• 2021 Is Coming, Kayak+Work Danube Part 2 (The Sequel) is Canceled

    2021 Is Coming, Kayak+Work Danube Part 2 (The Sequel) is Canceled

  • Hitchhiking Anniversary: 4 Years a Hitchhiker!

    Hitchhiking Anniversary: 4 Years a Hitchhiker!

  • Kayak Trip Day 34: Haslau to Bratislava - Austria to Slovakia

    Kayak Trip Day 34: Haslau to Bratislava - Austria to Slovakia

  • Autumn Canals of Utrecht (The Netherlands)

    Autumn Canals of Utrecht (The Netherlands)

  • It hurts – 8th of August, 2026 (Breakup Recovery)

    It hurts – 8th of August, 2026 (Breakup Recovery)

  • Accommodation in Iceland: Reykjavík + Around the Ring Road

    Accommodation in Iceland: Reykjavík + Around the Ring Road

  • The Last Hostel Before Iran (Yerevan, Armenia)

    The Last Hostel Before Iran (Yerevan, Armenia)

  • Koh Lanta to Hat Yai via the Khao Kop Cave: A Seven-Star Hitch

    Koh Lanta to Hat Yai via the Khao Kop Cave: A Seven-Star Hitch

  • Ethiopian Food and Drink I Scarfed Down as a Vegetarian in 30 Days

    Ethiopian Food and Drink I Scarfed Down as a Vegetarian in 30 Days

  • Getting a SIM Card in Cabo Verde

    Getting a SIM Card in Cabo Verde

  • Nikšić, Montenegro: Urban Freecamping

    Nikšić, Montenegro: Urban Freecamping

  • 5 Essential Online Security Tips for Vagabonds

    5 Essential Online Security Tips for Vagabonds

  • Kayak Trip Day 42: Dunabogdány to Budapest - The Finish Line

    Kayak Trip Day 42: Dunabogdány to Budapest - The Finish Line

  • Ecuador

    Ecuador's National Font: Hobo

  • Belgrade to Sarajevo: A Whimsical Hitchhiking Day

    Belgrade to Sarajevo: A Whimsical Hitchhiking Day

  • Kayak Trip Day 76: Tutrakan to Silistra – Broken Kayak Sail + Heatstroke

    Kayak Trip Day 76: Tutrakan to Silistra – Broken Kayak Sail + Heatstroke

  • Apps in Ukraine: 10 Apps to Download Before Your Trip

    Apps in Ukraine: 10 Apps to Download Before Your Trip

  • Quilotoa Caldera Hike

    Quilotoa Caldera Hike

  • Things to do in or from Campo de Ourique, Lisbon

    Things to do in or from Campo de Ourique, Lisbon

  • No-Budget Travel: Why I Can

    No-Budget Travel: Why I Can't Be Arsed to Budget

‹›

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irisveldwijk
It hurts. (8 August 2026) But I'm doing my own th It hurts. (8 August 2026) But I'm doing my own thing without constant discussion and criticism. There are a lot of things I've learned since the 6th of September 2015. One of them is that a finding a good partner who treats you well doesn't mean a thing. They can absolutely turn around and actively decide to become a piece of shit. Someone who abandons all their principles and goes from being your dream human being to your biggest enemy. Everyone always says "Just find a good [insert gender]". I'd found one who was a much better partner than my other two long-term relationships. Perfect, in a sense. The alignment was insane. Finding a good partner is no guarantee they'll stay good. I don't believe you can fake this for a solid 8.5 years. I've tried to explain it away: midlife crisis, depression, brain injury. Or perhaps plain cruelty. They neglected and then refused to fix things while I kept working. I went from carrying 50% of the relationship to carrying 100% over the course of about 2.5 years. Mentally and physically, I've been set ablaze. Outwardly, I kept pretending everything was fine. I protected their reputation (something you might have noticed I'm done with). That adds to the loneliness. Talk to friends, my loves. Don't stay silent. Love yourself first and foremost. I'm an excellent navigator and even I got fucking lost on this road I chose in life. What a waste of my capacity for love. 📸 in Aguilar de Campoo (Spain) on some hill overlooking the village. I'd just spent the night following my feelings doing whatever I wanted and exploring things in a way I haven't in over a decade. I've gone to Hades and back and it's been a ride. #roughbreakup #abusiverelationship #midlifecrisis #digitalnomad #hitchhiker
The HALO Eclipse Moment of the 2026 total solar ec The HALO Eclipse Moment of the 2026 total solar eclipse in Northern Spain with @total.together . So grateful for the experience and can't wait to do it again #totalsolareclipse #eclipsetotal #solareclipsechasers
Today is my 35th birthday and I have to start all Today is my 35th birthday and I have to start all over again. I don't want to. I am terrified. In the last 11 years, the cool solo hitchhiker "girl" you might have started following back in 2015 has allowed circumstances to strip herself of everything that that made her her. I don't recognize myself. I don't really know who I am anymore. I would like to go back to being that person, but at my big age? Oof, that's rough. I used to post here every day and manage a travel blog many people loved. That has been neglected over the years as I was with someone who I thought was the love of my life. The self-abandonment started gradually. Towards the end, I was doing everything to fix things with someone who was drifting away from me while telling me they loved me and wanted to be with me forever. Grow old and such. I won't grow old with them and I'm uninterested in growing old at all. Growing old sucks. I've