WHAT IS UPPPP WORLD!!! Coming to you live from a café in Kotor, Montenegro after running 6.34 miles around the city and climbing a medieval fortress.

Seth, a cat, and me literally in the present moment - writing this newsletter from a hole-in-the-stonewall café in Kotor, Montenegro 🇲🇪

After road-tripping for 10 hours through Croatia yesterday, picking up hitch hikers, crossing borders, taking an unexpected ferry, and hitting the grand opening for a local nightclub (Club Maximus, the only tourists, sparkling waters hitting hard, let’s gooo!)

And just three days ago we were waking up at 3:50am in Serbia, catching a 7am flight to Slovenia, running a WET lap in the pouring rain around Lake Bled, and ripping an insanely beautiful hike through the lush nature of Triglav National Park.

Sometimes I have to laugh at how ridiculous this all sounds.

But you know what? Regardless of how lost I feel at times, or uncertain of the path, I feel fully ALIVE.

And have never regretted a single travel experience.

I believe life is meant to be lived.

So let’s do it.
Now.

While we can.

Bay of Kotor - Montenegro. Country #33. Not bad.

🚊 Balkans Roadtrip

What is going on?
You might be asking.

Well - let me tell you.

I’m on the verge of accomplishing a bucket list goal I set earlier this year:

Traveling to 34 countries by age 34.

When I set this goal, it seemed rather ambitious as I was only at 13 total countries.

But you know what they say about BHAGs… (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)

If it doesn’t scare you or seem improbable, why set it?

The last 1.5 years I’ve been slow traveling - living in places for 1-2 months at a time and really getting to learn, explore, and immerse myself in the local cultures (ie: Bali, Thailand).

But this year I was ready to let it rip.
Cruise around and see shit.
Be on the move.

And experience a different kind of travel.

Plus - the goal just sounded cool.

So I set it.

And if you’ve been following my goals tracker (located below in newsletter), you’ll know I got off to a hot start knocking off four Caribbean countries in January, then all of Central America in March and April before heading back to Bali for a Meditation Teacher Training.

But recently I started questioning if this goal was actually going to happen.

Maybe it was too ambitious.
Maybe I’ll do 35 by 35.
Maybe 25 is good enough.

Regardless, I decided to research the possibilities.

I looked into Iceland.
Greenland.
Nepal.
The Balkans.

I watched countless YouTube videos and read a plethora of articles.

But the more I researched, the more I questioned if I wanted to keep solo traveling.

I was starting to feel like I wanted to travel with someone and share these experiences.

“Forget it. I’m not going. I’m going to wait to do this with someone.”

And then BOOM.

One week later I’m talking with a buddy who tells me he is switching jobs and has three weeks off.

“Let’s go to the Balkans.”

And just like that - we were back in action!

Wasting no time, we booked flights last Tuesday, flew to Prague on Sunday, and in less than one week, we landed in Europe with one night booked and absolutely no plan.

Crazy how the universe conspires to work in our favor when we take the right actions with specific intentions.

Fast forward six days and we’ve knocked off seven countries, run/hiked over 40 miles, and pieced together a magical trip one flat white coffee at a time (s/o MO-NI-KAAA getting me absolutely addicted to these flat whites ☕️)

Prague, Czech Republic - 6 mile wander around the city to kick off the trip

Morning run around the city with my boy Seth! Prague was dope! Soooo beautiful, magical sunsets, gorgeous sunrise, Beef Goulash, and headed to the train station for Vienna!

🚂 Excerpt from Monday morning’s train: Prague to Vienna

Here’s an excerpt I wrote on the train from Prague to Vienna, unedited and raw content. I was feeling good!

October 6, 2026, 10am - Train to Vienna

“On a train in Eastern Europe and feeling ALIVE. Watching the rolling hills and fall colors glisten through the window as we make our way from Prague to Vienna.

Spent (invested?) the last 17 hours traveling from Seattle to Prague, took trains and buses to our hotel, put my bags down, and hit the streets.

Cruised around with my buddy Seth for six miles - just exploring.

No plan.
No agenda.

Just walking, exploring, being curious - wondering where the bridge leads, and “what’s over on that peninsula?”

“No clue - but let’s go find out!”

15 minutes later we have chai lattes in hand as we explore a local park, admiring the golden leaves and autumn colors as the sunset lit the city gold.

