Diagnosis: The Feels

I’ve sat down to curate a post about a plethora of things; to plaster you with a bunch of beautiful photos, attempt to convey the wonders of tiny towns and bustle of big cities; to describe the delectability of foreign foods, the excitement of meeting someone completely new, and the unpredictability of having no plans, no schedule and no limitations. I’m flicking through pages of my journal, scouring for stories and thoughts and imagery to jump off the page; I’m staring up at my wall covered in photos seeking inspiration, and I’ve become so overwhelmed by trying to explain things that words are failing me.

All I want is for you, dear reader, to feel every emotion, hear every thought, and experience everything of what I felt abroad. I want you to feel the rush of freedom, the thrill of the pace. I want you to know the source of a happiness that resides so deep in my bones and fills me up to the brim every second of every day. And I want to bottle up the nostalgia I get every time I close my eyes at night, or the memories that make me smile to myself every day, so that for one second you can feel how incredibly fulfilled I am after embarking on the adventure I did.

I want you to feel the salty air of the Mediterranean, feel the numbing cold of Loch Ness – taste the saltiness of a hot bagel from a New York street vendor, and the sweetness of a wine whilst standing in the French vineyard it came from. I want you to fall in love with a stranger in Budapest, to be dazzled by fireworks in Sicily, feel the wind whipping past you as you ride through the Austrian countryside; see the sun setting behind a Geysir, the leaves change colour in Montreal, the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower.

I want you to feel the relief of arriving somewhere safe, the satisfaction of getting to the bus on time, the reassuring ping of my phone each time I knew someone from home was thinking of me, the pleasure of meeting someone and hitting it off straight away.

If I could share all those feelings, if I could somehow transfer the specific sequencing of events and emotions and thoughts that I find myself looking back upon each day, I’d serve it to you in a heartbeat.

So, I have decided today that I won’t try and muster up some post to explain these things to you, in sequential order, with pretty photos and eloquent words. Instead, I just want for you to collect your own showreel of travel moments - no mater how extravagant or modest they may seem. Heck - book that one-way ticket, plan a weekend away... just drive a different route to work!! Anything at all - do it. Because the feeling you get afterwards - the euphoric, blurred memories of adventure - I can't begin to tell you how incredible they are.