When I was a kid, I travelled a lot. My parents are both immigrants, and we only had a handful of relatives that lived in Canada, so we had to travel in order to maintain any connection with other family members. I was 1 year old when I first went on an airplane and I don’t really remember that particular trip, but since then I’ve travelled to 12 countries, and many different cities within Canada. Travelling at such a young age sparked my interest in geography and I would play with my toy globe for hours and hours and never get bored. I even remember coming back from vacation, I would pretend I’ve picked up a new accent so that my friends would be jealous of my worldly adventures. At 14 when I discovered what a “bucket list” was, I immediately wrote down “I want to visit every continent before I die” on a piece of paper.
I eventually grew up and became a flight attendant. I was 20 years old and in the perfect life scenario for me to truly love my job. However, I eventually became sad and even cried a few times on my way to work. I enjoyed my job, and I enjoyed exploring new cities, but I never had anyone close to me that I could share my experiences with. Through flight attending, I was able to spend a gorgeous September weekend in Paris, and one night I went on a stroll by The Seine. I was mesmerized by all the beautiful lights and architecture and lovely couples embracing, however I couldn’t help but feel lonely. That’s when I realized I wasn’t very good at travelling alone.
Since then, I’ve become a parent and have made it a point to introduce my daughter to the world at 7 months old. I’ve always felt that people who began visiting other cities/countries at a young age, quickly became more tolerant and accepting of others as they grow older. I hope she will follow in my footsteps and enjoy exploring our beautiful planet, that way I can always have a travel buddy.