Ever since I started dreaming about traveling Europe, there was one place that stayed at the top of my list.
 

Madeira.
 

While most people visit Portugal and head straight to Lisbon or Porto, I knew I wanted something different. I had seen photos of Madeira's dramatic cliffs, lush mountains, and coastline, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
 

So while I was studying abroad in Barcelona, I booked a flight to the island.
 

Looking back, it became one of my favorite solo trips I've ever taken.
 

Although...it definitely didn't start that way.
 

Flying into Madeira was one of the bumpiest flights I've ever experienced.
 

The turbulence was so bad that I remember gripping the armrest and wondering if this was normal. The plane was shaking the entire descent, and I was honestly a little nervous.
 

It wasn't until after the trip that I learned Madeira's airport is considered one of the more challenging airports in the world to land at because of its location between the mountains and the ocean.
 

That suddenly made a lot more sense.
 

By the time I landed, it was around midnight.
 

I grabbed an ride to my hostel in Funchal, already exhausted from traveling.
 

Then the adventure really began.
 

The hostel had sent me instructions saying I had to check in at a completely different building before going to the actual hostel.
 

At midnight. Alone.
 

My Uber dropped me off at what looked like a random building, and when I tried opening the door, nothing happened.
 

I looked through the window and saw an older man asleep on the couch.
 

I knocked.
 

Nothing.
 

I knocked again.
 

Eventually he woke up, came to the door, looked at me, and in a not-so-friendly voice asked,

"What do you want?"
 

At that point, I was questioning every decision that had brought me there.
 

I explained that I was checking into the hostel, and he motioned for me to come inside.
 

He handed me paperwork, collected my payment, and started explaining how to find the hostel, giving me multiple door codes and directions that I could barely understand.
 

All I could think was...
 

"Please let me figure this out."
 

After finally leaving, I found the hostel and immediately struggled to even get through the front door.
 

Then I couldn't find the key to my room.
 

The building was old, dark, and completely silent.
 

Eventually I found the room, but the old wooden door refused to open. After several noisy attempts for about five minutes, I finally got inside.
 

There were no bunk beds. No curtains. Just several single beds lined up next to each other.
 

Three men were already asleep.
 

One was literally right beside my bed.
 

I quietly climbed under the blanket and thought,
 

"Well...I guess this is where I'm sleeping tonight."
 

Thankfully, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep almost immediately.
 

The next morning, everything changed.
 

I had booked a hiking tour around Madeira, and from the moment we started walking, I completely forgot about the previous night.
 

Madeira is unlike anywhere I've ever been.
 

The island is often called the "Hawaii of Europe," and after seeing it with my own eyes, I completely understand why.
 

Towering green cliffs dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.
 

The coastline stretched for miles.
 

Clouds rolled over the mountains.
 

Every turn revealed another unbelievable view.
 

It didn't feel real.
 

We hiked along narrow trails carved into the cliffs with the ocean crashing below us. I've done a lot of hikes while traveling, but this one felt completely unique.
 

It was one of the most beautiful walks I've ever experienced.
 

One of the best parts of traveling alone is that you're never really alone if you don't want to be.
 

There were people from the Netherlands, England, and other countries, and we spent the day talking while hiking together.
 

We even stopped at a tiny restaurant tucked away in the mountains for lunch.
 

It felt like one of those hidden places you would never find on your own.
 

Quiet.

Peaceful.

Completely surrounded by nature.
 

I also loved seeing that Madeira's airport is named after Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born on the island.
 

As a huge soccer fan, that was really cool to see (Even though I still have to admit...I'm Team Messi).
 

When I got back to the hostel that evening, I expected to simply pack my things and get ready for another tour the next day.
 

Instead, something much better happened.
 

The two guys staying in my room—one from Ireland and one from Vienna—had become friends while staying there.
 

We started talking about our travel plans, and they casually asked,

"We're renting a car tomorrow and driving around the island. Want to come?"
 

Normally, I struggle to say yes to something like that when they are complete strangers, but they were really nice and I could tell that they just wanted to include me. Also, they had drove around the whole island already the previous day so I knew they were used to the roads.

But that's one of the beautiful things about traveling.
 

Sometimes you meet genuinely kind people who simply want someone to share the experience with.
 

I actually had another tour booked for the next day, but it covered many of the same places I'd already visited.
 

So I decided not to go on it.
 

And it ended up being the best decision I could have made.
 

We woke up before sunrise, piled into the rental car, and spent the entire day exploring Madeira.
 

We drove through tiny mountain villages.
Stopped at breathtaking viewpoints.
Hiked to waterfalls.
 

Walked through green valleys.

Passed cows grazing on hillsides.

Ate lunch beside the ocean.

And somehow managed to drive completely around the island.
 

If I had stuck with my original plan, I never would've seen half of the places we visited.
 

That day reminded me why I love traveling.
 

Sometimes the best experiences aren't the ones you plan months in advance.
 

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