The ‘first time’ happened to me four times in my life.
I count each of the four times I travelled by plane more than five hours away from home as a ‘first time’ because it was to a different place and through different eyes. I love to travel, but I absolutely hate flying. Although I don’t remember being an irate toddler, I certainly remember being a bored and restless eight-year-old on an eight hour flight to the Philippines. In my early twenties I caught that famous bug that was not uncommon amongst many young adults – the desire to escape all my comforts to be a stranger in a faraway place. As romantic and enticing this notion was, I still dreaded the plane ride.
Long haul travel, however, is no kind of deterrent for those with itchy feet, and this epidemic is only becoming more apparent of many young people today.
The call to travel is now more prevalent than ever all across the globe. It has become akin to a rite of passage, for many Australians and international youth.
Working holiday schemes and university exchanges provide the opportunity for young people to live, work and study in countries away from their home land. There is a global network of organisations like the IEP (International Exchange Program) and BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) who aim to promote educational and travel programs cross-continent. Companies like the STA travel agency and Student Flight Centre heavily promotes youth travel through the web and by having a branch present near a university campus.
The daughter of my former boss was only fourteen when she did her exchange. I was in awe of the seventeen-year-old American student who was telling me stories of the three months she lived and studied in Australia back in 2007. I was also amazed at how young and unafraid she was to have been so far from home at that age, and also to hear this young girl speak about things that some people my age would have no understanding.
Travelling has been a huge part of my education and maturity. Each time I have gone to live somewhere else I discover a whole new part of myself. My exposure to new cultures opened up my eyes to other ways of living and meeting people.
As a young adult, London and Amsterdam became my home for a short while, and the years over there were integral in the way that has shaped my career, my ambitions, my social and my personal life. This experience is not something that can be gained without getting on that dreaded plane. But it was all well worth it. Every single ‘first time’.
