Tomorrow is the start of an adventure...

So tomorrow is the big day. The day I leave for my solo European adventure. I literally cannot believe how quickly the times gone! When I began booking my month of travels, it always seemed so far away. Now, 7 months later here I am, all packed up and ready to go.


 When I tell people about the fact I'm going traveling I get the general reaction of wow, that sounds amazing, I'm jealous etc. Then comes the big question.. who are you traveling with? When I answer that I'm going by myself I have grown to simply laugh at the reaction. "You're crazy" "You're mad" "Why?" and my favourite... "but what will you do... you'll be on your own?!" People seem to wonder why an earth I would do such a thing on my own and seem to think it's truly outrageous. It's as if traveling is something that is seen as a shared experience, but in my opinion to truly immerse yourself into a different country and a different culture I think sometimes you be have to be alone to fully appreciate it. Cut yourself off from everything you know and just adapt because you can. These questions people ask, to me, just shows how much people are scared by the thought of their own company. I embrace solitude, as I have written about in a previous blog post, but I still feel like people are afraid of it. To be free from the restrictions of other people, of other peoples judgements; brings a freedom that is indescribable. While I'm away I can do what I want, when I want and how I want and there's going to be no one to stop me. I think that's quite a liberating experience and I'm surprised not many other people do the same.

So I'm going traveling, yep on my own and I'm going to be a traveller. Not a tourist. Because there's a big difference between a traveller and a tourist. A traveller is seeking something deeper than just photos and anecdotes. They are seeking an adventure. Seeking the freedom that comes with immersing yourself into unknown places, hidden getaways and uncovering places and sights you'd never imagine coming across. Being a tourist is conventional, but being a traveller is courageous. I'll admit I'm not fearless. Its a scary thing to do, but if it wasn't scary it wouldn't be worth doing. Anticipation adds to the excitement and although I'll miss my family and friends I will come back with a million stories to tell. Life's too short to live with regrets. I don't want to be one of these people who look back one day and wish they had of done more with their lives. Wish they had have taken advantage of the opportunities they had right on their doorstep but instead were too afraid to just say yes.
 

 So for 32 days I'll be visiting 5 different countries. A variety of places lay waiting to be revealed, and I'll be seeing them in this order...Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Munich, Klagenfurt, Bologna, San Marino, Rimini, Rome, Sorrento, Florence, Venice, Milan, La Spezia and Vatican City. Words can't express how excited I am for this adventure, but my camera is at the ready and I'll be sure to write up a blog post either while I'm away or bombard it when I return. So, Aufwiedersehen and Arrivederci for now, the world awaits...