Constant travelling place to place is a continual cycle of anxiety, triumph and departure. You venture into unknown territory, not uncommonly getting lost, and establish yourself in a strange place. After orienting yourself, things become familiar and you’re comfortable enough to enjoy the novelty and newness of everything. You even become a minor authority and pass on recommendations to fellow travellers. Then you move on—sometimes it’s bittersweet when you leave a favourite place—and the anxiety begins anew. It’s a slow-burn adrenaline rush.
I’ve stuck largely to my planned itinerary on this trip, adjusting it only slightly to stay a day longer in Mertola or Tomar, or dropping a destination like Elvas or Viseu because I try to do too much. I think Croatia and Montenegro will be even more fluid, as it was planned with the least rigour and because my itinerary has now gained two days. I had planned to raft Montenegro's Tara Canyon, but I have just learned that the rafting season is now over. October is late, but some years the water is still strong enough for rapids. It must have petered out.
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