For as long as I can remember I have been the baby. With my friends, I was always seen as the young one who needed protecting, in my family I was the little girl with her head in the clouds and daydreaming to a point unimaginable.
I guess this was the reason that with my 19th birthday approaching I decided to take a trip to another country. Not a country far away or extravagant, in which I would have to learn a new language, or watch out for drug lords. A country that was close to my own, but still far enough that I needed to use a passport.
The week before my birthday I decided in the name of spontaneity to book a ticket to New Zealand.
In search of independence and having confidence in myself, I decided that a random trip away far enough away was in order.
But now, merely a week later, I sit in the airport and look out the window at the planes and with every second that passes I question what I am doing… every inch of my tired body crawls with un-restlessness and fear, bottled with anxiety and sadness. Why, oh why did I plan this trip? Is it too late to run? Can I survive? Overdramatic…yes.
The plane gave me type of serenity that I haven’t felt in a long time, yes the takeoff was rocky and I thought about the idea of a double-decker plane being in the sky with only gravity to help it, but I moved past that to watch the ground get further away and the clouds encapsulate the plane.
I remember a few years ago, I went to Cambodia and the plane was full of dread and anxiety, my eyes seemed to overflow and not stop. I knew there was a loss of control in myself that I hate the feeling. But I didn’t have that feeling this time.
The plane landed, and the next few days were filled with smiles, thoughts, positivity, and growth that I could never have imagined.
My trip is coming to an end. I am sitting at the airport watching each plane take off into a clear blue abyss, waiting to board my last plane.
Every second of walking around the city gave me the freedoms I could only imagine. Having a birthday secluded from family and friends apart from the social media aspect allowed me to plan the perfect day full of roaming the city, climbing museums, observing art galleries, walking the harbour, indulging in ice cream and finishing by eating mountains of junk food on my bed whilst watching “say yes to the dress”.
If I could tell you anything, it would be that life is short (cliche, but oh so true), money and possessions are worthless compared to the experience, knowledge and all you will gain from travel. Book a random flight, get in your car and drive, just take a few days, sleep and enjoy your life.
Frankly Sophie
Frankly sophie 