7 Soulful Lessons I Learned While Interrailing from Switzerland to Norway (And What They Have to Do with Social Media)

Soulful Lessons on the Tracks

Back in February 2025, I attended a Vision Board workshop hosted by my friend Judith Fuhrmann. I’d already set my goals for the year, but something about this workshop called to me. In just 90 minutes, we explored our intentions and created digital vision boards. Mine became my screensaver (a brilliant idea, by the way, highly recommend). I see it every day, and it’s been quietly guiding me ever since.

One insight hit me straight in the heart: a longing to visit my three children. Since my divorce, we’ve all ended up living in different countries. I knew that if I wanted to see them all this year, it was going to be a proper adventure.

I asked my partner if he’d like to join me, and he said yes (to two of the visits). But there was a twist: he didn’t want to go to any airports.

So, we began looking into travelling by train and stumbled across the Interrail Global Pass. It offers ten days of train travel within two months. Perfect. We decided to take the trip in two parts, and this blog is about Part 1 - a journey from our home in Switzerland to Oslo, Norway, travelling through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and into the fjords.

Now, this isn’t a travel blog. I won’t be sharing packing tips or the best window seat views (though there were plenty). This is about something else.

This is a blog about the soulful lessons I learned on the tracks, and - surprisingly - how much they reminded me of how we show up on social media.

“As I zipped between alpine peaks and Nordic coastlines, I realised something strange: social media kept whispering to me. Metaphorically, of course.”

1. You don’t have to rush to be going somewhere

One of the first things I noticed about train travel is the pace. It’s not frantic like flying, where everything is about speed and getting there as fast as possible. Trains give you time. They roll through landscapes, stop in quiet towns, and let the journey be part of the experience.

We had one of those unexpected stops just outside Hamburg, Germany. We hadn’t been travelling long when the train came to a halt. Over the tannoy, we were told the train ahead had broken down and we’d be picking up its passengers. But first, we all had to get off the train and wait on the platform. We could leave our luggage onboard, which felt oddly liberating.

It was a bright sunny day, warm but not too hot. People stepped out, a little puzzled, but calm. And then something beautiful happened. A musician, standing further up the platform, began to play his violin. Slow, lilting music that floated through the still air. The kind of moment you can’t plan for, but never forget.

Eventually, our train returned, now joined to the broken-down one, and we continued our journey. But that pause, that sun-drenched platform, that music... it stayed with me.

It reminded me of how we move through the online world too. How easy it is to push, to rush, to feel behind. But sometimes the most powerful thing we can do, in business or on social media, is stop. Pause. Let the moment unfold. Because you’re still going somewhere, even when you’re standing still.

2. Pack light, you’ll enjoy the journey more

This was our first time Interrailing, and we really tried to pack light. We took two small wheeled suitcases, a backpack for me, and a holdall for my partner. I think we did pretty well… but now, standing on the edge of Part 2 of our journey, I know we can do even better.

My partner even plans to leave behind a medical device he brought “just in case.” It was something he carried the whole way and never once needed. We’re not exactly spring chickens, so lifting those suitcases up onto the overhead racks each day was like an accidental gym membership. I came home with actual bruises on my arms and legs. A good reminder that just because you can carry something, doesn’t mean you should.

The same applies to our online lives.

So many of us are dragging around digital baggage. Old content strategies that no longer fit. Platforms we’re no longer inspired by. Expectations we’ve outgrown. Whether it’s the pressure to post daily, show up everywhere, or follow advice that doesn’t align with our values, it adds up.

And it’s not just your content. It’s your energy too.

Just like travel, social media feels lighter and more joyful when we let go of what we don’t need. When we do, we make space for creativity, connection and clarity. And fewer bruises, too.

3. Trust the Unknown

Once we reached Copenhagen, we had just ten minutes to find something to eat and drink before the next train departed. Somehow, we made it. It felt like the train was waiting for us, and we settled into our seats to enjoy the stunning journey along the Danish coastline and across into Sweden.

