The breadth of how much planning is required to not have a happenstance journey into Europe, should we figure out the digital nomad thing, becomes extraordinary. Knowing that I’m already set on 13 base destinations over the course of a year, we have to maximize this opportunity to make the best of our circumstances while still allowing a healthy amount of serendipity to enter our adventure. I suppose what I really need is the knowledge of what our options are before arriving in any given city and having a familiarity akin to already living in each place for some period of time. As I peel the layers back, I find it daunting, and this is just as I’m checking our options in Vienna, a city we’ve already visited.

Biking, hiking, walking, trams, trains, subways, and occasionally boats will act as our modes of transportation. Open-air markets, museums, dining experiences, bakeries, churches, coffee shops, cooking classes, and events will all have to be mapped. Some of this planning will happen more than a year out, while some of it will have to occur in situ as there’s only so much one can glean on the horizon when looking from so far away. The point will be to arrive with a routine ready to be established where we don’t have to wonder daily what we might be doing.

I can already hear the voices of my past who lament that I’m killing spontaneity, but I have to insist that we enrich our experience by shoving two or three times more activity into a precious travel day. While it’s been said here before, we rise with the sun and venture into our world in the quiet of the day as the places we visit are stirring back to life. The rare nature of being able to carve time out of one’s routine to explore faraway destinations should never be taken for granted. We do not invest the time and money to gather popularity or bragging rights that we’ve collected another trophy; we intensely desire our visit to enrich our knowledge and pique our curiosity about the history and cultural amenities that may be unique to a particular destination.

As I write this, I realize how old-fashioned I must sound to those who pass through a location with no other need than sharing a fanciful photo that exemplifies the photogenic qualities of the influencer who’s popularising a particular corner or view. So, are we immune to chasing down the hot and trendy places? Heck no, we’ll gladly pounce on visiting Hotel Sacher in Vienna for a second slice of that famous 189-year-old recipe used for making Sacher Torte. And Horseshoe Bend up near Lake Powell in Arizona? Well, millions now grab selfies from the overlook; look closely at some of their photos, and one day, you spot us, waving from down on the river to those above who are spending 30 seconds up there.

Bitterness is the next realization I recognize, squeaking out my words, but am I bitter? I think I would have to admit that I am. Silly huh? What kind of unrealistic expectations do I have for people to travel with noble ideas of enriching their own lives instead of putting their egos on display? Didn’t I once want my own ego to shine through? Actually, no. There was no platform in the 1970s through the late 1990s that would allow the average person to put their vacuous experiences and fashion choices on display to build a cult of personality around. Well, there was, but not everyone got to be a rock star or famous actor.

I suppose that, to an extent, what I’m complaining about is a nascent change in an economy where social media allows participants to create new avenues of value while I remain on the sideline without the mindset that would allow me to benefit financially from my own exploits.

Well, this went off the rails of the original intent of writing about what we’d be doing once we landed in Europe to live there instead of just visiting. Such is the nature of the old man’s mind grabbing at straws to make sense of the world where NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are driving the price of crypto-art to levels that are making millions for their creators. Maybe I should just focus on the travel planning?