6pm chai lattes and golden sunsets for the boys in Prague!

It was magical.
Like a European novel.

Cobblestone streets and magnificent architecture.

And the best part, per usual, is none of it was planned.

Then we found some stairs, climbed up, noticed a dirt path through the woods, (obviously) had to follow that, which led to another path, and another.

Until we found ourselves standing at the base of Prague’s mini Eiffel Tower.

We should run, Seth mentioned.
Great idea.

Then off we went - running through the streets of Prague, overlooking the city lights as the sun began to set.

We spotted a cathedral - next checkpoint, naturally.

And made our way back into the city center for dinner, had some Beef Goulash (local staple), grabbed a Nutella croissant (of course), and headed back to our place to prep for the next day and get some sleep.

Woke up, ran 3.5 miles around the city, explored new areas, and off we went to catch the train.

The 277 train to Vienna.

17 hours of travel to Prague.
18 hours actually spent in Prague.
10 miles explored by foot.
3 croissants crushed.

And off we went.

Will I get to 34 countries by age 34?

As of this writing, I literally have one month to do so.

Just knocked off #26 and heading into #27 as we speak.

It’s possible, for sure.
I imagine I’ll get 30-32 no doubt.

And then who knows what happens…

Either way - it’s pretty comical how perfect the weather is.

🚆 Excerpt from Prague arrival

October 5, 2026

I stepped out the airport and wondered, “How do I get to my hotel?”

And just as I pulled up Uber on my phone, I noticed a train rolling through.

Oh yeah! I thought. Trains.

Then I pulled up Google Maps, planned my route, and identified my train.

Boom. There was the exact train I needed.

So I bought a ticket, ran over, hopped on, and off I went.

One backpack strapped to my chest, the other to my back.

Made it to Prague! Two bags, two feet, a curious mind, and open heart. Off we go!

Rolling through Prague.

For a $1.80 train ride instead of a $30 Uber.

WINNING.

Then I got off at the stop I thought was correct, followed the crowd into the subway station, and hopped on the one everyone else got on.

I had no idea if this was correct, but either way, I was headed somewhere.
It felt right.
And I trust myself to figure it out.

I LOVE THIS SHIT.

My heart was exploding - back out in the world, navigating foreign countries, making quick decisions, and adjusting on the fly.

It’s empowering to see what you’re capable of when you make your way through unknown territory.

When you’re forced to simply figure it out.

Feels so good to be out in the world… ALIVE!

Figuring things out one train, bus, and step at a time 🤙🏽

🌱 Closing

And here we are - finishing this newsletter from the passenger seat of our car rental, cruising coastline along the Bay of Kotor as we head to Dubrovnik.

En route to knocking off my 34th country and unexpectedly accomplishing this goal that’s been on my heart for a while now.

And the best part - doing it with a friend.

On his birthday.

Celebrating another journey for him around the sun.

And the talks we’ve had on this trip…

There’s something special about how travel can open your heart.
Providing a vulnerable and safe space to connect.
To go deeper.

We’ve both had our moments and have been there for each other.

All while seeing parts of the world that are absolutely mind-blowing and laughing our way around the globe.

Had an absolute DISASTER of an Airbnb experience, so we splurged on this 5-star hotel in Budapest, Hungary. Spas, saunas, all-you-can-eat buffets, and a much needed reset. YOLO

💭 Final Thoughts

As we close, here are a couple of final thoughts on travel.

Travel expands your comfort zones
So does traveling with a partner (s/o Sloo for being down to rip the rental car)
Traveling with a partner also expands your perspectives, ideas, and possibilities
Travel forces you to adapt, adjust, make quick decisions, and figure it out

With that, I’ll always encourage you to go out and see the world.

Whether that’s hopping on a flight to Europe.
Buying a one-way ticket to Bali.
Or simply exploring your own backyard.

I doubt you’ll regret it.

🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness Tip of the Week

Tip: Journaling

Action: Keep writing. Pen to paper.

Why it matters:

Remember experiences better
Understand those experiences better
Clear your head to free your thoughts
Writing goals down brings them into the universe, increasing your chances of actually achieving them
Writing down fears lessens the impact in your head and heart

I was inspired to mention this again (as I repeatedly do) because it was so cool re-reading my own travel excerpts.

The thoughts were so alive. So real. So memorable.

And I believe you can have this experience as well.