Is dat nog vakantie of gaat het al langzamer?

We have been on the road for a week and a half now and are constantly being asked by friends on the phone or by random acquaintances at the campsite, how it feels to be on a big journey. The answer is: We don't know.

So far, it feels more like a vacation, even though we are definitely taking more time and space than when it's clear that we will be going home after two weeks. We already stayed an extra day at a place we liked; for the next few days, there is usually only a rough plan, and if one of us decides in the morning that today should be spent somewhere between a sleeping bag, hammock, and the next café, the other one just goes off alone and usually comes back excited and full of new impressions.

Mobility and fitness are of course also incredibly important. So far, we have walked about 170 km, many of them with luggage. To avoid crawling out of the tent or bed completely stiff in the morning, we try to do one or two yoga sessions or stretches during the day (which admittedly doesn't always work). But we can already feel that the backpacks feel lighter, that we can touch the floor better with our hands, and so far "muscle soreness" is a foreign word to us.

Something we are also better at than on a regular vacation is to have an eye for the little things: to enjoy it when the moss in the forest glows particularly brightly after a rainy night; to enjoy quiet places even when there is hustle and bustle all around, or to switch back and forth for what feels like hours between wild blueberries and raspberries.

All of these are things that make us wonder why we can't manage to do them in everyday life. Why we can't take these little breaks just for ourselves. We don't have an answer to that (yet). But we will definitely let you know when we find one. Until then: Go through the day with open eyes; linger when you pass by beautiful places and treat yourself to a few minutes for yourself every now and then.

Robert