I am sometimes brave, but generally quite timid. With several thoughts of disasters (which have gotten worse over the years), it’s a wonder I continue to travel the world. If I hadn’t kept challenging myself, I probably would have ended up as a hermit on a desert island somewhere.
Read more: Afraid to travel – about catastrophic thoughts and worries
Some things feel worse than others. Driving for example! At home in Sweden I have to drive so bad and I can even enjoy long and many kilometers between laps. I have no problem with having to travel between Karlskrona and Nynäshamn again and again – by now I’m so used to it that it’s almost on autopilot. However, if there is someone else in the group who likes to drive, I will NOT fight over the steering wheel.Driving abroad sometimes felt like a project as big as climbing Kilimanjaro. Sometimes I may travel with people who hate driving even more than I do. Then there is no other option than to grab the wheel around the bends and drive. My proudest trophy is a week-long drive through Italy when Nelly was a baby. I drove along winding roads and through the busy streets of Pisa, with several stops for breastfeeding breaks. I was as proud as a rooster! On the other hand, it apparently took me almost ten years before I could even think about driving abroad again. Let’s take a look at the latest road trips.
I don’t dare to drive abroad (or?)
#1. Rental car on a road trip through Europe – Mercedes GLS (diesel)
A few years ago our family took a really cool road trip through Europe, in an equally cool rental car. Tobias turned 50 and wanted to go big – apparently also in terms of transport. I managed to stay off the wheel all the way to Germany and the Autobahn. Nothing to recommend for people who don’t like driving, but we all survived! On the way home through Denmark and Sweden I even enjoyed driving that road a bit.
Read more: Road trip in Europe 2024 (our family day by day trip)
#2. Car rental in Poland – Toyota Corolla Sedan (petrol)
Last fall I got a blogging assignment in Poland, where driving was a requirement to get the job done. Do you know I almost turned it down for that reason? It’s sick. I booked the car through HolidayAutos and took my sister as a co-driver in the passenger seat. She cheered and I felt satisfied, satisfied. By the way, the roads in the north of Poland were very beautiful!
Read more: Road trip in Norra Poland: travel guide to Ostroda – Działdowo – Nidzica – Olsztyn – Lidzbark Warminski
#3. Rental car in Sweden – Volvo EX30 (electric)
A few weeks after I came home from Poland, it was time for a new blog assignment. “That’s right, you probably need a rental car”my contact said as I passed. Normally I would have gotten a lump in my stomach, but after the week in Poland, the car thing felt like a drop in the ocean. It was the first time I drove around in a Volvo EX30 and the feeling certainly added to the taste!
So. Does this mean that the fear of driving in general and driving abroad in particular has been cured? Unfortunately not. During the snow chaos this winter, it took a few weeks before I dared to reverse the car out of the ice slope in the driveway of my house in Nynäshamn.
Now I want to know what you think about driving, both in Sweden and abroad. Do you recognize yourself – or do you think I’m crazy?
Feel free to follow me further Instagram under “Resfredag” for real-time updates! Cover image of one of the countless car journeys between Nynäshamn and Karlskrona. Author: Annika Myhre/Resfredag.se
#dont #drive #Travel #Friday