Timeline of My 2015 Travels

We’ve been searching for so long
To find the place where we could belong
We always dreamed of better things to come
And turned our faces towards the sun
We follow the light that we see in the dark
And keep on going till it catches spark
I believe there’s a change to come
We’ll never know if we never run

In October of 2011, I arrived home from a year-long journey abroad, travel-weary and eager to live a “normal” life. I happily entered the full-time workforce and loved every moment I spent in the city that my heart affectionately called home.

I was moving upwards in the world. My salary doubled in a span of 6 months. My job title changed from lackey to coordinator to manager in 3 years. I went from being between homes and living out of a suitcase to a downtown studio flat to a 1 bedroom apartment shared with a stable partner.

I should have been thrilled. I had corporate position that I was proud of and a salary to live a comfortable life. I had someone who was willing to look me in the eye and tell me that I was worth something. Most importantly, I had a flat in the city. I had dreamt of this since I was a teenager when I often found myself stranded at 3am in rainy downtown Vancouver with nowhere to go except to my parents’ 2 hours deep into suburbia or the couches of my friends.

But as my worldly accomplishments and possessions grew, my happiness waned. What was I missing?

Surely I couldn’t be that greedy. Wasn’t I on my way to having everything?

Within the span of a year between summer of 2013 and spring of 2014, I traveled to the far corners of North America: Las Vegas, New York, Hawaii, and Miami. I indulged the lights of Sin City with my closest friends. I recreated the iconic V-J Day photo in Times Square. I hiked dormant volcanoes and mountain tops in Hawaii. I cheered for the debut of major musical acts at Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

Yet I felt like I got nowhere.

What was missing? No language barriers? Lack of culture shock? Nowhere to really get lost? Whatever it was, I was becoming unhappier by the week.

By early 2015, my carefully crafted life was unraveling. I could barely bring myself to get up in the mornings to go to my 9 to 5, despite my great office, great colleagues, and great boss. The ‘stable’ partner drifted first out of our apartment, then out of my life.

I ended up back with my parents, who had long since stopped keeping a room for me because I had been moved out for nearly 10 years. I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor and lying awake until dawn wondering how I could have ended up there.

I knew I couldn’t go on like this. I had scored highly coveted tickets to Tomorrowland, the mecca of electronic music and decided that, since I’d be in Europe, I might as well stay there until I figured out something better to do with my life. I wasn’t particularly worried about my job situation; I had enough savings for a down payment on an apartment and a strong enough skill set to be able to pick up where I left off quite easily.

And so I created a travel blog, bought an expensive camera, gave my resignation at work, and put myself on a flight to Amsterdam.

Part 1 – The Tomorrowland Discover Europe Tour

I see the dawn of a new beginning
This time, this time, we can’t go home

July 13, 2015 – takeoff from YVR bound for Amsterdam

• Departed from Vancouver International Airport on a cool July day with a heart-warming sendoff
• Landed in Amsterdam, spent 4 days at a hostel, explored the city solo, and fell more in love with every canal I passed
• Met up with the Tomorrowland Discover Europe tour on July 17th

July 19, 2015 – Barcelona

• Flew to Barcelona and spent several days eating tapas, drinking cava, and dancing on the beach
• Dipped my feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time
• Boarded the infamous Tomorrowland party flight bound for Brussels

July 22, 2015 – Brussels and TOMORROWLAND

• Landed in Brussels to a Tomorrowland-themed welcome brigade and a dance party at luggage claim with people from the far corners of the planet
• Explored Brussels and kicked-off Tomorrowland weekend with a huge block party in downtown Brussels
• Danced my heart out at Tomorrowland, which was more incredible than I ever could have imagined

July 27, 2015 – Paris

• 4-hour bus ride the morning after the last day of Tomorrowland from Brussels to Paris
• Probably due to a cold and rainy weather pattern that swept through western Europe during Tomorrowland weekend, I spent most of my time in Paris fighting off a cold
• I also unfortunately encountered the single most racist individual I have ever met and decided to stay in my hotel the rest of my time in the city
• Thankfully I had been to Paris with my high school 10 years ago and had already seen the main touristic sights

July 29, 2015 – Berlin

• Spent a few last days in Berlin with the People of Tomorrow before saying my goodbyes
• Finally felt recovered enough to properly explore Berlin so stayed around the city after the Tomorrowland Discover Europe tour disbanded
• Met up with several friends from back home who had moved to Berlin in the months and years prior

 

Part 2 – Solo Travels

Decisions as I go, to anywhere I flow
Sometimes I believe, at times where I should know
I can fly, I can go low
Today I got a million, tomorrow I don’t know

