My flight changed | Why I'm leaving everything to go to the other side of the world

After carefully considering the details of my flight from London to Perth, I found myself close to panic when my airline cancelled and subsequently rearranged my flight. It had taken me weeks of research – comparing costs, airlines, flight durations, dates, layovers – to make a decision and finally – holding my breath, my stomach stewing with nerves – to book it.

So, when I received an email that told me my flight had been changed and discovered that I would now be leaving a day earlier than expected, I felt a flood of emotions. The anxiety I felt at this new departure time, the array of concerns that bubbled up, the loss of control I experienced, forced me to consider one of my main reasons for going abroad.

Of course, I’m heading to Australia for several reasons. I don’t know if I would feel the specific urge to venture there if I hadn’t spent five and a half years there growing up. My family first emigrated to Brisbane in 2005 and I haven’t visited since 2015; the trip has been a long time coming.

I was also influenced by the pandemic. In lockdown, I found myself living through Instagram, looking at old travelling photos, reminiscing on the excitement and freedom I’d found in exploring new places. I remember looking at pictures of a friend of mine who travelled solo in her gap year and thinking: I wish that I could do that. And then I realised – despite the pandemic – why couldn’t I? 

In the months leading up to departure, I’ve been exploring what exactly it is I want out of this trip. I’ve booked a one-way ticket, knowing that I’m open to where my experiences may lead me – but why, aside from my connection to the country and the excitement of the landscape, am I doing this? And why now?  I am at a stage in my life, recently graduated, still wondering what I want for myself after seventeen years of education. Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed living and working in London, gaining independence and genuinely feeling like an adult. But I’m ready for a new challenge, different adventures. 

Challenge is a key word here. I recognise that tackling things that frighten me offer me the opportunity to learn and grow stronger. My flight cancellation has only reiterated this to me. Once I took a breath and accepted the consequences of my flight change, I realised that these consequences were only minor. Sure, it’s a little frustrating that I now land at 5 o’clock in the morning, that I have one less day than planned to spend with my family, but there is nothing unmanageable about this. Small issues like these (and much bigger ones) will be abundant as I go away, and I want to face them, to build resilience through challenge. This slight change in plans and my first response being to panic only highlights how much I have to learn from them.

So, with an open mind and an appetite for challenge, I’m leaving in January – one day earlier than anticipated. I don't have it all planned out, but that's part of the fun. Let the challenges begin – or, continue...