So apparently I’m “working” in Poland…

I keep telling everyone I’m away with work and, technically, that is true. Someone has to travel the world, explore beautiful places and test out hill climbs in questionable footwear. It may as well be me.

This time “the office” was the gorgeous village of Międzybrodzie Żywieckie in southern Poland, not far from Kraków. Picture this: lakes that look like they’ve been filtered by Instagram, mountains that make you feel tiny in the best possible way, and that fresh mountain air that makes you briefly consider taking up wild swimming and clean eating. Briefly.

I’d spent a week getting to know the area, scouting out all the best bits for future holidays: lakeside strolls, mountain views, cosy spots for a post‑hike drink. But there was one thing that kept niggling at me.

The hill that wouldn’t shut up

Near where I was staying there was this beautiful hill with a huge wooden cross on top. Every day I’d look at it and think: “I should really go up there.” And every day I managed to find something else to do. Coffee. Cake. More coffee. You get the idea.

On my penultimate day, I woke up early, had a quick coffee, slipped on my trusty sandals (this is important…) and decided: today is the day. No more “I’ll do it tomorrow.” The hill had been silently calling me all week and frankly it was getting a bit passive aggressive.

So off I went.

The moment I realised: I am, in fact, not 21

It did not take long, maybe five minutes into the climb, for a very simple but painfully truthful realisation to hit me:

I am old.

Not “can’t get out of bed” old. Not “needs a stairlift” old. But my body was very loudly reminding me that I am no longer in the carefree, uphill‑sprinting category of life.

It wasn’t my legs or strength that were the problem. No, no. It was the breathing. That wonderful, underrated act we all enjoy so much. Suddenly every breath felt like I’d just finished a sprint… except I was basically just walking up a not‑even‑that‑steep hill in sandals, questioning my life choices and my cardio fitness.

The carefree mountain goat days? Gone. Replaced by a determined, slightly wheezy human who now fully understands why people say “maybe take walking shoes.”

Huffing, puffing and pretending to admire the view

I am not someone who gives up easily, and I definitely wasn’t going to be defeated by a hill that, from the bottom, looked like a pleasant morning stroll.

So I ploughed on.

There were, let’s be honest, multiple stops. Some were to “take photos of the view.” Some were to “appreciate nature.” All were to avoid collapsing in a dramatic heap and having to be rescued by some super‑fit local in Lycra.

Huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf on a steep incline, I finally made it to the top.

And… it was absolutely worth it.

The view from the top (and from mid‑life)

At the summit, with the cross towering above and the village, lakes and mountains stretching out below, everything went blissfully quiet. My lungs forgave me. My sandals had survived. And for a long while I just stood there:

• Enjoying the view
• Enjoying the sense of achievement (slightly over‑exaggerated, but I’m claiming it)
• Enjoying the simple fact that I’d actually done the thing I’d been putting off all week

I was alone at the top, and it turned into one of those unexpected moments of reflection that travel has a funny way of gifting you.

I thought about my life exactly as it is now.
Two beautiful daughters.
A partner I’m completely in love with.
A job where “going to work” often involves boarding a plane and creating unforgettable holidays for other people.

And here I was, on a hill in southern Poland, ticking another little box, proving to myself that I can still do the things that scare me, exhaust me, or at the very least require better shoes.

The surprisingly deep life lesson from a slightly out‑of‑breath travel agent

Somewhere between the wheezing and the wondering, a very clear message settled in:

• Never wake up one day and ask, “What if?”
• Never be too scared to ask that big, risky, exciting question.
• Never put off the little adventures, because you think you’ll have time “another day.”

Life is never going to slow down and politely wait until you feel perfectly ready, rested and gym‑fit. Sometimes you have to get up, grab a coffee, put on the wrong shoes and climb the hill anyway.

Because at the top, with your heart racing and your hair doing something questionable in the wind, you realise this:

The only real goal is simple: live with no regrets.

Whether that is finally visiting that place you keep dreaming about, taking your kids on an adventure they’ll never forget, planning that special trip with someone you love, or just climbing a random hill in Poland that has been silently judging you all week.

So if you have your own “hill with a cross on it” in life or in travel, consider this your sign: go for it. Even if you arrive at the top slightly sweaty and out of breath. Especially then.

After all, I like to think of it as research. Someone has to test these views, right?

If this story has you thinking about your own “no regrets” adventure, that is exactly what I help my clients create: trips that feel special, personal and a little bit life‑affirming. Whenever you are ready for your next hill, lake, mountain or moment of clarity, I will be here to plan it with you.