This past Saturday I went back up to Toronto with my sister to see the Formula 1 Exhibition. It was absolutely wonderful, aside from people’s blatant lack of etiquette in a public space. But while being there I took a second to reflect on how I ever even fell in love with F1, and I owe it all to my friends Mhairi, Grace, and Jess. These ladies really got me into the world of motorsport, and the attractive drivers helped too of course. Now I am wildly obsessed with F1, I watch every race and even though my dad says it's the most boring sport in the world, I can’t get enough. There’s something so exciting about the thrill of racing, and the possibility for spontaneity. This got me thinking about my other new found love… traveling! So today we will be talking about all things travel and how the speed and thrill of backpacking made me slow down and appreciate everything around me.
Last April, my dear friend Kate and I set out on our month-long backpacking voyage. We met up at St. Pancras International in London to then later fly to Amsterdamn. For context, prior to this experience I would have never considered myself a traveler. I preferred laying on a beach, by a pool, on a daybed sipping a cocktail and reading a book. I never enjoyed the hustle and bustle of airports, and I’d much rather have someone barking at me where to go then figuring it out for myself (basically I’m just lazy as f***). However, after this backpacking excursion I will proudly say that I am in love with traveling and exploring new places, clubs, restaurants, and more. So, Kate and I flew to Amsterdam, then we took a bus to Brussels, then a bus to Berlin, trained to Prague, then Vienna, then Budapest, then we flew to Athens, then to Naples. We spent a lot of time in Italy, from Naples and the Amalfi Coast to Florence, ending our trip in May in Lake Como. Overall the trip took about 4 weeks and the time from place to place varied from 2 days to 4, and so on and so forth. Aside from Italy and Amsterdam, we stayed in hostels for the majority of our travels. Now, before you wince at the fear of staying in a hostel with strange men and women, let me put you on! The first time Kate had suggested a hostel to me, I too was riddled with fear and judgment. I thought hostels were gross, frightening, an invasion of privacy, and overall a recipe for disaster. I thought by staying in a “10 bed mixed dorm” I was gonna wake up without a leg or at least my passport stolen. However all this judgment stemmed from a life of comfort and ignorance, and now I can safely say that hostels are wonderful experiences (for the most part). They’re affordable, a great way to meet new people, and sometimes they have clubs inside them so you can go out and then literally hop, skip, and jump into bed. Needless to say, hostels are very enticing to me now. With the speed at which we were traveling, being cost-efficient was a major priority. Though backpacking across Europe is less expensive than it is to travel within the United States, it is not cheap. All in all, whether you’re traveling on a budget or you like to ball out, the overall experience is an insane privilege, one that was afforded very early on in life.
While we were in Italy, Kate and I stayed in Castellammare di Stabia. We stayed in a beautiful, quaint Airbnb with a balcony and a bidet. We would go grocery shopping and cook pasta for dinner while drinking white wine and streaming "Vanderpump Rules” on our computer. It was a real dream vacation. While we were there, we decided to take a day trip to the Amalfi Coast and on the way home we ran into a bit of trouble. So, ya see we took the bus into Naples and trained from there to our destination. Then we were supposed to follow that same procedure in reverse to take a bus back to Castellammare di Stabia, where our Airbnb was. It was roughly a 30 minute drive from the train station to our bnb, however, the bus back never showed up. Our bus never showed up! Kate’s phone had died, and there were no taxis anywhere. After a mild panic and a few tears, we decided to go find an employee at the station. There was only one, a young woman who didn’t speak English. WIth the help of Google translate, she informed us that there would be no bus, nor were there any reliable taxis in the surrounding areas. We were not about to walk an hour back to the bnb, but we were also struggling to find a mode of transportation. Luckily, across from the station was a betting office full of old Italian men. So Kate and I walked inside and asked the man at the front desk for a taxi. He too spoke little to no English, but he brought us to Tony. Tony was an older gentleman, skinny, tanned, smoking a cigarette out of the side of his mouth. He spoke little to no English and drove a golden minivan. Now, you’re probably thinking, I hope you didn’t get into that stranger's car in a foreign country with one dead cell phone and only 50 euros! But we absolutely did. We hopped in the van and Tony drove us back to Castellammare di Stabia. He drove like a maniac, but he got us back safely and only charged us 10 euros, so I gave him 30 and he kissed me tenderly on the cheek multiple times. Tony was a lifesaver, who I think about quite often. It was at this moment that I realized how heavily I depend on gut feeling, or intuition. Though I’m sure this tale would scare my mother to death, I really believe it was a learning experience. Traveling and figuring shit out in real time, though at times it was scary, made me a better person I feel. The thrill of traveling and the unknown really makes you stop and appreciate the world around you. The difference in culture and lifestyle, the speed at which people function, the nature and beauty of the earth surrounding you. Backpacking across Europe was the greatest, most rewarding experience of my life, and I have plenty more stories if that interests you at all. But truly, traveling made me really take a moment and appreciate the life I am able to live. The thrill of experiencing the world around you is such a privilege and I encourage anyone with the means to do so to give it a try. My love for Formula 1 and traveling go hand in hand. Not only because they both developed last spring, but because racing makes me want to travel more. I think it’s important to have hobbies and passions outside of your own talents and capabilities. Sure I'll maybe never be able to sit inside a Formula 1 car because of my wide hips, but I can dream. I may be afraid to drive over 80 mph but I can watch and enjoy when Lando Norris or Charles Leclerc do it. I never thought at 22 I would have traveled to 15 countries but here we are. The world is your oyster, as cheesy as that may sound. You are capable of more than you know, you just have to jump outside your comfort zone. If you need a little motivation to truly appreciate and experience the thrill of living and the speed of life, I implore you to watch an F1 race (Sunday May 19th to be exact). While I will be seated at graduation, I believe I will find a way to stream the Italian Grand Prix.
I have been afforded so many gifts in this life, one of the most precious being time. The time I have been given to spend with family and friends, time to find what brings me joy. Time to travel, to play, to fall on my face and get right back up. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that there’s no need to rush it. Though life may feel like it’s coming at you at the speed of light, the truth is it comes from inside you. Life itself is a gift, once you can conceptualize that you begin to realize that every opportunity given to you is also a gift. You can continue to waltz through life expecting things to just happen to you, or you can spark a change. You can take charge and create experiences for yourself to appreciate. When life gives you lemons… make a limoncello, rock a buzz, and have some fun! I don’t wanna be 50 wishing I did more in my 20s, that being said life doesn’t end at 30, so keep it up. The thrill of life is just one step outside your comfort zone. So buckle up and go for the ride. Till then, stay thirsty and get flirty, but most importantly try something new. Find a new way to appreciate the thrill of life, even if it’s at a slower pace.
See you soon,
Paige B.
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