missed opportunities because they took care of me. Opportunities that will never come back. I haven't ever had this many regrets before and I'm overwhelmed by them. All I want is to rewind time. Either to the point we never met at all so I wouldn't feel this immense hurt and a gaping hole where my heart used to be. Or rewind to where things started to go wrong. That's the hard part I've been ruminating on for months already. I can't pinpoint it. I've read the literature about healing. I know what steps to take. Feed myself well. Go out every day for at least a walk, maybe some exercise. Get good sleep. Talk to friends. I'm at a fork in the road where the path to self-destruction would just be the easier way to go. I used to be able to do the difficult thing. It's not that I'm incapable of doing the difficult thing of healing; I'm just uninterested. That scares me more than anything. Anyway. I know where the gaping hole where my heart used to be is. It's an unbearable six timezones away. #solofemalehitchhiker #breakuprecovery #happybirthdaytome🎉
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irisveldwijk
It hurts. (8 August 2026) But I'm doing my own th It hurts. (8 August 2026) But I'm doing my own thing without constant discussion and criticism. There are a lot of things I've learned since the 6th of September 2015. One of them is that a finding a good partner who treats you well doesn't mean a thing. They can absolutely turn around and actively decide to become a piece of shit. Someone who abandons all their principles and goes from being your dream human being to your biggest enemy. Everyone always says "Just find a good [insert gender]". I'd found one who was a much better partner than my other two long-term relationships. Perfect, in a sense. The alignment was insane. Finding a good partner is no guarantee they'll stay good. I don't believe you can fake this for a solid 8.5 years. I've tried to explain it away: midlife crisis, depression, brain injury. Or perhaps plain cruelty. They neglected and then refused to fix things while I kept working. I went from carrying 50% of the relationship to carrying 100% over the course of about 2.5 years. Mentally and physically, I've been set ablaze. Outwardly, I kept pretending everything was fine. I protected their reputation (something you might have noticed I'm done with). That adds to the loneliness. Talk to friends, my loves. Don't stay silent. Love yourself first and foremost. I'm an excellent navigator and even I got fucking lost on this road I chose in life. What a waste of my capacity for love. 📸 in Aguilar de Campoo (Spain) on some hill overlooking the village. I'd just spent the night following my feelings doing whatever I wanted and exploring things in a way I haven't in over a decade. I've gone to Hades and back and it's been a ride. #roughbreakup #abusiverelationship #midlifecrisis #digitalnomad #hitchhiker
The HALO Eclipse Moment of the 2026 total solar ec The HALO Eclipse Moment of the 2026 total solar eclipse in Northern Spain with @total.together . So grateful for the experience and can't wait to do it again #totalsolareclipse #eclipsetotal #solareclipsechasers
Today is my 35th birthday and I have to start all Today is my 35th birthday and I have to start all over again. I don't want to. I am terrified. In the last 11 years, the cool solo hitchhiker "girl" you might have started following back in 2015 has allowed circumstances to strip herself of everything that that made her her. I don't recognize myself. I don't really know who I am anymore. I would like to go back to being that person, but at my big age? Oof, that's rough. I used to post here every day and manage a travel blog many people loved. That has been neglected over the years as I was with someone who I thought was the love of my life. The self-abandonment started gradually. Towards the end, I was doing everything to fix things with someone who was drifting away from me while telling me they loved me and wanted to be with me forever. Grow old and such. I won't grow old with them and I'm uninterested in growing old at all. Growing old sucks. I've missed opportunities because they took care of me. Opportunities that will never come back. I haven't ever had this many regrets before and I'm overwhelmed by them. All I want is to rewind time. Either to the point we never met at all so I wouldn't feel this immense hurt and a gaping hole where my heart used to be. Or rewind to where things started to go wrong. That's the hard part I've been ruminating on for months already. I can't pinpoint it. I've read the literature about healing. I know what steps to take. Feed myself well. Go out every day for at least a walk, maybe some exercise. Get good sleep. Talk to friends. I'm at a fork in the road where the path to self-destruction would just be the easier way to go. I used to be able to do the difficult thing. It's not that I'm incapable of doing the difficult thing of healing; I'm just uninterested. That scares me more than anything. Anyway. I know where the gaping hole where my heart used to be is. It's an unbearable six timezones away. #solofemalehitchhiker #breakuprecovery #happybirthdaytome🎉
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