I’ve been picking up pebbles.
I had a few spots in the UK that I had hoped to see on my trip and Brighton was high on the list, but after months of trying to get house sitting gigs there I had a moment of genius.
My return flight to the US was early in the morning out of Gatwick Airport which just happens to be about halfway between London and Brighton. When I learned this, I started checking hotel and AirBnB prices in both cities. My heart jumped when I found out it would be cheaper to spend 3 days in a hotel in Brighton than one in London near the train station. This sealed the deal for me and I was off to the seaside!
The impressive Royal Pavilion (AKA Brighton Pavilion)
My emotions were all over the place while I was in Brighton.
I arrived the first week of September. The children were back in school but the weather was still lovely. Basically perfection for a person like me who tends to avoid crowds.
Even still, I was emotional.
I felt so happy to have made it to another one of the places I’d had on my dream destination list for this trip.
I felt proud that I’d made it over 3 months in Europe mostly on my own.
I was disappointed that I hadn’t found a job while I was there.
I was confident in my travel planning skills after managing near weekly relocations including transit and accommodations.
I was frustrated that due to international travel issues I was unable to stay longer because to change my flight home would have cost over $8000. (Yes, you read that right.)
I was pleased with how many lovely connections I made with people (especially the ones who I had done housesits for) as an awkward introvert.
I was also feeling heartsick from having to say goodbye to this adventure. (I had quite a few crying spells in the 3 days I was in Brighton.)
You have to enjoy them while you’re there because it’s illegal to remove sand or pebbles from UK beaches.
I’d accomplished my goal in some ways. But the thing about travel is that it’s easy to be disappointed if we’re just ticking off items on a to-do list.
Ride on a double-decker bus (tick)
Visit Edinburgh Castle (tick)
Speak French in Bidart (tick)
Seeing and doing the things you’re “supposed to” see and do can be fun, but having experiences that will never be exactly the same again is priceless.
Things that weren’t on my list that were amazing:
Graffiti Wall on the Millennium Boardwalk in Cardiff
The Hague - all of it.
Business class on the Eurostar
Walking on the training grounds for race horses
Bouldering (and everything else really) in Bournemouth
Ilkley Moor
This was the last animal that ran up to me on my trip. Still got that magnetic pull for the animals.
I had so many wonderful experiences in my three and a half months of travel. I learned so much and grew as a person. While I was in Brighton, I listened to the audiobook of Abbi Jacobson’s I Might Regret This and it felt like the perfect match for the moment. It’s a series of essays documenting the author (and Broad City co-creator and co-star) on a solo road trip across the US. I related so much to her thoughts and emotions as she struggled through sleepless nights and self-doubt. I also related to her hope in taking chances and trying to break out of the everyday.
Spending so much time alone would probably make plenty of people think about life this way and if you had committed yourself (either contractually like she had or just personally like I did) to sharing the experience you could probably find things you didn’t even know existed inside yourself.
I didn’t want the trip to end, but as Semisonic sang, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end” and honestly I was a bit tired.
I was so tired but so happy to be on the shore of the English Channel again.
I know I can go back and I very much hope I do it soon. I took a chance on myself. I met people and pets that I adore. I had experiences that changed me.
I’ll keep on writing here since I strongly believe in sharing adventure and that this experience has made my life better.
Plus, I’ve got another trip starting in a few weeks.
Follow along if you like and remember — Even tiny adventures matter.