I understand that on social media we don’t see the whole picture. We want everyone to see the most glamorous bits. So we put up this facade that everything is perfect and that just isn’t realistic. Well, here is the not always glamorous truth. You know what my social media doesn’t show you? It doesn’t show you the massive bags under my eyes, that they would certainly charge me to check at the gate. It doesn’t show you when I first got to London and checked into my hotel, how I cried at how dirty it was and at the fact that it surprisingly didn’t have a bathroom when all I wanted to do was shower and sleep after a long flight. It doesn’t show you the 15 hours I spent hanging out at the Dublin airport because I wanted to save money and not book a room that night or worry about finding a shuttle to the airport in the morning. It doesn’t show my bags getting lost and me wearing the same clothes for what felt like forever until it was returned! It doesn’t show that even though I absolutely love meeting new people I still get anxious walking into a crowd or new hostel. It doesn’t show you the nearly whole day I spent sleeping to be able to recharge or the pep talks I gave myself some days to get up and get going. You don’t see the miles I walked with just me and my bags. Or the fact that at times I probably smelled like sweat and anxiety or the greasy hair I hid under a beanie. Despite it all, every bump in the road, I wouldn’t change a thing because it is all apart of the adventure. That is what it is all about. It isn’t suppose to be pretty and perfect. You will make mistakes.
You will miss trains.
You will get lost.
You will sleep in a few terrible hostels.
You will pay way more than you should for a chicken sandwich because you didn’t know better, but it will be the best sandwich of your life.
You will also get on the right train and it will be the best feeling knowing YOU did it!
You will find that you are never really alone. You’ll meet the most amazing people who have the best stories to tell.
You will learn that making mistakes can give you opportunities you never thought you’d have.
You will learn to embrace unexpected events, because those make the whole trip that much better.
You will meet people that leave a lasting impression on you for the rest of your life.
You will find how rewarding all those experiences are and how much you can grow by getting to know your limits. When you come home, you’ll know yourself so much better than before you left.
In the words of Anthony Bourdain, “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
Egerer to Explore 