My young life pushed me to a decision
Growing up on a small Island, Malta, with its cultural and traditional way from a young age, lived with her parents until they got married and started their own family. I always thought being in the comfort zone will never let you explore your dreams in a way one is born to do. Travelling was always my thing since I was young.
How it all started
I started travelling at around the age of ten. My first trip was overland with my family. After that, I travelled again with my parents after two years. Travelling became an adventure for me that I loved, so this became my thing and on every opportunity I got, I said ‘yes’, as a teenager. Opportunities included:
- Travelling with a school
- Travelling with friends
- Travelling for youth exchanges projects
- Travelling with family.
Until the age of 17, I was always travelling with someone once or twice every year. As a matter of fact, there was always those myths that travelling solo is fear. The myths; ‘the world out there is different from here’, ‘being alone is sad’, ‘a new place is unknown’. Those myths, I was hearing were making me stay in my comfort zone.
Living in my comfort zone was not my thing. Those myths are only stories that were stopping me from doing what I love. At the age of eighteen when I was a young adult and was responsible for my own decisions. One evening, I started talking to a foreign friend on social media. I barely knew her, but I had met her before on a youth exchange project in the previous years.
The decision that pushed me to the edge
This was another opportunity for me to travel and this time I will be travelling alone for the first time. She offered me to pick me up from the airport, Brussels and offered me to live with her in her house for a week of my holiday in France. Finally, I can say I am facing my fears.
I started surfing the Web for cheap flights and booked the one that was affordable. This was all without telling any relatives of mine until I got the tickets. After that, I started worrying about other fears. Will she pick me up from the airport? Where am I going to stay? Where am I going? What if I get lost? How will I communicate with people when I do not know their language?
Facing my fears
A lot of questions were coming to my mind, although I was excited about this challenge. From time to time, the moment of going to the airport arrived. I had to catch two connecting flights. Scared that I will miss the second plane because I do not know where I want to go. My heart is pounding. I arrived in Brussels. This is crazy… Finally, I met my friend.
It was late at night, it was dark, we drove to her house and she gave me her spare room to sleep.
I couldn’t believe that I had done this, being in France without a relative or a close friend. I have planned nothing that where I would go daily and I didn’t plan anything to do on my trip. The next morning, I woke up and headed out to the small town where I was living. I started walking around. There were shops, a park and people in the streets. Along the way, I found some tourist information and popped in. Started collecting some leaflets to inspire myself where I should go.
In the first place, I started planning for every day I had for my holiday. After all, it was like a dream came true. I started going out every day to different towns. Catching the trains and walking from a place to the other. Talking and communicating with local people. Asking people to take a photo of me. I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore. Even when I got lost an hour before I had to catch the train to head back to home. I stayed calm and enjoyed my adventure. In reality, I was full of this amazing energy that I can integrate with anyone.
At the End
This trip put me in a place where I had learned more about being responsible for myself and take actions on my decisions. The dreams one wants in this world, we have to make them come true.
