Life on the road evokes a certain romance that you can’t replicate online. No matter how long you scroll, and how many thrilling lives you see other people living, you’ll never find the feeling of being on your own time. And there’s no better place to be on your own clock than on the road. No mad rush to the airport circus to make a flight. Life slows down on the road. There’s a turn of the key (on the left side for us Porschephiles). A morning engine note. The unfolding of the map. You settle into the rhythms and the horizon is simply where you are headed next. Buried in all this allure and momentum, there’s a small ache that creeps in from time to time, and it’s this: when you’re always on the move, you never get to stick around.

When you guide long rallies for a living, you learn that the downside is not the engine breakdowns or wrong turns or even bad weather on a long driving day. A good spotify playlist works wonders when driving on a rainy day. These are more inconveniences that we mitigate with preparation and a good disposition. They’re a part of the architecture of adventure. They can even lead to some of the most memorable experiences. Like finding the only auto shop in Tuscany with the right motor oil for your Porsche (it’s harder to find than you’d imagine). Or meeting the locals that show up and help you be on your way. The unexpected downside is leaving somewhere you love too soon.

Sometimes you arrive late to a village and it catches you off guard. The chef at the local hideout kept the kitchen open late and dinner was better than expected. You stay up too late, walk off the Ossobucco and wine through the stone alleys under warm lamplight. You make a promise to yourself to come back. But, in the morning, the show must go on and the engines start up again. You’re due in another village, hundreds of kilometers away. You’ve chosen this life. You don’t question the choice. But still… you feel the void left by every departure.