I always loved to travel. When I was 19 years of age I earnt my first $2,000, quit my job and travelled to NYC for the first time. As a young woman I travelled alone, with boyfriends and then my husband and later our two daughters. Solo travel became a distant memory after marriage and children.
Then on the 29 September 2013 as a woman who had been married for twenty years, with two teenage daughters and was now 'over 50' I took my first solo trip as a mature aged woman. I chose to go to Hong Kong.
My sister who works in travel reliably informed me that 'Hong Kong is the New York of Asia'. Hong Kong was only a 7 hour flight from my home in Australia and I need only go for a short sojourn to taste the delights of this vibrant city.
I will never forget the moment of panic in the ladies restroom at Sydney International Airport as I calmed my nerves to board the Qantas flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. It was sheer terror. Looking in the mirror I realised that as a comfortably dressed, mature woman the internal terror of travelling alone wasn't automatically visible to everyone else. It was my secret. And with that knowledge I summoned the courage and boarded that flight.
The next step was easy. Let's be honest it is a good flight attendants job description to make sure I the paying customer was comfortable on the flight and they did. The real joy of flying is that with a glass of wine, dinner served and inhouse movies there is nothing to do but sit back and relax. My economy seat was cramped and I was in a window seat so it was difficult to get in and out but I resolved myself to curl up and make the effort to enjoy my alone time. As any woman who has spent years caring for children this time to myself in the air was a strange, new and remarkable experience.
On arriving in Hong Kong at night I decided to afford the expense of catching a taxi to my city hotel. It felt the safest and most direct way to enter my new adventure and rapidly became part of my signature travel experience as my adventures continued.
I will never forget my first sight of the lights of Hong Kong harbour at night. It was literally breathtaking. I will also never forget moving through the hotel reception, the concierge and the elevator to my room and sitting for the first time in my hotel room with the noise, lights and bustle of the city outside echoing around me and thinking what the hell have I done and what the hell do I do next! #lovestotravel
