If someone would give me the
choice to do whatever I wished in life I would probably choose travelling. My
ultimate goal would be to travel the whole world, to visit every little crane
and island on the planet, until there’s nothing more to see. Travelling is such
a big part of everyone’s life whether or not one has actually left the
boundaries of their home country. We start studying history in school and,
whether we like it or not, (take it from someone who so much as hated history
in school) we get transported to different ages and places. And even if you
haven’t attended history classes in school that tumblr picture you posted of a pool
somewhere exotic does the same trick.
I probably travel daily,
mentally. There’s so many ways to travel, ways that don’t even involve money or
booking tickets. The journey you take on your first day of college or
university, that’s travelling towards a new phase of your life. Ever since I
left for university I’ve realised that travelling is very different to simply going
places. When I was younger and I used to go on holiday with my parents one of
the most exciting things for me was flying or travelling by car for a couple of
days. And truth be told it was indeed great. However, in the past three months
I have taken 8 flights and several connection trains which, far from being exciting,
were stressful and nerve-racking. Having to take care of your bags and making
sure that you won’t exceed the weight limit on your luggage (which I always
do), carrying all your documents and simply dragging around a 10kg hand bag
that holds your laptop, your camera, books and what-not is such a pain when you’re
alone.
The last time I came home I had
the worst flight of my life. Actually no, the worst day of my life. I’d left 4
hours earlier just to be safe and still ended up running for my life so the
gate wouldn’t close. There was a tube delay, I had to change trains – ended up
on the Heathrow Express, had to pay for that ticket as well, had to change
terminals on the Heathrow Express, to clear 6 kg out of my bags because,
apparently, hand luggage is also weighed and just went through hell, all topped
up with a delay on my connection flight. I honestly remember every minute and
every second of that day, from the moment I envisioned myself missing my flight
and being stuck in London for I don’t know how long until I got to hug my
parents and my friends and to burst into tears of gratitude for making it back
safely. When travelling alone there are so many problems you encounter and so
many more unpredictable events. And, to be honest, it’s incredibly difficult to
maintain a clear head.
However, on my flight back to
London I got to experience the most incredible view and I was able to feel like
I was still travelling and not just going places. It was quite an extraordinary
feeling to see the calm and the silence outside, imagining how we, the
passengers of that flight, were just a tiny, noisy spot rushing through the
clouds. So, I guess what I want to say is that it’s important to appreciate
every minute you’ve got, every moment of silence and peace, because even though
you might not realise it that very moment, they’re essential to a good way of
living.
