Well that was amazing. But why did I even go back?

I’m sitting in a restaurant at the Frankfurt Airport with an advertised view of “the airfield,” spending my last Euros on a pretzel and sparkling water. I have about four and a half hours until my flight to Minneapolis leaves, plenty of time to write a blog post, finish my book, make a to-do list, and start on my homework- at least, I hope!

A path in Hotnitsa village, Bulgaria

Several times before and during this recent trip people asked me why I came back to the Balkans to travel instead of going somewhere, and I modified my responses almost every time. However, after some bus rides/flights with not much else to occupy me, I came up with some definitive answers.

Along the bay in my first stop, Kotor, Montenegro

I needed something to look forward to, and the Balkans fit that category.

In late spring, I experienced a large amount of stress and anxiety due to graduate school, work, and my personal relationships. I had been looking at flights abroad for a few weeks, eyeing a relatively affordable flight to Zagreb, and daydreaming about what it would be like to go back to Eastern Europe for a couple of weeks this summer. Once I took the plunge and booked it, I immediately felt more like myself. I know it can’t always be this way, but while it can be, might as well.

Hiking in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria

The timing and price were right.

I have a slight worry that after I graduate I won’t have time to travel anymore due to the demands of whatever job I land and the lack of days off in the average benefit package in the U.S. This leads me to think I should take advantage of my free time while I have it. I was able to work with my internship to end the first week of August, and school doesn’t start until after Labor Day, so I managed to find three weeks to travel.

The former central baths in Sofia, Bulgaria

Furthermore, despite being on a fairly tight budget while in school, the countries I visited were very affordable, meaning I rarely spent more than $20 a night on accommodation, food and transportation were cheap, and I had friends to stay with. Including the price of the flight, I estimate that I spent no more than $2000 on this trip, most of it covered by my property tax refund and my income tax refund due to taking out student loans last year (yes, I know I could have started paying back my loans with this refund).

A view of Sutjeska National Park in Bosnia

In some ways, I wanted a do-over

The last time I was in several of the cities I visited on this trip, it was winter- rainy, chilly, foggy, not particularly conducive to being outside and enjoying the energy of a city. So I went back to Kotor, Mostar, and Sarajevo to enjoy them in the summertime, and it was definitely a great choice.

The "old bridge" in Mostar, Bosnia

Furthermore, the last time I was in these cities in late 2015, I was traveling with someone I had never met previously, and we didn’t get along very well. He was constantly pessimistic, and was borderline emotionally abusive, which I had never experienced before and wasn’t very good at recognizing it (friends, when someone tells you you’re eating too much bread and getting fat, please for the love of God just leave them).  I only realized after we said our goodbyes how profoundly unhappy I was traveling with him, but haven’t really unpacked it since then, as I just wanted to forget that aspect of my Balkan trip entirely.

Near Koper in Western Slovenia

When I needed a break from him, I would take long walks by myself, and ended up on some of the same routes on this trip. It’s interesting how physically going back to a place drums up old memories, but all I could think about was how much happier I was now versus that time almost three years ago. If anything, this trip was confirmation that I’m in a better place, and it was an awesome realization.

Lastly, I wanted to see my friends again

Through Couchsurfing and Workaway, I made some great connections in the Balkans and Central Europe. I recognized the importance of these relationships in my last trip as well, and had seen all of these people at least twice on my go-around in 2015 and 2016. After two years, it was nice to come back and learn about their lives and their hopes for the future. There’s nothing so heartwarming in travel as returning to a familiar place and familiar faces. I intentionally structured the first half of my trip around relaxing/exploring sunnier versions of cities I really enjoy, and the second half with friends who feel like family to me.

So, there it is folks, the true reasons I decided to go back to a region I love so much instead of trying something new. But I hope the next trip (wherever that may be) will lead me somewhere I’ve never been before!