That Time I Got Stuck in Europe

Mother Nature f’d with our plans, laughing at our itinerary.

Years ago, my friend and in embarked on our rite-of-passage trip in University: we set off to Europe for a month. While we didn’t have backpacks loaded with a guidebook and only a few pairs of pants (backpacks so are not my thing), we stayed in off-the-beaten-path accommodations like quaint B&Bs, an apartment before apartment rentals were cool, silly hotels, friend’s couches, and of course, a couple of hostels.

We were excited and bright-eyed like two young 20-somethings were meant to be. We had travelled before, mainly on school trips, myself a little more versed in the travel world than my friend. I had never gone for a month of travel, and I was excited to just go out there and see what the world had to offer. That feeling of excitement, of finding yourself and the world in front of you…I don’t know if I could ever beat that feeling, I don’t think I could ever re-create it. It’s something that goes hand-in-hand with being young and naive. New experiences may make me feel giddy today, but there isn’t that sense of wonder, that feeling of absolute freedom you have when you’re young and travelling for the first time.

We had booked our accommodations in advance, taking care to find the perfect places for each stay. In Scotland, it was a cute B&B just out of the busyness of…