Welcome to the final update from Train Week.
As I’m writing this it’s Friday night in Brindisi, Italy. I’ve just taken my last train, and before I move on to new adventures, I wanted to capture the rest of this journey — the fun moments, the hard moments, and the deeper things I’ve realized along the way.
But first, let’s take a look at the route.
The Full Route:
My overnight stops looked like this ⤵️
Menton → Faenza → Brisighella → Arrezo → Spoleto → Brindisi
And if we want to do train week by numbers here’s what we’ve got
5 cities
1,432 kilometers
3 buses
7 trains
Plus for the visually inclined- I’ve got a map for you.
Optimizing for small towns
When I planned this trip, I optimized for small towns. I want to go to Rome and Florence one day, but not in the summer crowds and heat of August. I want to experience the more “touristy” places in the off-season.
What I love about my life is that I’ve created the ability to do exactly that. I don’t want to go where everyone is. It’s not that I dislike people — I just don’t thrive in huge crowds.
By choosing small towns and traveling solo, I opened myself up to these magical, connections — moments I wouldn’t have had if I was with a group or in a big over touristed city.
The magic encounters of solo travel
Because I was traveling alone AND going to these small towns, I opened myself up for some really memorable moments with locals.
I go into more details in the video/podcast, but the short versions of the stories are:
In my first stop, Brisighella, there was a partially blind chef who accidentally sat down at my table without realizing I was there — mortified once his friend told him I was there. We all ended up laughing.
There was the Italian woman at the bus station who gave me all her passwords and told me how brave I was (seriously, more detail in the video).
There was a great looking Dad in Spoleto who offered me a whole piece of focaccia at dinner, and his daughter who tried to wingman for him by announcing, “My dad’s single.”
And then there was the random man on the street who called me a taxi because the tourist office was closed.
Listening to my body in the rough moments
Not every day was light and breezy. In Arezzo, I dragged my large suitcase in hottest part of the day over cobblestone streets- then had to carry that suitcase up six flights of stairs.
By the time I got inside, sweating and exhausted, I felt my body asking me: can we just here and not leave the apartment for the rest of the day?
Previously I may have tried to “push through”, or stay inside and beat myself up about it. Thinking, I’m only here for a short time, I should explore.
But now, I know how to listen to my body without feeling guilty. So I got on Glovo (food delivery app) and ordered some pasta and sparkling water from the supermarket.
I cooked myself dinner inside the apartment. Drank sparkling water and espresso. And didn’t leave the apartment until the next morning.
It was exactly what I needed.
The healing power of solo travel…
Towards the end of train week, I started reflecting on just how meaningful and transformative solo travel has been for me.
And I remembered… that I wrote about this before. In 2023 I was taking some bus journey and wrote out this whole note about how solo travel has healed me.
I can’t think of a better way to wrap up train week than to share this with you.
And ode to solo travel:
Solo travel has taught me to love myself.
That may sound lame or cheesy.
Why didn’t I already love myself before solo traveling the world?
I’m not quite sure.
But here is my theory.
Medicine taught me to hate myself. Or more accurately- medicine taught me to hate my humanity.
I would curse myself for not being able to stay alert and energized for a 24 hr shift.
I would get frustrated with myself for not being fast enough in putting in orders and writing notes.
Why couldn’t I get everything done? Why couldn’t I work harder? Why couldn’t I learn faster? Why did I have to make mistakes?
In medicine, I was constantly at war with myself.
Now I have come to a place of peace.
While solo traveling the world- I’ve learned how to befriend, trust, take care of and fully love myself.
I’ve made lots of friends on my journey- but there are plenty of times where I am fully alone.
I’m the only one who has been there with me through it all.
Just me on a 14 hr plane ride or an 18 hour bus ride, or lying in a hospital bed, or crossing the border to a new country.
And in these moments I’ve developed a deep sense of love for this being that I am.
I’ve developed a compassionate acceptance for this person that I carry with me everywhere I go.
I know I always have my back.
I can figure out any challenge life throws at me.
It’s as simple as this: solo travel has taught me to fully and completely love and accept myself.
And that to me, is the healing power of solo travel.
After losing myself in medicine, solo travel helped me come back home to myself.
It helped me realize I am already whole and complete.
It helped me remember who I really am and peel back all the layers of conditioning that told me I wasn’t already whole.
What’s Next
As you may already know, there are big changes coming. The Life After Medicine era is closing, and the Spiritually Ambitious era is beginning.
I know this means some of you will fall away, but if you are still here— if you’re coming with me into this next chapter — I’d love to here from you!
Are you joining us for The Spiritually Ambitious Era? Drop a comment below. Send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.
