Turning my trip to my Erasmus exchange destination into the coolest adventure of my life was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My name is Jacob, a 23-year-old Applied Physics student from the Netherlands who decided to travel from Rotterdam to Porto by bicycle (1200km), bus and train (800km) in two weeks’ time.

By doing this, I enjoyed breathtaking views of the mountains of northern Spain, the ocean, wild animals, and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. When needing a place to stay in small villages, asking strangers if I could set up my tent in their garden resulted in the most amazing interactions with kind people, who allowed me to sleep in a bed inside of their warm houses. Travelling to Porto like this gave an extra dimension to my Erasmus exchange which I will never forget. Besides the beautiful things I have seen, what will especially live rent-free in my mind for the rest of my life, is the lovely people I met along the way, their kindness and hospitality. When one only reads the news, it is tempting to become pessimistic about people’s good intentions. This trip certainly has helped me reconnect with the “stranger” on the street, and surged my
interest of actually meeting locals, learning about their culture, only to find out that – despite our differences – people will just be people.