only $380.
Living on trains has its academic purpose for Müller as she is documenting her unique experience in a blog. She likewise based her final undergraduate paper on her nomadic life aboard a train, and writes her college paper on board with a travelling speed of 190 mph. Rick Noack, who wrote the article about Müller in The Washington Post, describes that so far, her experience contradicts recent studies which claim that "long commutes are killing you."
Müller often travels late at night, but sometimes sleeps at the apartment of relatives and friends, specifically her boyfriend, mother or grandmother.
