I went to Paris. Then London.
Two cities most people have on their bucket list. And I spent the majority of both trips inside my hotel room.
Here's why. I was there to speak at events. And the pressure of performing well took over everything. Each morning I woke up thinking about what I was going to say. Each afternoon I ran through it again in my head. By the time I actually went onstage, I was relieved it was over. And after? I just wanted to collapse.
Paris. London. Two of the most iconic cities in the world.
And I barely touched either of them.
That experience taught me something I think about every time I plan a trip now.
Milestone trips sound incredible on paper. A reason to travel. A purpose. Something to work toward. And I get the appeal. But here's the catch. The milestone
doesn't coexist with the trip. It takes over the trip.
Because think about it this way. You show up to a new city already carrying something heavy. A performance. A presentation. A wedding. A big moment. And from that point on, everything else becomes secondary. The food. The streets. The spontaneous detour you might have taken. None of it gets your full attention.
You're there. But you're not really there.
The trips where I've felt most alive as a traveler looked nothing like that.
No agenda. No event. No reason to be anywhere at any specific time. Just me, a
city, and the freedom to do whatever felt right that day.
I'd spend hours in a restaurant. Not rushing to get somewhere. Just eating. Talking to people. Ordering another round. On one trip, I woke up and decided to take a day trip to the Palace of Fontainebleau, Napoleon's palace just outside Paris. Not because it was on a list. Because I wanted to. And I could.
That's what travel is supposed to feel like.
The truth is, travel already comes with enough built-in chaos. Delayed flights. Unfamiliar metro systems. Restaurants that are fully booked. Weather that doesn't cooperate. You're already navigating a lot just by showing up in a new place.
So why would you stack more onto it?
A milestone gives your trip a title. But it takes away the thing that makes travel worth doing in the first place. The ability to be fully present.
You don't need a reason
to go somewhere. The trip is the reason.
Next time you're planning, try this. Pick a city. Book the flight. And leave the rest open. Let the trip be the point.
P.S. I did take time after the speeches to actually enjoy the cities.
