How a ham and cheese sandwich saved my holiday

How I stopped worrying about what I should do and started doing what I wanted to do

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, including looking like a sandwich

I had a mini existential crisis on the first day of my solo holiday and massively overthought every decision including inconsequential ones such as, “When should I stop walking along the beach and sit down?” And, “After I’ve sat down on the beach, when should I get up and start walking again?”

It turns out I didn’t need to think too much about the latter decision as my hungry belly helped me make the decision that it was lunchtime and that I should find food.

I used Google Maps to find a nearby, top-rated, low-price eatery and made my way there. I had a miscommunication with the waiter and realised that I accidentally ordered from the boring English part of the menu when the diners around me were presented with incredibly smelling authentic Portuguese dishes.

I felt a pang of regret and annoyance that I was missing out on traditional cuisine. I had come to Portugal but I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. What was I thinking?!! 🤦

It was then I realised that I didn’t need to have the “perfect” holiday. I was putting pressure on myself to holiday to the max and have the best authentic experiences. I realised that my…