When you travel the way I did, on a motorcycle and sleeping in a tent as often as possible, you start living at the most basic level of life. Where am I sleeping tonight. What am I going to eat. Do I have enough water. When will I wash my clothes. Simple questions, yet they shape your entire day. Not calendars, not notifications, not the constant noise we have normalized at home.

Modern life is built to remove friction. One tap and food arrives at your door. One button and your laundry disappears from your awareness. Convenience everywhere. Comfort everywhere. And without noticing, we lose touch with the value of simple actions.

On the road, that comfort fades. Cooking becomes a conscious act. You feel the ingredients, the heat, the time it takes. Washing clothes by hand is no longer a chore you outsource to a machine, but a moment of presence. Water matters. Time matters. Effort matters.

I noticed how these basic rituals brought me back to my core. There was clarity in repetition. Calm in simplicity. A quiet satisfaction in taking care of the fundamentals yourself. No rush. No shortcuts. Just doing what needs to be done.

That is the magic of basic living while traveling. It reminds you that happiness does not come from speed or abundance, but from awareness. From being involved in your own life again.

When everything is reduced to the essentials, you start to feel grounded. Alive. Connected. And you realize that the simple things were never small at all.

This experience was something I truly needed. It did not happen instantly. It took time, about three to four weeks, before I fully dropped into that rhythm. But once I did, it was gold. A real return to the foundation of who you are.

But the truth is, everything happens exactly when it is meant to. No sooner, no later.

I deeply value that I allowed myself the time to go through that process instead of rushing it. Even today, I still feel the calm it brought into my life. A lasting sense of inner quiet that stayed with me long after the journey continued.

Looking back, I could say I should have done this much earlier. But the truth is, everything happens exactly when it is meant to. No sooner, no later.

Disconnecting from the world, work, noise, and expectations and returning to the core is something I would recommend to anyone. Step away from it all. Strip life back to the basics. It will do real wonders.

HPPY TRVLS

While organising my photos, I came across fun memories from the past. There were also sad ones, pictures of people no longer in my life and family members who have passed. The photos from my 2024 Motorcycle Euro Trip truly make me happy. That trip was the best thing I could have done for myself, and I cannot wait to hit the road again… to be continued.

Now I have more peace in my life, which gives me space to focus and enjoy the things that truly matter.

Going through the photo’s of my trip reminded me of all the places where I worked on content for my vlogs and blogs. It gives me a deep sense of fulfilment. It is exactly what I was looking for, freedom. With every mile, I felt like shedding my old self like a snake. All the pain, frustration, and limiting beliefs fell off my shoulders. Now I have more peace in my life, which gives me space to focus and enjoy the things that truly matter.

These photos represent that feeling every time I look back. I often revisit my vlogs just to enjoy the memories. I highly recommend making videos, taking photos, and writing blogs or journaling. The future you will be thankful. Today it’s Friday, the perfect moment to write a blog and share some of the weirdest, most memorable places where I worked during my 90-day Motorcycle Euro Trip.

Now I am curious, are you also a nerd like me who archives everything on a self-made dedicated server? How do you do it? How do you archive your photos and videos?

HPPY TRVLS

A Mix of Backgrounds, But No Sense of Belonging

My heritage is diverse: my mother is Venezuelan, my father is Surinamese, and I was born on the island of Curaçao. At the age of ten, I moved to the Netherlands. For many, this would create a rich cultural identity, but for me, it never felt like a foundation. Instead of feeling at home anywhere, I always felt like an outsider, not because I was excluded, but because I never intrinsically belonged.

For a long time, I questioned why. Why didn’t I feel the same emotional attachment to culture as others? Why didn’t I have the deep-rooted need to hold onto traditions or collective identities.

After much self-reflection, I realized that my identity is not defined by culture but by something much deeper, who I am on the inside. To me, culture is just a variable; it can have an influence, but it does not define me. While others find security in traditions, dogmas and group identities, I seek my own truth. I gather knowledge and experiences from different sources and shape my own ideology.

This has always made me different. In a world where most people need a collective identity, encountering someone who thinks completely autonomously can be unsettling. And that comes with challenges.

Because I don’t conform to group thinking, I’ve often noticed that people feel uncomfortable with my way of thinking, expressing and living. Society is built on communities, on the idea that you belong somewhere, think certain way and share the same imposed beliefs. But what if you don’t? What if you choose to carve your own path?

Over the years, I’ve seen that people I met both in friendships and romantic relationships, eventually gravitated back to the safety of culture, the system, and dogmas. And every time, a disconnect formed because I simply didn’t feel the same need. This led to many relationships, both platonic and romantic, falling apart.

In the past, this made me sad. The feeling of rejection and misunderstanding was painful. But as I grew older, traveled more, and gained wisdom, I became stronger. I learned that my path is one I must walk alone. Not necessarily because I want to, but because it’s simply the reality of who I am.

Cosmopolitan: The Only Label That Fits

If I had to place myself in a box, I would call myself a cosmopolitan, a world citizen. Not because I have no origins, but because I refuse to be defined by them. I don’t feel at home in one culture but rather in the world as a whole.

Perhaps there are people out there who truly resonate with my way of thinking, who view the world as freely and independently as I do. But so far, I haven’t met them. And that’s okay. For now, this is my solitary journey not loneliness, but a conscious choice to stay true to myself. Because in the end, that’s what matters most to me.

Have you ever felt like you don’t fully belong to any one culture? How do you define your identity?

HPPY TRVLS

I hope you’re having an amazing weekend. It’s been 5 months since I got back from my motorcycle trip through Europe and about 3 months since my last vlog/blog post. Time to catch you up!

Things are moving along here, and I’ve been busy working on recordings that I’ll share with you next year.
It’s a podcast, don’t tell anyone, okay So, keep an eye on the site or my Facebook page or subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already!

For now, I thought it’d be fun to share two older short travel videos with you.

The first one is from Barcelona in 2015—my very first visit to this amazing city.

The second video is also from 2015, and it’s about my first time in Venice—another incredible city.

I’d say, sit back, enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Did these videos inspire you to visit one of these cities yourself?

HPPY TRVLS

#spain #barcelona #valencia #motorcycletravelvlog #solotraveler #europe #motorcycle #vlog #papiamentu #yudikorsou #antiano

#spain #granada #almeria # cartagena #motorcycletravelvlog #solotraveler #europe #motorcycle #vlog #papiamentu #yudikorsou #antiano