One way ticket to Bogota, Colombia

So this is it; I'm about to fly 5000 miles round the world by myself. It feels like I've been counting down to this moment forever; my go-to answer for 'so what are you doing with your life?' has for a long time been the typical "I'm going travelling" response of many twenty-somethings. But now it's actually happening.

It would be a downright lie if I said I was completely calm right now. If you know me, you'll know I'm a worrier. If you don't know me and you've just stumbled across this blog let me fill you in. My name's Hannah, I'm 22 and for the last year I've been working as a waitress in a cocktail bar (I hope you've got Human League in your head now) in order to save up money for my travels. Specifically for my impending solo trip round South America, starting in Bogota. The typical reaction I've had from friends, family and even strangers about this plan has been one of shock. 'Oh my god I just read an article in the Daily Mail that says Colombia is the number one place for a solo female traveller NOT to go to!'. Ah, well if the Daily Mail says it then it must be true...

So why am I going solo? Because why not. I've wanted to travel for a long time and nobody else that I know is either available to or wants to- why should I wait around for someone else to be ready when I can go alone? Of course I'm scared. I think there'd probably be something wrong with me if I wasn't. But it's not enough to stop me. I'm not one to turn to quotes for inspiration but there's a saying that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Let's hope that's true.

And why South America? It isn't somewhere I've always been desperate to go to but when deciding on one big area to head to, for me it seemed the most interesting and completely different to anywhere I've been before. I've done interrailing in Europe, though only a few weeks at a time. Australia, in my naive mind, seems like it would sort of be a hot version of England, and I wanted to try somewhere a bit more off the beaten traveller track. From the hundreds of other travel blogs I've been reading, South America seems like it has so much to offer and I'm so excited to be immersed in such a rich, diverse culture.

I'm hoping this blog can act as my travel diary, something for me to look back on and see all the amazing places I've visited. A few years ago I was speaking to a girl in a hostel in Italy who was travelling alone and unfortunately she'd just had pretty much everything valuable stolen, including her camera & memory card. I remember her saying the worst bit was the camera, because nobody else had been there to see everything she'd experienced. Touch wood, this will absolutely not happen to me.

I suppose I've nothing more to say right now- I've just had a bacon sandwich, even though I feel a little bit sick, but there's always something about airports and flights that makes me feel like I need to eat at every opportunity. Anyway, anyone who is reading this before 9pm GMT on the 27th July, please pray for me that my rucksack makes it to Colombia...

Time to board!