The travel bug bit me…

In September 2015, I took a mini European break through Budapest, Paris and Amsterdam with my best friends Cloé and Lyd. The trip was a spontaneous decision. We knew we didn’t have much money or time to spare but wanted to get a taste of places we’d never been before. We chose our three destinations because they were all so different- different locations, languages and cultures. Flying between each country, we had a lot of pressure on our hands to organise our money, dates and all the paperwork required. It was the first time any of us had travelled without a responsible figure to look after all the important bits, a scary but exhilarating thought. We planned to meet two other friends on the last leg in Amsterdam and the whole planning process was exciting for everyone.

The day before we flew to Budapest I was extremely anxious, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. I kept thinking why am I even doing this?! I couldn’t understand why I had chosen to leave my comfort zone where I would be safe and happy at home. I wanted to see the world, yeah, but that could wait right? Another year, maybe?

Arriving in Budapest and creeping up the large, stone staircase to our hostel, an eerie feeling came over us all. It was dark, we didn’t know what to expect or what to do if no one was there to welcome us. We felt extremely alone and lost in a strange, foreign country. Thankfully, there was someone to welcome us at the desk and we were shown to our rooms, where 5 other people were already safely tucked up in their beds asleep.

Everything seemed to change the next morning. The sun, the freedom, the independence, it was all overwhelming. I realised how much I loved navigating the city with a map, circling places to visit and hunting them down. I found a new love for photography, capturing the aesthetic and the ambiance of the country became an obsession. I felt incredibly capable- capable of choosing what to do, where to go and capable of just doing it.

I love travelling because it allows me to become a childlike version of myself, without hesitations and boundaries, led by spontaneity, doing whatever you want; wide-eyed, lost and curious. I’m so glad I didn’t let my apprehensions stop me from going on that trip as it helped me discover what I wanted to do. I’m never as happy as I am when I’m exploring. And now I have this blog so you can all explore with me!

Now I’ve finished telling you all about my last year’s travels I’m going to start a series called ‘Outside London’ where each week I’m going to focus on somewhere in Britain, that isn’t London. I think tourism in Britain is focused way too heavily on London and the aim of this series is to create awareness of the many other beautiful places around these countries. These will happen once a week and will be interwoven with stories from my other travels earlier this year to Iceland and Lanzarote as well as a few more personal posts.

Hope you enjoy what is to come on Worldinsidemypocket!

Much love ❤