Einraumwohnung

Bratwurst Bandits Wiebke & Knut

We are Wiebke and Knut from Lower Saxony in Germany. After having visited the USA several times, we decided to take a bit more time to get to know the country and its people. And so, in 2023, the idea was born to travel around the USA in our own motorhome.

We warmly invite you to share our experiences.

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About us

About Us

We are Wiebke and Knut Harms, residing in the beautiful city of Oldenburg, nestled in the heart of Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony, situated in northern Germany, is close to the North Sea.

To give you a geographical context: Oldenburg is 170 km (106 miles) away from Hamburg, 450 km (280 miles) from Berlin, 460 km (286 miles) from Ramstein, and 760 km (472  miles) from Munich.

Wiebke is a therapist for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and operates her own practice, while Knut is engaged in business training as an educator and runs an independent publisher.

Since meeting in 1995, we’ve embraced an active lifestyle of travel in our leisure time.

Our journeys have taken us to various destinations in Europe, such as Portugal, Scottland, Spain, Netherlands, France and Scandinavia, allowing us to immerse in diverse cultures and connect with locals.

After years spending vacations on a sailing ship, we switched to a motorhome in 2011. In 2016, we fulfilled our dream of building our own custom RV.

Having been to the US many times for short vacations we decided to travel the country for several month with our own camper.

Where we come from?

We come from the north of Germany. The town of Oldenburg, with a population of 130,000, is located near Bremen and Hamburg. From Oldenburg, it is about 560 km (348 miles) to Ramstein, 730 km (454 miles) to Munich, and 480 km (298 miles) to Berlin.

From Germany to USA?

Bringing our own motorhome from Europe to the US required a lot of preparation.

We needed to book transportation by ship for the RV from Emden to Baltimore and back from Jacksonville to Emden, take out insurances and complete numerous formalities.

Right now we are in the middle of our big adventure.

Route 2024/25

· starting in Baltimore (MA)

· heading north (NC, VA, PA, NY, NH, ME)

  • going west (QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC)
  • following West Coast (WA, OR, NV, CA)
  • going back east (AZ, NM, TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA)
  • finally arriving in Florida

We plan to cover 20.000 kilometers (15.000 miles) in 7 months.

Bucket-List USA

  • eat a Po’boy in New Orleans
  • visit Niagara Falls
  • go horseback riding in Oregon
  • drink cocktails in Florida
  • collect shark teeth at the atlantic coast
  • watch a baseball game in Los Angeles
  • go whale watching on Vancouver Island
  • take a selfie at the Golden Gate Bridge
  • … and so much more

The truck-project

After a few years with our standard RV, it was time for something new.

Our requirements for a new vehicle were durability, modernity and some kind of style. Much more important, however, was a good understanding how everything works. In 2015 this led us to our truck, which had a previous life as a flower delivery vehicle. We embarked on a 374-day DIY project with this highly insulated truck from the well-known German brand MAN.

  • MAN TGL 8.180
  • Size: 323 x 100 x 134 inch
  • Fully Self-Contained
  • Consumption: 13 Miles per Gallon

Why Bratwurst Bandits an what´s Einraumwohnung?

A „Einraumwohnung“ translates to a one-room apartment. And since that’s hard to pronounce in American English, we call ourselves the Bratwurst Bandits. This name is a tribute to the delicious German bratwurst.

And what else do we love?

  • Straight communication
  • Punctuality
  • Mustard
  • Autobahn
  • Beer
  • Cars
  • Oktoberfest

Our Favorite Sausage Recipe

Shopping List

  • 2 coarse bratwursts
  • 400 ml cider
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tsp german mustard
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ½ apple
  • 1 tbsp butter

Preparation

First, grill or fry the sausages. Meanwhile, cut the onion and apple into thin slices. Then set the sausages aside. In a pan, fry the onions and apple in some butter and caramelize with the sugar. Add the mustard now and give everything a quick toss. Now add the sausages to the apple-onion mixture, pour in the cider, and heat until the broth starts to simmer lightly. Then let the sausages steep (not boil) in it for 20 minutes.

Serve the sausages with the onions and apple. Works also perfectly as a hot dog.

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