How Far Can Curiosity Take You Before It Becomes Logistically Concerning?
THE PROJECT:
The idea is simple.
Travel across Europe. Visit some of the most interesting hotels I can find. Look for the tiny details, creative ideas and service moments that make them impossible to forget. Then use all of that as inspiration to come up with ideas of my own.
The goal is not to become a hotel expert.
It is to train my creativity, take initiative, challenge myself, and learn how some of the world’s most customer-focused businesses turn tiny details into memorable experiences.
And at the end?
I want to turn everything I learn into a presentation of concrete ideas and present it to one of the biggest hotel chains in Europe.
Do I currently have that presentation booked? No.
Do they know this is my plan? Also no.
But if last summer taught me anything, it is that sometimes you just have to start the project first and figure out the minor details later.
Simple enough.
There is just one small problem.
I have no money for this.
If you have been following JunesJune for a while, you might remember how much I complained about spending €300 on stamps to send handwritten letters to CEOs last summer.
At the time, this felt financially devastating.
I would now like to formally apologize to the stamps.
Because I have a feeling this project is going to be slightly, WAY, more expensive. Apparently, my current plan is to travel around Europe visiting some of the coolest hotels I can find.
Amazing idea in theory.
Tiny logistical issue: Who exactly is paying for this?
At the moment, the financial strategy seems to be:
blind optimism
denial
hoping things somehow work out
In an ideal world, I would stay at every hotel properly and fly between cities. Which sounds lovely until you realize that 50 hotels, many of which cost more per night than I would like to emotionally process, becomes financially concerning VERY quickly. And that is before we even discuss flights.
So.
New plan.
I could drive.
Small issue: I do not have a driver’s license:( Yes. I am 20 years old and still cannot drive. Trust me, my parents make sure I remain aware of this information.
BUT.
The beautiful thing about not being able to drive is that it opens the door to a highly specialized position: Passenger Princess.
For those unfamiliar with this extremely demanding role: "A passenger princess sits in the passenger seat while someone else drives, contributing through navigation, music selection, snacks and emotional support."
Luckily for me, this aligns almost perfectly with my existing skill set. So now I just needed to find someone willing to drive across Europe with me for 10 days while I aggressively analyze hotel lobbies, photograph breakfast setups and get far too excited about tiny service details.
Shockingly, this was not an immediate yes from everyone I asked. I have never worked in sales, but I personally think the pitch was strong.
Then I called Maj.
My roommate from Turin.
Future roommate in London.
And, as it turns out, a person with a deeply concerning willingness to support my ideas.
“Hey, you wouldn’t want to come on the adventure of a lifetime?”
And without hesitation she goes: “Yeah sure, I’m super down.”
I genuinely thought she was joking.
Because I do have enough self-awareness to understand that spending your summer driving around Europe while your friend takes notes on hotel pillows and lighting concepts is not necessarily everyone’s dream vacation.
But she was serious.
Which means Maj is either:
not fully aware of what this trip involves
completely insane
or one of the most supportive friends I could ask for
Probably a combination of all three.
But mostly the last one.
And genuinely, I do not think I say this enough: Maj is one of those people who somehow makes chaotic ideas feel possible instead of ridiculous. She is incredibly supportive, ridiculously easy to be around, and has this rare ability to hear one of my increasingly questionable plans and respond with something other than: “June, absolutely not.”
Which honestly says a lot about her character.
So Maj, if you are reading this: Thank you. Seriously. I owe you BIG TIME :)
In return, I promise to provide:
elite music selection
unlimited Coke Zero
premium passenger princess energy
occasional navigation
and emotional support when we inevitably get stuck somewhere we absolutely should not have driven into
I thought the plan was already coming together suspiciously well. And then Maj casually says: “Oh yeah, my dad has a camper van we can use.”
Excuse me?
A CAMPER VAN?
Which means:
we can actually afford the trip
we do not need hotels every night
we have somewhere to sleep
and this project has somehow become significantly more chaotic
So now the plan is official.
10 days.
One camper van.
Two girls.
A slightly concerning number of hotels.
And absolutely no evidence that either of us has thought this through properly.
The mission is simply to make it across Europe without one of us abandoning the other somewhere in rural Germany.
Honestly though?
I have a feeling this might end up becoming the best part of the entire project. Because somewhere between the gas station dinners, terrible parking attempts, random roadside coffees, sleeping in a camper van and me obsessively documenting hotel signage systems…
I think this is probably going to become one of those trips we talk about for years. Or one of those stories where Maj never agrees to travel with me again. Hopefully the first one:)
Until next time,
JunesJune
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