Jumping Out of My Comfort Zone

When I was 19, I did something both terrifying and exhilarating: I booked a one-way ticket to the other side of the world.

I had always felt that pull to travel — that quiet whisper that there’s more to see, more to discover, not just out there but inside myself. So before I stepped into the world of post-secondary, I chose to take a gap year. Not because I didn’t care about school, but because I deeply cared about living fully.

At 18 it started with a train. A Via Rail adventure across Canada with a girlfriend — just two teenagers carrying more curiosity than luggage. On that one month trip, we met a group of Australians and New Zealanders. They were open, kind, full of stories and laughter. Their adventurous spirit lit a spark in me. I knew, in that moment, that my next chapter would be written far from home.

Two 18-year-olds on a three-day train ride headed west, not knowing the journey would change everything.

The Butterflies Before the Leap

Before I left, the butterflies in my stomach were real. The kind that flutter between excitement and fear. I was leaving the familiar — my family, friends, routines — for something I couldn’t fully picture yet. What if I got lost? What if I couldn’t handle it? What if I missed my family and friends?

But another voice whispered back: What if it’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of?

So I packed my backpack, hugged my parents goodbye, and boarded that plane to Australia.

Me living my Australian dream at 19

The Adventure That Changed Me

What happened over the next five months in Australia and one in New Zealand was nothing short of life-changing.

I hiked through breathtaking landscapes. I scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef. I even went skydiving — something I never imagined I’d have the courage to do. I stayed in hostels, met people from all over the world, and learned that shared laughter in a hostel dorm can make strangers feel like family.

Every single experience pushed me just a little bit further outside my comfort zone.

And every time I leaned into that fluttery feeling — those butterflies — something beautiful happened. I grew. I stretched. I found parts of myself I didn’t even know were waiting to be discovered.

One of those moments where adventure becomes growth.

Coming Home Different

When I came home, I wasn’t the same girl who had left.

Travel had shaped me in quiet and loud ways. I was more independent, more open, more connected to the world around me. That gap year wasn’t just about seeing new places — it was about meeting myself in a new way.

To this day, when I feel that familiar flutter in my chest, I remind myself of that 19-year-old girl who got on the plane. The one who didn’t wait to have it all figured out. She just said yes to the unknown.

And it changed everything.

Sometimes, the most life-shaping chapters start with a single leap. Butterflies don’t mean stop — they mean go.