Solo but Not Alone
I went on a 7-day city trip to Brussels and Antwerp. The longest stretch was the two-hour train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels on a fast train. There isn’t much change in the landscape—both the Netherlands and Belgium show endless polders and flat fields with hardly any hills—but the architecture does shift. Dutch buildings and infrastructure generally look more modern and better maintained, while many Belgian houses you see from the train seem a bit old and decayed. Noticing that contrast makes me value my own country, its modernity, and the comfortable life I’m used to. Traveling through places that appear less fortunate reminds me to appreciate what I have, and it feels even better knowing I will return to my own cozy home.
Whenever I stay in a foreign city, I always check what cultural events are on. Sometimes that just means catching a good arthouse film, but other times an interesting singer happens to be performing on one of the nights I’m there. If the show isn’t sold out, I grab a ticket and enjoy a great evening. The best part is that, because I travel solo, I don’t have to convince anyone else to join me; I can go straight away. And solo doesn’t mean lonely—on the road I keep meeting people I click with, sharing meaningful conversations that often start by chance.
The biggest lesson from this trip is finding a balance between planning and spontaneity. I like to sketch a rough outline of which trains I’ll take and which cities I might visit, but I also enjoy choosing a place to sleep only on the morning of the stay or changing course at the last minute. Planning every minute feels too rigid, yet having no plan at all can leave me stranded at ten in the evening without a place to sleep. Keeping that middle ground lets me do whatever I want and gives me the freedom I travel for.