ONE thing changed my life forever. It wasn’t a mentor, business...

ONE thing changed my life forever.

It wasn’t a mentor, business idea, or partner. It was travel.

I traveled to 12 countries in Europe in 60 days after graduating university. This experience changed my life’s trajectory.

Why traveling is the best decision you can make:

When I got into Ivey Business School in Ontario, I was over the moon.

I’d got in by some combination of hard work and a miracle.

Throughout high school, I made it my mission to get into a top uni so I could run my own business and be a founder.

But I soon came to hate it.

There seemed to only be 4 core paths I could go down:
• Consulting
• Investment Banking
• Accounting
• Sales & Marketing

I wanted to be a founder, but I was being taught to be a follower. A slave.

When I graduated, I made it my goal to travel before I started working and getting sucked into the rat race. I wanted to live, not get lost.

So, I booked a Eurorail pass for 2 months with my 3 university roommates.

This one decision changed my whole life.

For 2 months, we traveled non-stop.

12 countries across Europe: England, France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Slovenia.

It opened my eyes to new cultures, people, and perspectives. A new way of life.

My belief is that travel is the best mentor.

And not just to basic 5* resorts - I’m talking backpacking around and staying in hostels, meeting new people every day.

Each country was a chapter of self-discovery. Every stamp in my passport was a new lesson in life.

Most days, I would wake up in a new city and almost forget where I even was.

We were treating it like a Disney theme park. Were we in Madrid, Barcelona? Oh right, we arrived in Berlin last night. What a life!

Every city has a different personality to it. We had the travel bug.

First stop, England.

We wandered through London’s cobbled streets - taking in the centuries of history.

Riding the London Eye at sunset with Big Ben just below, it felt like time was standing still.

Even the subway was like a trip through a living museum.

Then we were in France.

From Paris, the city of lights and love, down to the sunny beaches of the Riviera and then Monaco.

Croissants and café au lait, a picture of elegance. We even snuck into the Cannes Film Festival - seeing the stars up close was pretty damn awesome.

Spain next, fiesta central.

We explored from San Sebastian to Madrid and Barcelona, taking in the nightlife and partying until sunrise.

The hostel scene was also amazing throughout - meeting young and vibrant people from all over the world was super exciting and romantic.

Onto Italy, a feast for the senses.

Went to Rome and Venice, and then through Cinque Terre, some of the oldest port towns in the world.

Gelatos in hand, vespas everywhere, sun 24/7.

La vita è bella.

Then Croatia, one of the most underrated and beautiful places ever.

Just gorgeous; Dubrovnik, Split, Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Turquoise seas, waterfalls, cliffs - I was asking myself: “how were these places even real?”

In Austria, we took in the postcard villages and mountains.

The music in Vienna and the peace of the Alps was therapy for the soul.

And the beer was pretty incredible too.

Through to Germany, we toured Munich and Berlin, which became my favorite city in Europe.

Berlin’s culture was rebellious and youthful; graffiti, clubs, and energy everywhere.

Felt like a real middle finger to the establishment.