This is your life...
I first got on a plane aged 13, with my Mum to Amsterdam (not the kind of trip you’re thinking - note the age! Worry not tho - I went back a couple of years ago for a hen do!) we had friends who had moved out there and before I knew I was up in the sky we were back down again. But boy, how amazing was it that for a 50-minute flight you could land somewhere completely different. People didn’t drive, they cycled EVERYWHERE. They wore shoes on their feet, not clogs. Their fields were full of colour. The houses were tall and narrow. They had trains on their roads (yes, I later learnt they were trams!). Windmills were indeed everywhere.
It showed me straight away that you don’t have to travel far to immerse yourself in different cultures; a new language to learn, different food to taste, iconic landscapes…
Prior to that I was lucky enough to have a lot of family holidays to Devon, Cornwall and Wales - my Mum and Dad set the tone for my brother and I by showing us loads of different places - we would always holiday in different areas and explore the surrounding locations throughout the week. On reflection I guess this was setting the foundation of my love for it all. Although at the time I definitely didn’t know it and thought I was of course hard done by when my friends were going to Turkey, Greece, Spain...now I’m older I also now realise the beauty of the country we live in and have caught myself saying the same thing to our son. Yep, that sad moment when you realise you’re turning into your parents (sorry Mum!). They did come up with the goods in the end with a classic trip to Alicante in Spain.
From there followed my first girls week away, aged 16 to my Granny’s caravan in Devon and an 18-30’s trip to Kavos - moving on swiftly…
At 19, I redeemed myself with a trip to Australia to visit my pen pal, Brooke. We met in Junior School and kept in touch. My mum and Dad were good friends with her parents and off we went - my first long haul trip and first experience of trying to sleep on a plane. As a nearly 6ft tall girl this was not easy. We visited Brooke and family - threw a shrimp on the barbie and immersed ourselves into the Aussie way by ticking all the boxes;
Walked over Sydney bridge
Visited the Opera House
Went on a boat trip around Darling Harbour
Visited a Koala Sanctuary/crocodile farm
Snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef
Road tripped from Brisbane up the Gold Coast to Cairns
This gave me a real insight into all the different things you can do and see. Previously I’d only seen the Opera House on TV and here I was on the other side of the world stood in front of it and climbing over the bridge that overlooked it - a real OMG/hairs on the back of your neck moment.
This also meant I came back from 3 weeks away head to toe in Roxy/Quicksilver gear and a white shell necklace/ankle bracelet. Oh and my first credit card maxed out...(top tip - don’t do this! Save your pennies, please!!)
The next adventure for me was moving to London - this in itself was a complete change of life - one that I thought would be shortlived, yet here I am 18 years later! Onto that another time.
Thailand was next on the agenda - my best friend went backpacking and was turning 21. I’m not one to miss a birthday/party so off I went with her older sister for 2-weeks that started this even bigger love for travel….