Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.

Hey y'all. I want to write about all the garbage that's going on in the world and how we can/should be doing better, but I don't really have the words and I don't feel informed enough to say anything novel. So I'll just talk about myself, cuz I'm super good at that. Next week, I'm trying something new and taking a solo international trip. Technically, I went to Spain to study abroad by myself, but there was school and a host family and field trips, so that doesn't really count.

I've been wanting to travel more outside the US, but it's hard to find travel buddies and I was hesitant to go it alone. People either didn't have the funds or the PTO, or we couldn't get our schedules to line up. But when I found a cheap ticket to Brussels in June, I just bought it (shoutout to Kayak's Explore tool for the heads-up on the sale). I decided it was time to start doing what I wanted in life, partner or no partner. And the only way to get over your fears is to face them, so I might as well start. Should I list some more cliches, or are we ready to move on?

So I'm going. I leave Wednesday for 12 days, with stops in Prague, Brussels, and Iceland. I'm very excited and only slightly nervous. I'm doing an Icelandair flight to Brussels, with a stopover in Iceland on the way home, and then I found a cheap ticket from Brussels to Prague. Things I'm looking forward to:

- TREATS! Belgian waffles, chocolate, trdelník, etc. My sweet tooth shall be satisfied. I'll try to squeeze in some vegetables between all that and french fries.

- Unplugging: I'm sure my phone will be used a lot for directions, translations, photos, etc. But I'm not bringing my laptop and I intend to lay off the social media (excluding Instagram, cuz I'll be overgramming the shit out of this trip) and TV/movie watching. The goal is to read books and be present. Also kinda jazzed about the quiet that will come from not speaking the language(s).

- All of the museums. And culture. And history. Last time I was in Europe, I was 21 and didn't so much care about these things. Now I can appreciate the fact that old things in Colorado are from the 1800s and old things in Europe are CENTURIES older than that.

The only real anxiety I have about the trip is not speaking the language. I've been practicing common phrases (please and thank you, how much is this, I don't eat meat, do you speak English, etc.) but I feel like not being able to read street signs could be challenging, especially when taking public transportation. I was nervous about this before my Asia trip, but it turns out English is abundant in Thailand and Cambodia, and it was never an issue. I don't want to assume Europe will be the same, though. But I downloaded Google Translate and I'm hoping I can make it work.

So that's what's going on with me. I'm sure I'll write more when I get back and have a billion photos and recommendations and reviews to share. What's new with you?