Auschwitz: The Most Important Journey I’ve Ever Made
My first proper solo trip abroad wasn’t to a beach.
It wasn’t to a famous European city.
It wasn’t somewhere people normally recommend for a first adventure.
It was Auschwitz.
People often ask me about my favourite places I’ve travelled to.
Auschwitz isn’t somewhere I’d describe as a favourite.
But it is one of the most important places I’ve ever visited.
Why I Went
I’ve always had a strong interest in the Second World War.
Not because of the weapons or the battles.
But because of the people.
The courage.
The sacrifice.
The unimaginable stories of those who lived through it.
My parents had visited Auschwitz years before and both told me the same thing.
“You should go.”
So when I finally decided to take my first proper solo trip abroad, it became the obvious choice.
Travelling Alone
This trip was another step outside my comfort zone.
I’d already completed a small “test run” to Dublin for the day to prove to myself that I could travel alone.
This felt different.
This felt real.
After arriving in Kraków and checking into my hotel, I booked a place on an organised tour for the following day.
Early the next morning, a Mercedes people carrier collected me along with around a dozen other visitors.
A few hours later, we arrived.
Auschwitz I
The first surprise was how ordinary it looked.
In different circumstances, with the trees and the sunshine, it could almost have been a pleasant place.
That thought alone was unsettling.
It was a reminder that terrible things don’t always happen in places that look terrible.
Our guide slowly led us around the site, explaining what had happened within those brick buildings.
As the tour continued, the true horror gradually unfolded.
The standing cells.
The execution wall.
The displays containing piles of children’s shoes, suitcases and human hair.
Each room quietly reminded us that these weren’t statistics.
They were people.
Ordinary people.
Each with a family, dreams and a life that was stolen from them.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau
Nothing, however, prepared me for Birkenau.
As our coach pulled into the car park, the famous railway entrance came into view.
Without anyone saying a word, the atmosphere inside the vehicle changed.
It became completely silent.
I remember my stomach dropping.
Photographs simply cannot prepare you for the scale.
If Auschwitz I shocked me…
Birkenau devastated me.
It felt less like a prison camp and more like a purpose-built killing factory.
The sheer size of it was overwhelming.
Walking those railway tracks with our guide, it was impossible not to imagine the fear and confusion of the people arriving there decades earlier.
It is a place that leaves a mark on you.
Walking Their Final Steps
One moment has stayed with me ever since.
We entered one of the reconstructed gas chambers.
As we walked down the passageway, the brick walls rose on either side of us.
The light gradually faded.
People ahead of us slowly disappeared into the darkness.
For a few moments, it became impossible not to think about the countless innocent people who had walked that same path before us.
Not as visitors.
But as victims.
It was one of the most haunting experiences of my life.
Afterwards
When the tour finished and we returned to Kraków, I don’t remember doing very much.
I didn’t want to.
I was emotionally exhausted.
Not frightened.
Not shocked anymore.
Just deeply sad.
Sad for the millions of people who suffered.
Sad for the families who never saw their loved ones again.
Sad that human beings were capable of creating somewhere like this.
Some places entertain you.
Some places inspire you.
Auschwitz does neither.
It simply asks you to remember.
Why I Think People Should Visit
People sometimes ask why anyone would choose to visit somewhere so upsetting.
My answer is always the same.
Because remembering matters.
History isn’t just something we read in books.
It happened.
To real people.
In real places.
Standing there makes that impossible to forget.
I left with an even greater appreciation for freedom, for kindness and for the importance of challenging hatred wherever it appears.
My Biggest Takeaway
Travelling has shown me some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Auschwitz wasn’t one of them.
But it taught me one of the most important lessons.
Some journeys aren’t about enjoyment.
They’re about understanding.
About paying your respects.
About making sure the stories of those who suffered are never forgotten.
Takeaway
Looking back, my first proper solo trip abroad could have been almost anywhere.
I’m grateful that it was Auschwitz.
Not because it was an easy journey.
But because it was one that changed the way I see history, humanity and the importance of never forgetting.