Our Montreal trip was actually the perfect getaway. We were still in Canada, so we didn’t have to worry about the stresses of international travel.

The first trip of 2019 was one I’d been dreaming about since I was a teenager – New York City!

Heading to Dublin was a huge step for me. It was my first solo trip overseas to a place I’d never been. The closer the trip got, the more anxious I became, but getting dropped off at the airport was one of the most empowering feelings in my life up until that point.

It was so nice to have someone by my side through all the adventures, but it was also reassuring to know that I had everything organized.

The first part of our couple’s trip to British Columbia meant a few days to ourselves exploring Vancouver – a place neither my partner nor I had been to before.

My partner suggested we take a day trip to one of Ontario’s many gorgeous national parks. So we did some research and decided to go to Tobermory’s Bruce Peninsula National Park.

As a traveller in Iceland, I knew I couldn’t just stay in Reykjavik. As beautiful as it is, the country’s real soul lies in the places you venture beyond the town.

Stepping off the plane in Iceland was one of the most surreal experiences in my life up until that point.

But it was an idea in someone’s head, and some planning later I was in a place with palm trees and a Disney castle. Wild.

I led a sheltered life until this point, so jumping on a plane in one place and hopping off it in another felt like magic. Like maybe this was another world. And I had a ticket to see it.

I feel a lot less anxious when I’m on a plane to somewhere new – like I’m escaping, even if it is only for a few days.