When You Look Sideways, the World Opens

You don’t need to plant a flag on Mt. Everest or the moon to be a true adventurer. You can go to some of the most touristed spots on Earth like we did  — ciao, Venezia; madainn mhath, Edinburgh —  and still discover something curious and uncommon. 

The world is wild if you just look sideways for a minute. Adventure hides in the alley behind your hotel, in the way a city solves its “no trucks allowed” problem, in the healing doors that open onto water, in the hands of the people who still make magic one brushstroke at a time. You can stumble onto a chair in Edinburgh overflowing with succulents, sitting there like it sprouted overnight just to show off. Or you can find a weather report in Glenelg that relies on a single rock to forecast everything from sunshine to tornadoes — and somehow it feels more trustworthy than your phone.

Exploration doesn’t wait for a mountain. Adventure isn’t a moonshot. It shows up the moment you decide to look a little closer. The real thrill is noticing the tiny, odd thing that sends you wandering in a new direction. Tilt your head, open your eyes and the most well-traveled corner can become a brand-new continent, just waiting to entice you.