The roaring hills of the highlands and the dimly-lit streets of Edinburgh in the cold of November remain. The stories I wrote and poems I read there on the train from London remain. While I sit in a new café in D.C., writing essays back in my college town, the memories I made there remain. 

I studied abroad in London last fall, exploring surrounding cities and countries whenever I had the chance to escape my classes. After visiting a few new places in Europe with friends, I decided to take a step outside of my comfort zone and plan a solo trip, exploring Scotland for a few days by myself. I booked my train, my hostel, and planned my itinerary through recommendations on TikTok, a truly Gen. Z way to travel. When the day came for me to ship out of England for the long weekend, I packed up a few outfits and a couple of books to keep me occupied. 

As an English major, I was taking a few writing classes and had a short story due at the end of the term. I had been so caught up in meeting new friends and exploring London that I had put my academics on the backburner for a bit. Finding time out of my schedule to sit down and write was extremely difficult. I hadn’t started writing at all, and I hardly had a set idea for what kind of story I wanted to tell. Knowing I would have a long weekend of alone time, I set my sights on using this trip as an opportunity to write, and it quickly became the best trip I could have asked for. 

I used the five-hour train ride as a time to disconnect from the fast pace of London and from the people I had met there. The collection of poems by Vanessa Kisuule I bought filled me with peace and gave me separation from my existence outside of that train. That was when I first realized the importance of solitude while trying to write; digging through your mind for the right words is nearly impossible when you’re surrounded by swarms of people on a daily basis. While I love being around the insanity of the world, writing proves to be difficult when that loudness creeps in. 

After reading and disconnecting from London, I planted my feet in Edinburgh, excited for my first night in this gorgeous city. The streets of Edinburgh are something out of a Bridgerton novel, stone buildings and castle-like architecture lining each alley, and with the first snowfall of the season, the city shimmered with class and joy. It was not difficult for inspiration to strike in this city.  I spent hours each day sitting in a new café or restaurant writing feverishly, chugging coffees and trying new foods I hadn’t heard of before. 

One day out of my weekend focused around taking a guided tour through the Scottish Highlands, and we ended with a short cruise on Loch Ness. The twelve hour trip introduced me to gorgeous landscapes and breathtaking bodies of water; the sheer amount of natural beauty I witnessed that day overwhelmed me, and because of it, my short story seemed to write itself. While the contents of the story had nothing to do with Scotland, the scenery, food, and solitude I experienced in this country helped to clear my mind enough to break through my writer’s block. I left Scotland on the next Sunday night with a full first draft of my project and the greatest sense of pride I’ve ever felt. Not only did I plan a solo-trip, experience a brand new country, and leave with my writing goal accomplished, but I did it alone. 

That long weekend in Scotland, reading by myself, exploring by myself, eating by myself, and forcing myself out of my comfort zone pushed me to write more than I had ever written before. The solitude and inspiration of Scotland allowed me to separate from the everyday routine I had become comfortable with, and that allowed my mind to run wild. 

I hope to study creative writing in the next couple of years in the United Kingdom, so I feel confident that my writing retreats will continue. While my schedule currently won’t allow me to drop everything to travel to a new country each weekend, I learned the importance of changing my scenery for my personal writer’s block. Until I am able to venture back to another country, I will continue to travel to new cafes around D.C. by myself. A three hour separation from my college campus will suffice for now.

October 2023