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I take weeks to pack. My luggage is full from the start. I manage to whittle it down to 18 kilos before departure, but I feel as though I won’t have enough clothes. I will buy fun things. It is August 5, 2017. I land in Berlin eager to begin. I meet my roomie in our hotel room, and then we meet the rest of our group. We are touring through parts of Eastern Europe towards a grand finale unlike any other: Sziget Festival, the “Island of Freedom” music festival in Budapest, Hungary. In Berlin, our local guide leads us on two humbling and inspiring walking tours around the eclectic city. She explains the shame that shadows the nation and the street art that decorate the sides of buildings. A day and a half is nary a taste of what this historical city has to offer. The next day, after a quick lunch stop in the city of Dresden, we are off to Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is majestic. We cycle our way through its beauty while feeling every piece of rough city terrain on our bicycle seats. I dare to snap photos left, right, and centre while I balance and steer with one hand. I never regret taking so many photos. I always regret not taking enough. Exhaustion sets in as I struggle to stay awake at a classical music concert in Vienna, Austria. I’m embarrassed; I feel unwell and unable to appreciate the talent on stage. I call it a night while the rest of the group hangs out at the hotel bar. I’m reenergized as we spend the next day shopping for souvenirs and clothing and visiting the Old Vienna Schnapps Museum. In the evening, we wander the Wiener Prater amusement park and brave a drop tower taller than the one at Canada’s Wonderland. The view is great and the cursing is greater. I scream until there is no point to scream. When our hearts and stomachs are in place, we settle down for dinner. Then, it rains hard. We become a human terrarium safely enclosed in the restaurant’s glass-panelled patio. We run through the storm to leave the park. Our energy cannot afford to waver in Budapest. We attend our first day at Sziget. Happy 25th Birthday! Festival folks gather to eat, drink, dance and be wary of the portapotties. The day is young, hot, and sweaty. The night is cool and windy. The party starts at the main stage and continues inside a massive red tent where EDM plays loudly with lights flashing above fist-pumpers. Sziget continues for two more days for us. Mounds of plastic beer cups, discarded citrus fruits, and buckets collect on the ground. We wiggle our way through the crowd to the main stage for a better view of our favourite acts such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and The Chainsmokers. We thrive in a sea of music lovers from all over the world. A group of us stroll through the lantern-lit paths to the techno tent for the one and only Steve Aoki. His performance is incomparable. He pays tribute to Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and records the Sziget audience for a new music video. His fans are feisty, so we call it a night before he completes his set. Back at the hotel, we say our final goodbyes. Some friends are still at the festival, while others left us early to prepare for a morning flight home. We miss each other already. My luggage (22.6 kg) and I are approved for our flights home. When I arrive in Amsterdam for my connection, Schiphol is my loyal sitter for three hours. I am worn out, but KLM takes care of me, takes me home. A cold bug is waiting for the moment to hit me hard. Typical. Still, #noregrets.