Time of his life

MONTREAL - On both his Twitter and Instagram accounts, Joe Morrow describes himself as a guy who "flies by the seat of his pants".

Taking an impromptu 40-day trip to Europe earlier this summer with little-to-no planning would certainly qualify in that regard.
Back in late April, the 24-year-old defenseman purchased a plane ticket from Boston to Lisbon, Portugal to begin an odyssey through a part of the world he hadn't experienced before.
"Honestly, at the end of the season I just kind of needed a break. I'd never been to Europe and I figured it was probably the best time for it. I just kind of packed a backpack, threw everything in and it kind of snowballed from there," said Morrow, on his decision to head overseas shortly after his former club - the Boston Bruins - were eliminated in Round 1. "I wouldn't say it was a bucket list kind of thing, but I'm a pretty sporadic human being. Over the years, I'd heard so many good things about Europe that I wanted to see it for myself."

Morrow would hit 10 different countries during his journey, doing the bulk of the travel on his own. In addition to spending time in Portugal, he also visited Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Monaco, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Iceland.
"I just wanted to go east to west and get as much accomplished as I could in the amount of time that I had. The majority of the time, I would meet people where I was and ask them what their favorite part of a city or country was and take their advice," said Morrow, on his travel strategy, that included stops in hotspots like Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, London, Brussels, Cologne, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam, Hvar, and Split. "Pretty much if I got bored in a city and saw everything I wanted to see, I'd book a train ticket or a flight the next day and I'd go on to the next one."

Spain and Italy, in particular, left a lasting impression on the young rearguard.
"Northern Spain had some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen, really nice beaches, and beautiful water. The town of San Sebastián was just so unique. It was a cozy little town and it had unbelievable food and really fun surfing. The town revolved around people just enjoying their lives," recalled Morrow, before expanding upon his time on Italy's Amalfi Coast. "I flew my parents [Dave and Dorrie] out for their 40th anniversary, so it was special being there together. At one point, we were in Positano. It's one of the most interesting places I've seen, with just huge cliff faces, really windy roads, and beautiful little cities along the mountains."
While in Span, Morrow was also privy to a few unique sports experiences - attending both a Champion's League semi-final tilt between rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid as well as the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
"It was hands-down the best sporting event that I have ever been to - next to watching a game at the Bell Centre, of course," cracked Morrow, in reference to the soccer match. "But if anyone had the opportunity to go to a game like that, in that city, with those two teams playing each other, and you passed it up, you should get a smack in the side of the head. It's literally the coolest experience I have ever been a part of. That will go down in my books forever. Then, to have the Madrid Open come after that with Spanish players playing in Spain was whole other level."

As will dining on some of the freshest fish and pasta dishes the world has to offer for six straight weeks, of course. Morrow wasn't about to let his taste buds take a toll on his fitness, though.
"Any city that I went to, gyms were so accessible and I had a good pair of running shoes in my bag. Some of the cities had some crazy hikes that you could go on or you could swim in the ocean. I'd get in three to four training sessions a week," explained Morrow, who enjoyed running through the city streets of Barcelona to enjoy a full hilltop view of the renowned Park Güell. "I'd go work out early in the morning, so then I'd have the whole day to explore and look around."
It's hard not to come away with some serious perspective after a lengthy globetrotting trek.
"I think I took away the real differences that exist between places. There's so much more of the world left to be explored. I've just always had an appreciation for things that are different and I've always appreciated something new. You have to explore while you're young and figure out what you enjoy in life," shared Morrow, who is currently training alongside Auston Matthews, among other NHLers, in his offseason home of Scottsdale, AZ, before heading to Kelowna, BC to skate with a group that includes Carey Price and Shea Weber in August. "I had the time of my life. I'm definitely going to do it again in the near future."

In the meantime, Morrow will soon have the opportunity to explore a brand new city on this side of the pond. Having visited Montreal before, the Edmonton, AB native is eager to learn more about his soon-to-be hockey home.
"I'm definitely pretty new to the city, but whenever I came there on a road trip, I tried to explore it as much as I could. I always ate at different restaurants every time we came to town," said Morrow. "I've told everyone I've talked to that Montreal has so far been my favorite city in Canada that I've seen. I'm excited to be a part of it."