Live Every Day Like You’re On The Road

One day last July, I woke up at 7 AM to a ringing silence. It took several minutes for me — someone who must usually be dragged out of bed every morning — to make sense of this rare experience. For I was not only wide awake, but also eager to get moving.

“Where to next?” had been my first thought as I woke. “Where do I get to explore today?”

I was in my own bed in Toronto, but that morning was one of the first I’d spent at home over the past few months. My friend Julie and I had just returned from a summer of intense travelling throughout Europe. While exhausting, our time on the road had instilled in me a fierce drive for adventure and learning, such that I was positively bursting to greet the day — even, oddly, at 7 AM.

Contrary to my Instagram posts, not every day in Europe had been a picture-perfect vacation. In France, the rain followed steadily in our footsteps, the lack of heating in our B & B keeping me up half the night. I longed for my flannel pajamas and cursed not bringing a warm jacket. Even worse was Vienna, where the cold sleet pierced every paltry layer I had brought. I was drained by eight that evening, ready for bed. Wroclaw and, strangely, London welcomed us with searing heat and bouts of dehydration. Our parting from Brno entailed a frantic, side-splitting dash across the city to catch the night train to Berlin. My period unexpectedly greeted me in Munich, where I limped through the city without a single sanitary product, rushing to a washroom every 10 minutes before giving up the afternoon for a two hour shower. In Nice, Julie’s salad came with an accidental live slug and zero sympathy from the waitress. Not to mention the morning the police were called on us over a subway ticket.

We were constantly on the move, walking 25 000 steps daily, rain or shine. However, if I hadn’t been falling asleep at every opportunity — once, I nodded off in the middle of writing a sentence, pen uncapped in my hand — I never would have guessed at how exhausted I truly was. Every moment felt exciting, and I was almost always eager to do more. Despite the early wake-ups, heavy suitcase dragging, and many chilling rainstorms, we never stopped going.

Never before had I been so willing to overcome hurdles, to try new foods, to say yes to every new adventure — splurging on spas, going out to pubs, and strolling down strange cities at midnight. Travelling made me want to step outside my comfort zone and take advantage of every moment. It made me see the light in dismal situations. Even when I was freezing, wet, and standing in soggy sneakers for two hours in a barely moving line, I still felt lucky to be right where I was.

Carpe Diem has been a famous saying for centuries, but I only understood the full meaning of it when abroad. Our time was short there; I did not know when I could afford to return. With that knowledge, it became important to prioritize self-care, so as to not get sick. Determined to stay well and make the most our time, I happily handed in an incomplete summer school essay to get more sleep. I felt little shame spending extra on those mussels in Brussels, on the horse-carriage ride up Neuschwanstein, and the late night carousel ride in Florence. It was easier to let go of the little bumps on the road, to move on, to welcome the next adventure with open arms. Suddenly, the stressors that would have so frustrated me at home were manageable.

As with most things in life, travelling was not as perfect as my social media presented. Things can, and do, go wrong at any minute. But despite the difficulties, weariness, and some tears, we ended every day full on what we had seen and accomplished. By the end of the trip, I remembered the happy parts most — and most parts were happy. The struggles faded away quickly in contrast.

And while it is certainly more difficult to get up and be positive when faced with a routine instead of a new city to explore, the unique mindset of travelling stayed with me long after I was home. I had learned that it was possible to wake up excited by what a new day could bring. It was possible to discover wonderful new foods and hobbies by venturing beyond my horizons. Most importantly, in prioritizing my health and being kind to my body, it was also easy to overcome life’s lemons and end each day with only the best moments in mind — which in the end, makes every rainfall worth it.