This Germany trip began with a red-eye flight, a cozy airport speakeasy, and a chaotic Heathrow layover before finally landing in Hamburg. My hostel wasn’t ideal—a shared bathroom and a startled bunkmate’s scream—but it added to the adventure. With a loose plan and a train station nearby, I spent my days exploring at my own pace: enjoying coffee by the Landungsbrücken piers, visiting the International Maritime Museum, and photographing colorful street art. One evening, I met Oualid, an Algerian beekeeper en route to Copenhagen, and we shared drinks and stories—proof that the best travel moments are often the unplanned ones.