Why Independent Travel Often Feels Good — But Not Quite Unforgettable

A familiar feeling many independent travellers know

Most independent trips don't fail.

They usually work quite well.

The places are interesting.

The photos turn out nicely.

You come back home relaxed.

And yet, when you're honest with yourself, something feels slightly off.

Not disappointment.

Not regret.

Just a quiet sense that the trip could have been… more.

More fluid.

More balanced.

More memorable.

This is surprisingly common — especially among travellers who plan carefully, do their research, and want to avoid mass tourism.

Why does something still feel missing?

How is that possible? Why do we sometimes feel that something quietly slips through our fingers while travelling?

And what if it's not just about choosing the wrong hotel or route?

It seems that it isn't.

Maybe it's time to admit that travel is, in its own way, a form of art.

What travel can learn from art

Why is The Night Watch by Rembrandt considered so extraordinary?

A group of armed men in a Dutch city in the 17th century.

Yes — and a small girl somewhere in the background.

Described like this, it doesn't sound exceptional at all.

Hundreds of similar paintings were created.

And yet, this one is different.

Perhaps the difference is not what is depicted, but how everything works together as a whole.

Let's imagine for a moment that Rembrandt were still alive.

That we visited him in his studio on Amsterdam's Jodenbreestraat and asked for advice.

Maybe he would tell us that it's not about making the colours as bright as possible — but about choosing the right shade.

And maybe travel works the same way.

Not so much which places we see, but how, when, in what situation and with whom we experience them.

What do we really expect from a holiday?

If we're completely honest with ourselves — what do we truly want from our vacation?

To be genuinely happy?

Or to impress colleagues and social media?

To remember the trip as something deeply pleasant and meaningful…

Or simply to meet general expectations of what a "good holiday" should look like?

Easy to say — harder to answer.

Beautiful images can be misleading.

And other people's opinions are always subjective.

One person experiences a punk concert as pure bliss, while another leaves feeling slightly overwhelmed.

Likewise, a lover of folk music may never understand how someone else can find it unbearably boring.

There is no universal formula

And here we return to art.

Perhaps you're beginning to sense that in travel, too, there is no clear template.

No universal formula for planning the perfect trip.

We are fascinated by stories of famous explorers — full of danger, adventure, and above all, discovery.

But what if discovery itself is the key?

And maybe it doesn't matter whether we are discovering new continents…

or simply familiar places from a different angle,

at an unusual moment,

under unexpected circumstances.