Scattered thoughts after seeing 41 countries and almost all of Europe

A few years ago, almost as a game, I made myself a promise: to see all of Europe by the age of 30, or at least every country I cared about. Today I’m 29 and 30 is just around the corner. I’ve seen 41 countries, most of them in Europe. Two are missing: Iceland and Montenegro. I don’t know if I’ll make it in time. But whatever happens, looking back I know it’s already a great result.

The view from almost the top

Above all, this promise taught me how important it is to set yourself a goal. And then to fight for it every day, even in small steps.

I’m not at the summit, but I’m nearly there. And even from here the view is beautiful.

It hasn’t been easy. Leaving almost every month costs money, but it also takes organisation and, above all, the ability to always find someone to go with. Many people want the perfect trip: at least four of them, at the right time of year, with everything in place. I always said yes. In fact, very often I was the one suggesting it.

Travel companions

So I took very different people with me. Close friends and people I barely knew. And yet I don’t have a single bad memory of a trip. Each of my companions left me something, and I thank all of them for coming with me.

And maybe fate played a part too. Because every time it put the right moments and the right people in front of me to keep going.

When everything starts to flatten

There is a flip side, though. When you see so much in a short time, everything starts to flatten a little. I’m moved less and less easily, and sometimes I think I’ll never be moved again.

Even in China, a trip that struck me enormously, many things I thought would overwhelm me affected me less than expected. It was the small details that gave me the best memories.

Then, right on cue, something comes along that leaves you speechless. Recently in Stockholm I saw the Vasa, a warship launched in 1628 and the only ship of that era to survive almost intact. It gave me chills. I didn’t think I could still feel something like that.

Travelling a lot has this price: fewer and fewer things move you. And they have to be ever more real, ever closer to your soul.

A citizen of the world, really

Seeing so much changes you. When your view widens beyond your city and your country, you start to see things differently. I know there are differences between countries. But in my head it’s as if there weren’t: when you look at people’s nature, you find we like the same things. I noticed it in China, let alone with the European countries we share a history with.

What stays with you is the feeling that you could live anywhere. You feel like a citizen of the world in every sense. And it isn’t a cliché.

Why not one people?

So I ask myself one last thing. I’m a child of a generation that could travel around Europe and feel it closer than ever before. I’m surely not the only one who thinks that, differences aside, we are one people. So why don’t we truly become one?

The United States are fifty states under one flag. Why can’t it happen in Europe? I know it isn’t simple: there are different languages, very strong national identities and the fear of losing sovereignty. And yet I mostly see advantages. Maybe this is exactly the push we need to become stronger and build a better society.

Meanwhile, Iceland and Montenegro are still missing. And something tells me they won't be the last.