London, England

     I had always been somewhat of a wavering soul that craved the adrenaline of adventure and wandering, but I would've never thought that I would travel to three countries in a span of 10 days with barely any money and get lost a lot along the way. This was the best decision I had ever made.
     My friend, Kayla Mulkin, an absolute dream of a person, was going to study abroad in London, England for the spring semester, and I had joked around that I was going to come visit her during her time abroad.
     I was sitting at home over winter break, on handfuls of Percocet and writhing in pain from my tonsillectomy, when I decided that I might not ever get an opportunity like this one again, and I bought a cheap flight that would take me to London over spring break. Maybe it was the drugs or just me being notorious for making hasty decisions, but I could feel the excitement flooding my veins as I clicked 'confirm purchase.'
     Those three short months flew by, and before I knew it, I was packing my carry-on overhead item (a small suitcase) and a backpack so full that I could barely carry either of them. I woke up early that morning of March 22, and prepared myself for the long day and night of travel ahead.
     I had only flown alone a couple of times before, but I was not scared of the airports or the connecting flights, I was scared of being in an entirely new world that I had always dreamt of, and being disappointed.
     After my first four-hour flight, I sat in an airport in Philadelphia, scrambling to get articles edited for work, as I heard the call of the inner-com announce, "the flight to London, Heathrow will depart in one hour." I somewhat enjoyed sitting in airports alone, watching the other people and guessing where they might be going to in the world, watching how they acted in a place that was so uncomfortable, just to get on a plane and be even more uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable meant being alive.
     Traveling alone, even if it was just getting to my destination and back home, is such an enlightening experience. It leaves time for self-reflection, and thinking without interruptions. Every time I travel alone, I grow as a person. I become more open to new experiences, and I become braver than I was before. This trip was going to tell me so much about myself; I could feel it.
     My stomach dropped from the pure excitement when I stood up with my passport and boarding pass to get onto the largest airplane I had ever seen in my life. I would be in London in just 10 not-so-short hours.
     I listened to the boys next to me talk about how their parents had bought them this trip for graduating high school, and I felt a sense of pride rush over me knowing that I had paid for this trip entirely for myself from saving money. Some months I lived off of ramen noodles and Mac-n-Cheese, but it was all going to be worth it.
     That flight felt like an eternity of sitting in a small cramped seat, and I only got maybe two hours of sleep the entire night, but I didn't care. We had landed in London. I knew I did not have time to be tired, because the exploring started right then. I was ready to see all of Europe that I could in those 10 short days.
     I stepped off the plane, the smoggy sunlight glaring my eyes, after 12 hours of traveling, my body was sweaty and smelling like an airport, and I was in complete shock that I was in a country I had never been to before. I stood in the line for customs for nearly an hour until I finally was greeted by Kayla, who I hadn't seen in nearly 4 months. I was overcome by joy and excitement to see a place that I had only seen in movies and my dreams. I was exhausted, jet lagged, but full of adrenaline for the week to come.
     All I had to do now was explore.