By Alexandria Nolan-Miller
Sometimes it isn’t better or worse — it’s a third thing entirely. Interesting. A lesson. An opportunity.
My family is currently in Spain. We’re on the coast about an hour and a half from Barcelona, in the Costa Brava. We’ve been here before, but usually only as a day trip. The last time we visited, in 2024, we promised we’d come back and stay longer — away from the hot, crowded streets of Barcelona and instead escape to where Spaniards come to get away from it all.
Suffice it to say, when it comes to adventure, we keep our promises.
Even when there’s a little more adventure than we planned for.
Because the Costa Brava isn’t exactly a quick ride from Barcelona, we knew we’d need a rental car. Ah — you may already see where this story is going.
We rented the car months in advance, paid in advance, and had everything lined up. At first, it really did seem that way.
We piled our carry-ons into the Fiat and started the drive to Tossa de Mar along the beautiful coast. An hour and a half later, we arrived, handed the keys to the valet, headed straight to the pool overlooking the ocean, and thought: This is it.
Fairytale stuff. The kind of vacation you daydream about on an ordinary Tuesday.
And it would have been.
Except … well, what’s a beautiful European vacation without a few curveballs?
After a few days of sun, beach days, sangria, and then a little more sangria, we decided to explore beyond the beach town.
Within an hour and a half or less, there’s an abundance of charming medieval villages, whitewashed coastal towns, and historical sites. We chose a walled medieval village with churches and buildings that had stood since the last millennium.
Sounds lovely.
Worth the drive, right?
Maybe not.
See, the car we rented was electric.
Although the friendly man at the agency assured us there were chargers “everywhere,” we quickly discovered this was not actually true.
In fact, they were almost nowhere.
Sometimes, it seems, a vacation is a relaxing escape. And sometimes it’s just an escape in general.
On the drive back, it became immediately clear we had a very small chance of making it to the hotel. We Googled “EV charger near me,” then tried again in Spanish. We visited every station we could find, only to discover broken chargers, occupied chargers, chargers requiring apps we couldn’t use without European addresses or phone numbers, and chargers we plugged into only to realize 30 minutes later they weren’t working at all.
At first, it was funny, then annoying.
Then suddenly I was crying because my son was hungry, and somehow our one-hour drive home had become four.
We couldn’t find a way to charge the car.
Finally, a kind man helped us locate a charger — which was also broken and had to be fully reset — but after 40 minutes on the ultra-fast charger and €80 later, we reached a 75% charge, enough to safely make it back.
Defeated, drained, and exhausted, we rolled into Tossa de Mar and immediately found a charging station in town. We would be prepared now.
Except … not quite.
We plugged in.
Well, we tried to plug in.
Two chargers weren’t recognized. Finally, we found one across the street, stretched the cable around the entire car until it connected, and watched it finally begin charging.
Then we walked a mile uphill back to the hotel and declared: No more day trips.
Sometimes, it seems, a vacation is a relaxing escape.
And sometimes it’s just an escape in general.
An escape from routine. A reminder that the world is a big place and that not every memorable day is an easy one.
Sometimes the stressful days pull you farthest from your normal life.
And honestly, both kinds of escape are pretty exciting.
Alexandria Nolan-Miller is a misplaced Michigander navigating the vibrant chaos of Houston’s urban jungle. She travels with her husband and young son, contributing her insights and experiences to various print and digital publications. As the author of historical books rooted in Michigan, Alexandria brings the past to life through her writing. When not on the road, she can be found immersed in books, teaching, sharing stories, and chasing new adventures to inspire her next piece.