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August 4, 2015 – Prague

• Boarded a train from Berlin to Prague, not yet understanding the European train system and suffered 5 hours in 37 degree weather with no air conditioning
• Felt lonely for the first time since I started my travels due to a sudden lack of company and because Prague is perhaps too romantic of a city to visit alone
• Started to get the hang of solo travel by the end of my time in Prague

August 10, 2015 – Budapest and SZIGET

• Took an 8-hour train ride from Prague to Budapest and insisted on a seat in a cabin with air-conditioning
• Stayed in an Airbnb apartment city center that was cheaper than a hostel and where I had my own chandelier
• Spend a week at Sziget Festival, located on an island on the Danube
• After 2 weeks of 37 degree weather in Central Europe, as fireworks were being set off during the closing act of Sziget, a lightning storm started and was followed by 2 days of deluge
• Because I asked to stay longer than my original booking, my Airbnb hosts moved me to a private apartment for the same rate because they enjoyed having me as a guest
• Spent 3 more days exploring Budapest, thankful for the drop in temperature (from 37 to around 20)
• My last night in Budapest was St. Stephen’s Day, the Hungarian National Holiday. Buda Castle was lined with vendors selling traditional Hungarian goods and the Danube was lit up at night with fireworks.

August 21, 2015 – Split and THE YACHT WEEK

• I had met a group of people traveling around the world performing Random Acts of Kindness back in Prague. They who raved about The Yacht Week in Croatia so I decided to join a random crew.
• Took a 15-hour overnight train from Budapest to Split and was so traumatized that I swore to never take a long-haul eastern European train again in my life
• Met up with my Yacht Week crew, wherein one of the crew members dropped all of my luggage into the marina. One of the girls jumped into the marina and fished everything out. My computer was done for, as was her phone.
• Sailed around the islands near Split for the following week and went to The Yacht Week arranged parties every night
• Stayed 3 extra nights in Split and took a day trip up to Plivice Lakes National Park with some fellow Canadian travelers

September 1, 2015 – Istanbul

• Flew to Istanbul and realized that I truly wasn’t in Kansas anymore
• Despite the 30+ weather and high humidity, I had to go out and buy loose pants because, due to Turkey being a Muslim country, women who are not covered are stared at incessantly
• It was too hot to go outside during midday, so I took my time exploring, in awe at the east-meets-west influences on this strategically located city

September 7, 2015 – Rome

• Flew to Rome and spent 1 day seeing most of the main sights of the Eternal City
• Met up with the Canadians I had befriended in Split who also happened to be in Rome at the same time

 

Part 3 – The Mediterranean and Canaries Cruise

And I don’t wanna be alone forever
But I can be tonight
I don’t wanna be alone forever
But I love gypsy life

September 9, 2015 – Civitavecchia

• Took a train from Rome to its closest port to meet my friend who works for Royal Caribbean and is allowed to take people cruising with him for essentially free
• Was overjoyed to have my own cabin, because I haven’t had much private space since I moved out of my apartment at the end of March
• Loved the ease of access to a variety of food at all odd hours

September 10, 2015 – Livorno (Pisa)

• Livorno is about 20 minutes from Pisa by train. I bought my train ticket, checked the time on my phone, walked to the train platform, and my phone was gone.
• Hopped into an Internet café in Pisa to change all of my passwords and gave up halfway through because the computer running Windows 2000 froze
• Went sightseeing and witnessed a fight on the train because one of the passengers on the bus was also pickpocketed
• Bought a new phone back in Livorno

September 11, 2015 – Cagliari (Sardinia)

• Spent the day wandering around the city of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia
• Used the WiFi at a café by the beach to restore lost data onto my new phone
• Sun-bathed while listening to the waves of the Mediterranean

September 13, 2015 – Málaga

• Climbed to the top of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, then went to chill on the beach

September 14, 2015 – Cádiz

• Climbed to the top of the Torre Tavira, the tallest watchtower in Cádiz

September 15, 2015 – Lisbon

• Walked around the city and port of Lisbon and tried not to get blown away by the wind

September 18, 2015 – Southampton

• Remember how my computer was knocked in the ocean a month prior in Croatia? The ship stopped in Southampton, the first English-speaking country I had been to since my computer short-circuited, and I was finally able to buy a new one

September 20, 2015 – Vigo

• It was a Sunday when we stopped in Vigo, so nothing happened

September 22, 2015 – Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

• Took a bus around the island, which looks like the surface of the moon or the Big Island in Hawaii, the chilled on a black sand beach

September 23, 2015 – Tenerife (Canary Islands)

• Crossed the island to go to the top rated attraction on Trip Advisor, Loro Parque, only to realize that they kept 6 orcas in captivity
• My love affair with Trip Advisor was over that day

September 24, 2015 – Madeira

• Spent an overnight in Madeira and rode a gondola from the highest point on the island

