One Life-Changing Trip Around the World That Led to Endless Adventures in 43+ countries

Originally published on March 8, 2026 | Last updated on April 15, 2026

A shy teenager’s life changed forever after one Interrail trip across Europe. Discover how one trip around the world sparked a lifetime of adventure.

There is always one trip around the world we never knew existed that sparks curiosity and ignites that appetite for more. For some, it is that solo weekend trip that turns a shy teen into a lifelong world adventurer. For you, the hunger to see more of the world probably started the day you celebrated your graduation with friends on a train journey across Europe. You also have that solo woman who remembers as if it were just today, that impulsive weekend that helped her build confidence.

Most globetrotters I’ve already spoken to have one or two inspiring stories about how travel changed the course of their lives.

The beautiful thing about all travel stories is how multiple life lessons we learned along the way converge in making us the humans we never thought we could be.

Whether you took a trip around the world to overcome grief, find your family roots, or visit your partner, we can all agree that traveling abroad is always worth taking the opportunity at least once in your lifetime.

How One Trip Across Europe Sparked a Lifetime of Travel

by Ryan Kyle, the adventurer behind Irish Travel Addict | 43 countries

My dad passed away when I was 13 years old. That heartbreak, coupled with the messy angst of teenage life, meant I became incredibly shy and awkward. A real home bird. My family was always there for me, and I had a great life, but I never really considered travel. I skipped family trips, again, awkward teen, in favour of staying at home.

An Interrail trip across Europe to find Zest For Life

When I was 18, my friends and I decided to take an Interrail trip across Europe. Two weeks of exploring and seeing new sights. We touched down in Barcelona and somehow navigated our way through France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

That trip unlocked something in me that I still struggle to explain. I found a zest for life I had been missing. I began to understand how small and insignificant we are as people, and how life keeps moving whether you choose to take part or not.

Another trip around the world that changed the course of my life

A few years later, to celebrate graduating from university, we headed off on a summer trip to Thailand and spent weeks traveling across the country. That trip genuinely changed the course of my life. I opened up to my friends, and we shared experiences I will never forget.

A year after returning, I met my current partner, who luckily shares the same love of travel. Since then, we have explored the world together, and it has become a running joke that we are rarely in the country.

That trip around the world could set you on a path of exploration.

I often look back at that sad teenager and wish I could tell him how good things would turn out. That his friends would invite him on a trip, and that trip would set him on a path of exploration, discovery, and curiosity.

I sometimes wonder how my life might have looked if I had never been invited on that first interrail adventure. Thankfully, I have incredible friends and family who made it happen.

As the years have passed and I have had to say goodbye to more loved ones, my determination to live life fully has only grown stronger. I believe everyone should do the same.

It does not have to be travel; it can be anything. Life is too short and too valuable not to treat every day as a gift. Travel has given me confidence, happiness, and grit.

You can follow Kyle on @irishtraveladdict on TikTok

Eurorailing around Europe for the Summer

By Khristee Rich, a writer from Ridgefield, CT, who has so far traveled to about 20 countries.

I have blossomed so much from traveling. Before I started solo travel, I was a quiet, reserved girl who lacked confidence. I have blossomed so much from traveling. I’ve become more confident, friendly, and adventurous.

All of my solo travel has impacted me. Of course, my first time traveling solo was scary and exciting. I was Eurorailing around Europe for the summer. I didn’t know what I was doing.  I made a lot of mistakes, but that’s how you learn. If you travel with someone and they make all the decisions, you rely on them, so you don’t grow as much when you’re traveling.

Staying safe when traveling around the world

As a single woman, you always have to look out for your safety, know where you are and where you’re going, keep your personal belongings safe, make friends or get help from strangers, but also know who to avoid and how to get out of sticky situations. You have to be resourceful and street smart.

That first big solo trip made me thirst for more. I became a new person. I felt expansive, free, and happy. I was confident, courageous, and no longer shy to talk to people. And each trip has continued to shape me.

Learning while on a trip around the world

Now, being a traveler is part of my identity. I love traveling the world, learning new languages and cultures, and trying new food.