Then, suddenly, the train stopped.

We were told to get off. No reason. Just a message saying a replacement bus would take us... somewhere. We didn’t speak Swedish or Danish, so we had to rely on the kindness of others to piece together what was happening.

Then, right before our eyes, the train turned around and disappeared back to Copenhagen.

We were stranded. In the middle of nowhere. No timetable. No certainty. No plan.

Strangers helped. One person carried our suitcase across the tracks. Others explained what little they knew. And when the buses finally started arriving, it felt more like survival of the fittest. The younger and more able-bodied travellers quickly jumped on the first buses without hesitation. Those of us who were slower, older, or just quietly waiting were left behind. Eventually, the final buses seemed to take the rest of us - the elderly, families, and people like us - to the next station. It wasn’t orderly or clear. It just… happened.

I had already picked out a bench I was willing to sleep on if needed.

In the end, just before midnight, we were checked into a hotel in Gothenburg. Exhausted, but safe. And by morning, we were back on the rails again.

Not everything needs to make sense straight away - online or in life.

It would have been easy to try to power through on the way back. To stick to the original plan. But something in me said no. My intuition was clear. Don’t repeat that journey. So we booked a ferry from Oslo back to Copenhagen instead.

It was peaceful. Scenic. Spacious. A completely different experience.

And it reminded me of this: sometimes plans fall apart to make space for something better. Often, it’s your intuition that knows the way before your mind catches up.

The same applies to how we create content or run a business. You can map it all out. Platforms. Post schedules. Launch plans. But sometimes your soul says not this way. Learning to trust that inner nudge, especially when everything feels uncertain, is what keeps your work alive.

4. Rest stops are sacred

When we finally reached our destination, Oslo, and wrapped our arms around my youngest son and his new bride, something shifted. We exhaled. We stopped moving. We could just be.

For the first day or two, we did absolutely nothing. No sightseeing. No rushing around. We stayed in, caught up, played a new board game called Splendor, shared delicious meals, and rested our travel-worn bodies.

It was in that stillness that I could feel my body returning to itself. I’d been experiencing dizzy spells, likely from the motion of so many trains and constant changes in environment. But it wasn’t until I allowed myself to fully rest that the vertigo finally lifted. My nervous system calmed. I felt centred again.

Rest doesn’t delay your journey. It restores your magic.

That moment of simply being was just as meaningful as the movement that got us there.

And it taught me something I often forget. Rest is not a luxury. It’s essential.

Especially when it comes to social media. We’re taught to keep going. To post. Engage. Create. Respond. But just like on a long journey, if we don’t stop, we lose our grounding. The content starts to feel forced. The energy becomes scattered. The joy slips away.

On the way home, we intentionally booked extra hotel nights. Not for sightseeing. But for recovery. For space. For breathing room.

And perhaps that’s something we can all give ourselves permission to do. In our work. In our presence online. In life.

Because rest doesn’t stop the journey. It sustains it.

5. Connection comes in unexpected moments

When you’re travelling, you expect to encounter landscapes, not necessarily people. But looking back, it’s the quiet connections that stayed with me most.

There was the woman who saw me struggling to carry my case up a steep flight of stairs. Without a word, she gently took it from me, carried it up and waited patiently at the top to hand it back. A small gesture, but one I’ll never forget.

There was the hotel receptionist in Gothenburg, who checked us in just before midnight after a long and disorienting day. We were tired and a little overwhelmed. My partner, who has no voice, went to the bar with a scribbled note and a few coins. A few minutes later, he returned with two free bottles of water and a smile from the receptionist, who treated us like we had arrived exactly when we were meant to.

And there were the shopkeepers - kind, patient and understanding - when my credit card chose the exact wrong moment to stop working. They didn’t rush us. They didn’t judge. They just helped.

None of these people will ever know the impact they had. But I’ll remember them.