September 27, 2015 – Ponta Delgada (Azores) 

• My ex was being sent to Bordeaux for work in October and we had agreed to meet up and go to Barcelona afterwards; everything had been booked. I figured we’d reevaluate our relationship.
• In Ponta Delgada, a week before we were due to meet up, he told me he had been seeing someone else for the past month
• I wandered around the rocky beaches Ponta Delgada in a daze

September 30 2015 – Bilbao

• Almost didn’t make it off the ship in Bilbao but figured I should since I was there
• Visited the Guggenheim briefly, then returned to the ship

October 2, 2015 – Southampton

• Disembarked at Southampton, took a train to London Gatwick, spent the night at an airport hotel, and headed off to Bordeaux

 

Part 4 – A Final Reunion

Thank the stars its Friday
I’m burning like a fire gone wild on Saturday
Guess I won’t be coming to church on Sunday
I’ll be waiting for love, waiting for love

October 3, 2015 – Bordeaux/St. Emilion

• Met up with my ex who had been sent to Bordeaux for a week for work
• Visited St. Emilion and climbed the highest point, then drank champagne in a courtyard

October 11, 2015 – Barcelona

• Took a train to Barcelona and stayed at an Airbnb just off Las Ramblas
• I realized that he didn’t want to reevaluate our relationship and was still interested in his new girl in Vancouver. He had been leading me around in circles all year so I packed my bags, booked a hostel, and left.

 

Part 5 – A Month In The Netherlands

I believe, I believe
And tell myself to think forward
I will show I believe
And hold you up and know that you’re all I see in the light
And never do what I used to

October 16, 2015 – Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam & Brussels, Cologne, and London

• Was tired of dragging my luggage around Europe so booked an Airbnb in Amsterdam to relax and write for a month
• Attended Amsterdam Music Festival and watched the live announcement of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs (Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike, why!?)
• Saw friends studying in Utrecht, marveled at architecture in Rotterdam, saw the windmills at Kinderdijk, took short trips to Brussels and London, and saw a friend in Cologne
• Was invited for a Sunday morning koffie and appeltaart by a Dutchman who lived in Amsterdam
• Realized a funny coincidence: before I left Vancouver, I had joking said to friends that I would “find myself a cute Dutch DJ with a cute Dutch rabbit.” He didn’t have a rabbit and wasn’t a DJ, but he was cute, Dutch, and his name initializes to D.J. He also went to high school with DJ Armin van Buuren
• However, we live on opposite sides of the planet and I was due to leave in less than a month

 

Part 6 – Miss Supranational 2015

Well if I were you, I’d look up
And find a place there in the sky where there’s room enough
To spread it out, and look ’round
For where to land when you come down

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November 16, 2015 – Warsaw, Radom, Krakow, Łódź, and Krynica

• Flew to Warsaw to participate in the 2015 edition of the prestigious Miss Supranational pageant where 82 countries were represented
• Stayed 1 week in Warsaw, then moved to a lakeside in Radom, and took day trips to Krakow and Łódź
• The pageant finale was in Krynica on December 4, 2015, after which it was time for me to return to Vancouver

Part 7 – There’s No Place Like…Home?

You cut your teeth on the lack of answers, singing
Come back home but it don’t feel the same

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December 6, 2015 – Vancouver

• Delayed booking a return flight until 2 weeks prior because I had wanted either to go to India for the holidays or return to Amsterdam to stay with my Dutchman but India was flooded and my Dutchman was on call for work (then stranded in India by the flood)
• The flight trajectory ended up being Krakow-Warsaw-Moscow-Helsinki-London-Vancouver
• Sat at the departure gate on the last leg of the trip, stared at the destination “Vancouver”, watched the hours count down until I reached my destination, and realized that I didn’t want to go home at all
• Saw the northern lights as we flew over Greenland

 

So Now What?

If I recall/calculated correctly, it has been:

• 43,000 kilometers
• 12 countries
• 7 currencies
• 20 planes
• 8 international trains
• 1 yacht
• 1 cruise ship
• countless buses and local metro trains

Vancouver no longer feels like home. The sights and streets are familiar but no longer welcoming. This place has become merely a location where my immediate family and some friends live.

I was hired for a well-paid, full-time position 18 hours after I landed and started work the following day. I turned 27 a week later.

It’s been raining nearly non-stop. Life has gone on all the same. The mass exodus of young, working professionals from Vancouver continues, taking the majority of my friends with them. They go to Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, etc. Most never come back.

Perhaps it’s my turn? Since the option is available to Canadians under 30, I might apply for a Youth Mobility Visa and go back to Europe.

I’ll give myself half a year. If nothing worthwhile happens in that time, I’m leaving again.