Life when we aren't traveling and all the in-betweens you don't see
Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The In-Betweens You Don’t See
Dear friends,
Normally, this is the point in the week where I’d be dropping into your inbox with some travel/hiking inspiration. But today’s note is going to be a little different. All I want to do is dive into a gallon of gelato to bury my feelings.
Because I’m human, and these past two months have been hard in ways I didn’t fully see coming. I'll get back to travel, but I need to get this off my chest. Writing about it helps me process what happened.
People see the beautiful places I get to visit. The mountains and markets. They see what life looks like abroad for a military family. They see the highlight reels, the quiet Alpine hikes, the joy of living overseas. And all of that is real. But what you don’t always see are the in-betweens. The ways life keeps happening. Messy, heavy, beautiful, and hard, no matter where you live.
For the past year, my sweet dog Buddy, our little shadow, had been fighting thyroidal carcinoma. We found it by accident last summer when our groomer felt a mass in his neck. After tests and hard conversations, we started him on Palladia, a powerful drug that bought us a little more time. It was a powerful and very expensive drug. Anything to save my dude.
Buddy laying in the grass in Asiago, Italy
However bad it was, the medicine gave us one more year of cowbell pastures, little hikes, naps on the porch, and quiet mornings together. For that, I’ll always be grateful.
But this spring, his body couldn’t keep up anymore. Over the past two months, my whole world narrowed down to him. His medicine, his comfort, the good days and the bad ones. Every bit of energy I thought I’d spend writing about the Dolomites, and I put a bit of energy into it, also went into just sitting next to him, memorizing him.
My husband would watch him on the weekends while I went hiking, and I would watch Buddy during the week while Isaac was at work. Taking him out to the bathroom, hand feeding him, and aiding him through the pain as he tried to get comfy on the floor.
No creature should ever have to suffer like that.
For our 13th wedding anniversary, we decided to go through with a week-long trip to Albania, our first trip solo without our dogs.
We assumed he was feeling better. He was on a steroid that eased the pressure on his brain, and he became a bit more active.
When we got back, it felt like he had been waiting on us.
Because that's when everything shifted. It got so bad.
This past weekend, we took him up to Asiago, Italy, for one final adventure. Two quiet days in the sun, cowbells ringing all around him while he dozed. And yesterday at our vets office at Caserma Ederle (the base here in Vicenza), we said goodbye. He went peacefully. By all accounts, he loved us just as much because he didn't want to let go.
He basked in the sun and took a nap to cowbells and birds chirping.
Everything feels a little quiet now. A little empty. Where I would normally get up in the morning and give him belly scratches, I didn't get to do that today.
And we as a family, along with our other beautiful dog Bear, are trying to learn what life looks like as three.
It feels strange, and I find myself a bit on edge, like something is missing at every turn. I had 10.5 wonderful years with him. He helped carry me through deployments, big overseas moves, sat with both of us when things weren’t so great, and reminded me every single day what unconditional love feels like.
For someone who doesn’t have kids, Buddy and Bear are my family. My fur kids.
I wanted to tell you this because it didn’t feel right to just pop back into your inbox with travel tips, hikes, and links without sharing the truth of where I’ve been, what life has been like. Sitting in the messy, heavy in-betweens of loving and losing.
Thank you for letting me be human in this space. And if you’ve ever had to find your footing again after a loss like this, I’d love to hear what helped you through.
Until then, hug your people and your pets a little tighter tonight. I'll have more good travel stuff for you soon. I'm just trying to move this cloud hanging over my head before I can jump right back into it all.
Through all this mess, I just published my three-day itinerary to Tirana, Albania. I also have a few new articles that were published on Stars and Stripes Europe. Take a look, share the love. I would love your support!
Jordan Campbell is an off-beat flashpacker with a penchant for tasty beverages, and the creator behind Global Debauchery. She's traveled to 69 countries and all 50 states, and absolutely LIVES to help people travel deeper. You might know her from The Travel & Adventure Show, the WITS Travel Creator Summit, Wanderful, The Nomadic Network, or Camp Indie.
Nina Clapperton is a multi-6 figure travel blogger and the founder of She Knows SEO. Nina learned SEO and scaled her blog to 50k sessions in 6 months. Within 13 months, she was making $30k/mo passively. She shares actionable SEO and AI tips in every email.