These quiet kindnesses reminded me that even online, someone is always listening, even if they don’t hit ‘like.’

It reminded me how easy it is to overlook the power of small things, especially online. We often worry about reach, numbers, visibility. But sometimes, your quietest post, your softest share, your most unfiltered moment is exactly what someone else needs.

Connection doesn’t have to be big or broadcast. It just has to be real.

6. Get lost. Then find your own path

One of the unexpected gifts of having an Interrail pass is the freedom to wander. After our peaceful ferry ride back to Copenhagen, we found ourselves with a handful of hours to spare. Instead of sitting around, we decided to choose a place, any place, lock up our luggage and just go.

We picked Roskilde. We had absolutely no idea what was there.

The train ride wasn’t long, but it felt like we were entering a different rhythm altogether. Roskilde turned out to be quiet and charming. The train station, we later learned, is the oldest in Denmark. Just across from it was a lovely park, where we sat on a bench, ate our sandwiches, and watched the world slow down.

Then we spotted them. Three large, decorative urns near the station, known as the Roskilde Jars. I didn’t know the story behind them, but for some reason they reminded me of the Genie in the lamp. Something about hidden magic, or wishes waiting quietly in plain sight.

And maybe that’s the lesson.

You don’t always need a clear plan. Sometimes, getting off at the wrong stop or heading into the unknown is exactly what opens up new inspiration. In business, in life, and especially on social media, it’s easy to stick to the path we set for ourselves long ago. But there’s freedom in letting your presence evolve. In following what feels good now.

Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It just has to feel like you.

7. The view is better when you look up

I’m a water person. Always have been. So gazing out of train windows and ferry decks at rivers, lakes, streams and fjords… it was like my soul exhaled. I can’t fully describe what it did for me, only that it felt like returning to something essential.

My partner is a tree person. As we passed through endless forests, mist curling through pine branches, deer darting into the undergrowth, landscapes thick with green, I could feel something settling in him too. At one point I turned to him and said, “I wonder how many trees we’ve seen on this journey.” We laughed, but it was true. It was pure soul food.

And then there was the architecture. Bursts of colour from pretty houses, surprising shapes and lines in modern buildings, even the wind turbines. I’m not usually a fan of those, but something softened in me. Maybe it was the scale, the movement, or simply the open-mindedness travel invites.

There was so much beauty, everywhere. But I realised how easily I could have missed it. Distracted by maps, logistics, or scrolling through my phone to check the next stop.

It made me think about how we often approach social media. Eyes down, always planning, scheduling, refining strategy. We forget to look up. To notice the quiet beauty of what we’ve already created. To feel into the deeper why behind what we’re doing.

There’s a whole landscape of meaning available when we stop chasing and start witnessing.

So here’s what I learned. The view is always better when you look up.

Here’s what I’m carrying with me from Part 1:

• Slow down, you’re still moving

• Let go of what weighs you down

• Trust detours

• Rest like it matters (because it does)

• Value the quiet connections

• Wander off-path

• Look up, the beauty’s already here

Closing Thoughts

When we first set off, I thought I might document every day of the journey on my personal Facebook page. And I did, for a while.

But somewhere along the way, I realised the moments I most wanted to share were the ones I had to be fully in. So I posted when it felt right and let the rest stay sacred.

Now, in just four days, we’re heading off again. This time, we’re going west. Trains and ferries to Ireland. Less luggage. More water. Excitement in our bellies and curiosity in our hearts. We’re going to dog-sit for my son while he and his fiancée head off on their own adventure.

And I wonder… what will this journey bring?

Part 2 will no doubt have its own rhythm and lessons. But for now, I’m holding onto everything this first chapter gave me. The beauty of the in-between. The power of rest. The kindness of strangers. And the quiet magic of tuning into your own pace.

Have you ever learned a surprising lesson while travelling or even while scrolling?
I’d love to hear it.