May 2024
Five countries, thirteen cities, thirty-one days. May is one that I’ll be replaying in my mind over and over again for quite some time. It was absolutely magical. I hung out with some old friends, made new ones, and connected on levels I didn’t think possible. Solo traveling is truly so incredible. I decide when I want to do something and where, book a ticket, and go. Boom. Easy. We can create our own magic. I’ll share with you some of my magical May.
Table of Contents
1.Recap | 2.Lessons | 3.Challenge | 4.Summary
1. Recap
I will attempt to keep this brief, but I experienced so many amazing moments this past month, I’ll just give you the highlights. In the Netherlands, I stayed with two friends from Bonaire. They showed me around their cities and surrounding areas, fed me delicious food, and made for great company. I missed both of them dearly and it was so good to catch up. Stroopwafel, pannekoeken, beer, and my first borrelplank- yummy. In all for May, I was in Leiden, Haarlem, Zwolle, and Amsterdam, but I also went to Lisse and Noordwijk in April. After that, I decided to go to Belgium and ended up in three different cities… Brugge (Bruges) was by far my favorite! I also went to Bruxelles (Brussels) and Antwerpen (Antwerp). Belgian beer, waffles, chocolate, and fries were almost exclusively my diet there. I also met this girl who saved me when I realized I left over a thousand dollars worth of electronics in a hostel. She just so happened to live in the same city as one of my friends, so she took everything home and I met her several days later when I visited with my friend again. Next up was Germany. Two cities, spending most of my time in Berlin, but a few days in Köln (Cologne). I got to meet and stay with a friend of my parents from when they lived in the UK. Her, her husband, and their nephew were all such great hosts and lovely people. My plans for post-Germany were canceled for reasons beyond my control, so I pivoted and ended up in… Poland?!?! With the help of a Polish friend, I ended up in Gdańsk and Kraków. It was so nice being back by the sea again in Gdańsk, and Kraków ended up being one of my top five places this whole year. Absolute magic in the air there. And I ended the month in Croatia. First, in Split, then on an island which I’m still continuing my adventures on. This country is absolutely gorgeous. Literally breathtaking. It’s places like this that truly make life feel like a movie.
2. Lessons
The biggest lesson I learned in May was that most things in life aren’t worth getting worked up over. I’m currently on Plan D for the next month because Plans A-C didn’t work out. And the amazing thing is… I’m not phased by it. Plan A didn’t work out? Oh well, too bad. What now? B failed? Ok. What else could I do? Life almost never goes according to plan. So, my first question is why plan too much? Loving the spontaneous life a little too much… But secondly, when it does mess up, think, “Okay, and?” As in, why should you be bothered by it? Just decide on something else. Easy peasy.
3. Challenge
My personal development goal that I worked on this month was to push myself into socializing with people and making the first move, even when it feels weird. I’m naturally so introverted, I usually wait for people to approach me, or just stay to myself. But, I’m learning that people are cool and I like talking to them and the only way to learn about others is to ask. So, I’m getting used to asking.
4. Summary
In the end, May was absolutely fabulous. After April, I didn’t think it could get any better, but the magic of life is just continuing to grow. It’s intoxicating. I saw places I never even knew existed, met people I’m sure I’ll stay in contact with in the future, dipped my toes in three different seas, and just generally loved life. If June gets better than this, I might explode, but let’s see what ya got June.
