Tips for a GM on Traveling and random encounters

The game I am running right now is an open ended game so my PCs can go anywhere do whatever they want. But I feel like trying to describe traveling is difficult, It seems less adventurous if I simply describe the landscape and the weather. There is only so much that can happen on a river plain road, right? I feel like it is too unbelievable that random large animals, monsters, or bandits randomly attack. How do I make traveling feel more organic and adventuress? Also how do I do the same for traveling through wild forests, plains, jungles, etc.? On another note, I feel my characters personality, uniqueness, as well as their existence is gray and bland when roleplaying. How do I improve on this as well? Thanks.

Since the off-topic section of the forums have been closed, you might be better-served asking this on a site geared more towards the theory and practice of the games themselves, rather than a forum devoted to a specific piece of software. rpg.SE would be an example.

Highwaymen, animals, weather, geographic obstacles, taxmen, there are a million ways to make travel tough and interesting.

Julius, I sent you a pm about the GM Academy. Come join us as we are now over 300 gm's strong and are willing to answer your questions about your game problems and offer suggestions to ways you could solve them. The GM Academy is not there to tell you what you must do or do not (we leave that for others) but the Academy offers you various tools for you to use if you want to (there are various workshop videos) and we all have been there or are there so feel free to come over and relax with your peers.