Today you can prepare every trip perfectly. Google Maps, Google Earth, Komoot, TripAdvisor ... But what happens if don’t do any of that and just go with the flow? Our team of reporters tried it out - and discovered that Lady Luck is sometimes the best tour guide.

Tirol is home to more than a dozen remote end-of-valley communities. These small villages hidden away deep in the mountains have retained their original character. What is life like there? We met seven people who live at the end of a valley road (and none of them wanted to swap for a life in the city).

A snowshoe adventure in the mountains of East Tirol is the perfect way to get away from it all. Far from civilisation, it provides an opportunity to enjoy the wonder of winter from a different perspective and reflect on what is important in life.

From international banking to hotel management. From civil servant to mountain farmer. We talked to people in Tirol who decided to escape the ratrace and start all over again.

“Mountains are mute masters who make silent pupils,” wrote Goethe. In reality, however, there is no outdoor activity that lends itself to a good old chat quite like hiking in the mountains. Two years ago, our author set off along the Stubai HighTrail with his 18-year-old son for a bonding session unlike any other.

A self-contained cabin in the mountains is the antitheses of bland all-inclusive resort-style accommodation: It’s a great place for families and friends who don’t mind snow shoveling, wood chopping and cooking for themselves. Vacation or no vacation?

People have developed a love-hate relationship with “shovelling snow”, as the Tiroleans refer to snow clearing. It is exhausting, on the one hand. On the other, there is almost no other job where you can see the results of your efforts so quickly. Ten Tiroleans tell their snow story.