Okay. How crazy is this? I’m now 2 months into my trip. Time seems to really fly by when you’re having the time of your life.
It’s crazy though to think that I only have about 3 weeks left in Europe until my visa expires. I will be leaving just a bit earlier than I can, just to give myself some wiggle room in case that I need to come back to Europe briefly before my time resets.
But I’ve been enjoying myself immensely. I’ve met a lot of different people, learned a lot about myself, and have seen so much. I’ve been to 12 countries in the 2 months since I left the US – which is actually a bit of a problem.
For my last couple of weeks, I’m staying in one country – Italy. I need to slow down and there’s so much to see in Italy that I know that the slowdown will be time well spent here. I’ll still be going from city to city, but since that’s different than country to country, I hope that it doesn’t take as much out of me. Because the truth is I’m tired. Not of traveling, never of traveling, but of the go-go-go. I want to explore more, see more, talk to more locals, experience more of the culture.
I went into this portion of my trip knowing that I wasn’t doing the slow travel thing, and being okay with it. I have so much that I want to see after all. But I didn’t expect to – 2 months in – be deciding that the slow travel avenue is the way I want to go full stop. I want to set up in one area and then take my time exploring that area. I want to be semi-settled and take day or even weekend trips to different place. I want to have days where all I do are sit down and write with a white hot chocolate. I want to take my time traveling.
I guess it’s also not too surprising, as the go-go-go is much more like being on vacation and I’m not on vacation, this is the life that I’m looking to make for myself. So I guess it’s no wonder that I’ve looked for other ways to make it sustainable.
The good news is, I’ve spent a lot of time the past 2 months seeing a bunch of the ‘must sees’ in many countries/cities. So when I come back next time, I can focus on less of the crowded areas and more of the local areas. It’s actually another reason why I’ve been moving around so much – to get away from the crowds. I’ve done a pretty good job at going back and forth between crowded places and more remote places. Its given me a good balance while still allowing myself to see more.
I may start with the slow travel as I move on to the Balkans and then SE Asia, but I’ll be doing a bit more of it as I travel though Italy as well. But I’ll definitely be back when my visa resets, because I love it in Europe. I love the people, the culture, the ease of travel, and probably most of all, I love how I feel.
I’m healthier here than I am in the States, because I’m more active – yes, but mainly because of the food here. I eat better naturally due to better quality food and that in turn impacts so much of my day to day life. I get chronic migraines and yet I’ve had only a handful (3 or 4) in two months compared to the 12-15 per month I used to have. I have a list of things that I can’t eat, and yet I can ignore them all while I’m here. I’ve had tomato sauce for the first time in years without any adverse effects. The only thing I still avoid is caffeine since that’s a migraine trigger no matter where I am. It’s so freeing to not have to worry about what I’m eating. To constantly be asking for substitutions or clarification. To have to worry about what I’m eating day to day. I can just grab something that looks good and the only thing I have to wonder is if I’ll like the taste.
For the first time in 12 years, I can enjoy food without worry and that is priceless.
