I gave up my flat and LIVED on a train for two years – here’s how I did it and these are my top tips for sleeping comfortably on carriage seats

A teenager who gave up his flat at 16 to live on a train for two years has revealed how to really get a good night’s sleep onboard. 

Lasse Stolley, 18, from Fockbek, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, has spent the past 24 months sleeping on overnight ICE trains, having breakfast in DB lounges, and showering in public swimming pools and leisure centres.

His unusual lifestyle has seen him develop a cult following online and regularly posts updates to his blog and Instagram account as he traverses the entirety of the country.

Lasse first swapped normal teenage life for an annual season ticket in 2023 after an apprenticeship he had planned to take after leaving school fell through.

The German national began using a 10,000 euro ticket – around £8,500 – known as the Bahncard 100 which allows him to travel without limits and in first class.

He has now told how he negotiates tricky timetables, striking workers and stressed staff – all while getting a good night’s sleep.

Lasse said his parents took some persuading to let their teenage boy pack up his room at home and leave to live a nomadic lifestyle.

But once they did agree, he quickly settled into the unusual routine, and now shares his top tips with others.

Lasse told how he experimented with many different sleeping habits before finding the one that suits him best.

Lasse Stolley, 18, swapped normal teenage life for an annual season ticket in 2023 after an apprenticeship he had planned to take after leaving school fell through

The German national began using a 10,000 euro ticket – around £8,500 – known as the Bahncard 100 which allows him to travel without limits and in first class 

‘Personally I can sleep very well on trains,’ the coder said.

‘I sleep on a four seater – usually with my feet on the seat opposite and my knees in the air. I tried out other ways of sleeping too. 

‘I tried sleeping on an air mattress in the baggage area, or under the seats. 

‘I tried many ways, but I decided sleeping on the four seater was best.’

Lasse said he finds sleeping on the seats the most comfortable, even if he can’t fully stretch his legs out. But sleep isn’t the only challenge from living entirely on the railway network.

‘Sometimes the trains are stressful and not on time for me too, but more importantly trains mean freedom, the chance to choose where to travel every day,’ he said.

‘No matter where [I want to go], the trains can take me there.’

He also revealed how train strikes frustrate him and mean he has to sleep overnight in airports or on friends’ sofas instead.

Lasse travels the railways with just one 32-litre backpack – working during the day and sleeping on seats overnight

Lasse said he finds sleeping on the seats the most comfortable, even if he can’t fully stretch his legs out

Lasse lives on Germany’s train network, sleeping on ICE trains overnight and washing his clothes in lounge sinks

‘Strikes make life much more complicated than it already is. During strikes I mostly sleep in airports or at friends.

‘Sometimes of course strikes irritate me. I don’t have the freedom I did before. With emergency timetables I have a much smaller range of trains that I can travel on.

‘Fundamentally, I have a lot of sympathy with striking workers, because I know the problems that exist on the railway.’

Despite the inconveniences, Lasse still wouldn’t swap his nomadic life for a normal 9-5 anytime soon.

‘I started doing this because I was looking for freedom. I wanted to do an apprenticeship in the summer of 2022, but it was cancelled at the last minute.

‘So I needed an alternative. So I decided to swap my flat, my permanent home for a Bahncard 100.’

The self-employed coder has no permanent address and loves life on the railways. He regularly posts updates to his blog, Life on the Train.

During the day, he sits at a table and works around commuters and general passengers. In the evening he sets up a small bed across the train seats.

Lasse has stepped out of the limelight in recent months, last posting on his Instagram in October from an interrailing trip in Budapest.

But he can reportedly still be spotted enjoying the high life onboard if visitors know where to look. 

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk