Wander On
One month into my trip, I got an email from my friend that kind of threw me. He had stumbled upon a children’s book entitled, Charlotte, Wander On and sent me the plot description from Amazon and the author’s website. “Charlotte, Wander On is the simple, yet emotionally-complex story of a young girl alone in […]
The Last Fika
My associations with Sweden are pretty simplistic: the Swedish Chef, Ikea, beautiful blondes, edgy fashion, no daylight/all daylight, and the most flattering one, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. When my cousin and her husband invited me to come stay with them in Stockholm during my trip, I was thrilled I would get to see this […]
My Czech Progress Report
Leaving the guy I had fallen for with no set date to meet up again, week four of sickness, and a newly shattered iPhone screen. I knew the day after Ireland was going to be hard, but this was a little much, even when I tried my best to keep things in perspective. Thankfully, […]
The Presence of Absence
The other night I was tossing and turning at 4:40 am, obsessing about what to say at my sister’s wedding. This might not seem that outlandish – wedding speeches are a big deal – but the odd thing was that I was doing this in a hostel, on my first night in Asia, with earplugs in […]
The Road To Nowhere
“Seventh time’s a charm?“ Mike said as we pulled into yet another vacant-looking B&B in the middle of pitch-black night. We walked into the attached bar and every single person stopped talking and turned to look at us. The twenty locals in this pub weren’t accustomed to seeing strangers in these parts, where signs are printed […]
Truths, Gripes, and Other Confessions
I’ve avoided discussing the negative aspects of long-term travel because, well… it seems really petty for me to be complaining at all while in such a spectacular situation. However, like anything, there are plenty of downsides to this lifestyle. For authenticity’s sake, I’ve compiled them here to give a taste of the not-so-flattering side of this life. I forget where […]
All Signs Point To Ireland
I have never really known how to feel about fate. It has always seemed like a way to give up all control and choose to be a victim of circumstance, which was a concept I had trouble getting behind. However, since I started traveling, my thoughts about it have changed and I no longer think of […]
La Vie En Papier
There are three women I found major inspiration from in the past couple of years, and, funnily enough, I was not particularly close with any of them when I started feeling their influence. The three are all completely different from each other and have goals and perspectives entirely unique from mine. However, their common quality is […]
Month 2 Round-Up
My second month of travel was drastically different from the first. Going into this month, I had my first experience with the magic that comes from leaving things open. When I stopped planning, my trip became something more than I could have ever designed it to be. I opened myself up to possibilities I wouldn’t […]
If Jesus Could See Me Now…
Last month I was waiting in a very crowded tapas bar in Barcelona for my two friends to meet me. I found a small space at the corner of the bar and tried to stake out some space for their arrival. I stood next to an old man who, after a few minutes of pointing […]
Charlotte Messervy 