I am happiest when I have time to travel without a time constraint. I love to roam and live like the locals. Sure, I still make mistakes when I travel, but I also have so much more fun.

I relax, I trust, and I live in the flow. I’ve made friends all over the world, and I treasure that. And now people back home see me as confident and joyful, and even brave. I love that.

That Trip around the World that gives Meaning to what travel means for families

By Jennifer Pham | Family Travel Blogger from Orange County, California | visited 11 countries

I didn’t grow up traveling the way many of my friends did. My single mom worked constantly, most days from 6 a.m. to 10 p..m., and after school I was usually with my grandma. We hardly took vacations.

I grew up pretty sheltered. In college, I signed up to study abroad in Vietnam, the homeland of my parents, a country I had heard stories about but didn’t truly know. In the U.S., I always felt very Vietnamese. I ate Vietnamese food at home, understood the language, and celebrated Tet.

But once I was in Vietnam, I had never felt so American in my thoughts, my language, even the way I dressed and walked. I lived in Hanoi for four months and traveled the country for another month.

The Five-Month Trip around the World that Changed me

Those five months changed me. They taught me about privilege. I met people who woke before sunrise, rode two hours into the city, sold one pot of soup all day, then rode two hours home to do it again. One Vietnamese student once asked me, “How come you can go anywhere, and I can’t?” I was stunned.

I had never truly thought about what it meant to hold an American passport. Travel also taught me humility. Many students I met were taught different political perspectives than I was. At first, I felt defensive. Over time, I realized I had my own biases too.

In the U.S., we called it the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, it was the American War. Same event. Different vantage points.

That experience made me less quick to judge and more willing to listen. Most of all, I learned how relatable people are.

Studying abroad changed my worldview

Even with language barriers, there is always a way to connect. While learning Vietnamese, I became friends with vendors, students, and teachers. Studying abroad changed my worldview.

It made me realize how big the world is and how little I knew.

I became more independent and more confident navigating unfamiliar places. Those changes stayed with me. I’m now married with two kids, and we travel as a family of four. I started Diapers to Destinations because I believe travel continues to shape who we are.

Parenting is hard anywhere, but toddlers and little kids live in a stage of wonder. Watching them experience new places brings a second joy.

Travel creates space for connection and growth, not just for them, but for me too.

My First Solo Trip around the world That Changed Everything

by Katie Rockey | Nashville, Tennessee | 10+ countries visited

I am a twin, and my sister is my best friend. For most of my life, we did everything together. Travel included. When we were not traveling together, I always flew to meet someone: a friend, a family member, or someone. The idea of arriving somewhere completely alone, with no one waiting and no one to call when I got lost, unsettled me.

Then in 2020, I went through a breakup. My ex’s birthday was coming up, and I knew one thing for certain: I could not be in Nashville that weekend. I found a cheap Delta flight to Savannah, Georgia, and booked it almost impulsively.

That one impulsive weekend trip rewired how I see myself

That was something I had never done before. I traveled completely alone to a city where no one waited for me on the other end. I leaned into everything I loved while visiting Savannah. I took a ghost tour, which is my favorite type of tour. I stayed at the Marshall House, ranked as one of Georgia’s most famously haunted hotels. I experienced things during that stay that I still cannot explain.

Was my imagination running wild because I already knew the hotel’s reputation? Honestly, I am not sure. I need to go back with a companion to find out. But that trip stopped being about escaping heartbreak the moment I arrived.

Taking trips around the world in unfamiliar cities, yet on your own terms

I navigated an unfamiliar city on my own terms. I made spontaneous decisions for myself alone. I ate at a restaurant table for one and felt full, not sad. I came home more energized than when I left. After that weekend, I started documenting my travels and sharing what I discovered about solo travel as a lifestyle.

It grew into a YouTube channel and a blog where I now help others, especially women, travel solo and carry-on only. The biggest change was how it impacted me internally.

I make decisions faster now. I feel comfortable in my own company. I book the flight before I talk myself out of it.  That one impulsive weekend trip rewired how I see myself and what I believe I can do alone.

Powered by