Before I officially start I thought a bit of an intro was in order, so anyone here exclusively to read about travel and adventure and whatnot can probably skip to the next blog post… Or not? Whatever you choose.

My parents first suggested the idea of a gap year to me around 2 years ago when my Dad gave some big long speech about how working in a cardboard box factory made him value his education (if you want to hear more about that rest assured he’d be more than happy to repeat the tale). He insisted that every young person do a gap year, lest they squander their rather costly lectures sitting up the back of the class giggling and watching Youtube. So naturally I wasn’t about to turn down an (almost) all expenses paid trip to Europe, so I said YES.

Now of course saying YES was one thing, but actually processing what that YES meant was entirely another. As the months dwindled down, and ‘family meetings’ were called to discuss travel plans, I found myself unable to comprehend the idea of going away, or engage with the actual planning of the trip. No matter what my parents or the calendar said, my mind seemed determined that it was all still 2 years away and not yet something for me to worry about.

Fast forward to a few weeks before the trip, and I still couldn’t shake away the obstinate denial. People would say to me, “You must be so excited,” but between finishing my final exams, getting my drivers licence, graduating, formal, going on ‘schoolies’, saying goodbye to my friends and packing up the house, I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and I just felt… numb.

I was days before the trip of a lifetime, and still there wasn’t a smidgen of excitement. In all honesty, those final days were a bit of a nightmare, as my every waking moment was focused on packing up boxes and stacking furniture in rather alarming and precarious ways. My mum would wake me up every morning by coming into my then bare room, and insist that I had to get up and start cleaning, as we were running out of time. And we would clean, pack away all evidence of our lives, until close to midnight each day, then repeat.

That is until finally, after years of preparation, we locked the front door and drove away from the comfort of our lives in search of a new chapter. The stressful nights were finally over and we could enjoy our holiday…

Or so we thought…