Traveling, My Personal Opinion

As my trip to Amsterdam ends, unfortunately, I decided to write a bit about this trip for the blog. I decided on a whim, not really, to take a week-long trip to Amsterdam. Found a way to make it work for me in the most financially comfortable way, yet I still ran into some minor hurdles during my time in this foreign country. However this trip has been placed on the top of the list of the best trips that I have taken in my life, and I was blessed enough to safely enjoy this trip solo as opposed to with a group of friends or family like I would normally travel. All in all, I would say that this is a trip that I needed more than I thought and I need to remember to take some time for myself always.

So first I want to give a rundown of my itinerary of my trip. I didn’t have many specific things that I wanted to do when I got out here, just wanted to be here. Amsterdam has been on my list of travel destinations since I was about 12 when I first saw the movie Eurotrip. To be honest, Europe as a whole has been high on my travel list however Amsterdam sat on the very top. So before the trip, I planned three specific things that I would be doing. I would be going to the Anne Frank House and also embarking on the Heineken Experience. The last thing was a day trip to London to see a college friend that moved out there a couple of years prior. In the middle of everything was to do a bit of exploring and learning general knowledge about Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I tend to be a bit of a loner when I’m in a new place by myself, and without the assistance of various business owners, I pretty much would have been mute the entire trip. The trip to the Anne Frank House was the first major stop on my list. After getting a good understanding of the transit system (living in NYC paid off because it is an easy pickup once you understand the general map of the city) I traveled into the center of the city. I wanted to go to a coffeeshop just to see how the experience would be. Coming from a place that recently legalized marijuana and then all the very illegal smokeshops started popping up, it was refreshing to be in a place that accepts marijuana usage. I found a coffeeshop within walking distance of the Anne Frank House and spent a bit of time there. Reminded me of sitting in a hookah lounge and getting work done, just replacing the substance. The Anne Frank House was an enlightening experience, especially with my limited knowledge about the subject. It’s always nice to get further insight about something even if it isn’t a topic that you want to or are not ready to discuss. Went to another coffeeshop afterward, hung out with a friend I met out there, and went back to the hotel. At this part of the post, I want to be a warning for anyone who plans on visiting Amsterdam in the near future. Figure out your preferred mode of transportation and plan accordingly. Ubers/taxis can get pricey and buses stop running after a certain time. One night I was forced to walk 30 minutes back to my hotel. Fun yet not fun at the same time. The following day I had The Heineken Experience. This is a walk-through of one of the Heineken breweries to learn the history and process of Heineken beers. Whenever I’m able to return to Amsterdam and probably every time I visit Amsterdam I’m gonna take the tour just to relive the experience that I had. The ticket I got also covered a canal tour and I met some people from the States on that part of the experience as well. Wednesday was my trip to London, I took a 12-hour bus to London and a 2-hour flight to return to Amsterdam. Got a Full English breakfast for the first time and I don’t care what anyone says, it’s delicious, beans and all. We also went to a West Ham vs Olympiakos game where West Ham won (Go Irons⚒️!). The last couple of days in Amsterdam was just to relax for a bit and decompress from the week. I wanted to go check out the University of Amsterdam to discuss future enrollment in their PhD program but time got away from me. However, I know I will return in the next few years (hopefully more than once) so anything I didn’t get into I will make sure to check out the next time around.

Now the reason for this post is to express how important it is for you to take some time to do things for your mental wellness. Most people who know me know that I rarely take time off from work. I’d prefer to save my time until I know I need to be out or if I’ll be sick but every year I run into the same issue of having too many leftover vacation hours that would ultimately be discarded if not used by a certain time frame. This entire trip I had a smile on my face and in my heart because I was able to do something that I’ve been talking about for years. It got me fired up to continue doing things like this because it is a great feeling. So I urge you, if travel is something that helps with your mental wellness then travel. Whatever you do make sure your mental wellness is as important as every other “important” thing that you have to deal with.