How I designed my beautiful round-the-world adventure

Chapter 6: The journey began before I even boarded the plane

Welcome to Chapter 6 of Love at First Flight, my round-the-world travel memoir.

In this chapter, I dive into the excitement and nerves of planning my dream trip. From choosing destinations to saying heartfelt goodbyes, I was ready to leave my old life behind and begin something new.

You can read chapters 1 to 5 here.

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I wasn’t sure why I’d chosen India—maybe India had chosen me. Yoga had become part of my routine and curiosity about its birthplace, or perhaps the allure of Goa’s hippie beaches, had drawn me in. Either way, here I was, boarding a plane. Alone. Heading straight for Mumbai with a one-way ticket.

What the hell am I doing? Am I actually insane?

As I shuffled up the aisle, scanning the row numbers, memories whirled of the frantic planning, farewell parties and minor panic attacks that had led me here.

Photo by Chris Brignola on Unsplash

Turning a dream into reality

Three months earlier in London, the notice period was ticking down on both my job and my flat. This was a countdown I could get behind—not the biological clock we’re taught to fear, but the thrill of booking the round-the-world adventure I’d dreamed about since my teens.

Glancing at my vision board, I thought about the kind of experience I wanted. After all, there are endless ways to see the world and a limitless buffet of experiences to have along the way. Normally, I’d pile my plate high, but this time I wanted to be more discerning.

My ideal trip, I decided, needed to be about peace, spirituality and fun. After years of stressful days and sleepless nights, my body and mind craved calm. For me—perhaps bizarrely—that meant ditching my whole life for the ultimate adventure. But to where exactly?