A Ticket For One: Travelling Alone

Without a doubt, the thing I dreaded most about the whole year abroad experience was the travelling. In my head, I'd built it up to be this absolute ordeal, in which I'd have at least four meltdowns. As it turns out, flying alone really isn't that bad. I wouldn't say it was enjoyable, but it certainly wasn't bad.

The first stop was Heathrow. Luckily, I had both parents and my little brother in tow, so the check in process (which, in my opinion, is the most stressful part of any airport experience) was pretty much done for me. I then had the hard part - the good byes. Some how, I managed to keep it together as all three of them shamelessly wept. Here's a tip - don't look back. Once you've said so long, don't turn around and look at them all weepy and hugging, because THAT will make you cry.

I didn't have a great deal of time to kill at Heathrow, which was fortunate for me as I really didn't have the money for all the make up I'd undoubtedly NEED to buy if I looked at it for long enough. I boarded fairly quickly and with minimal fuss, and I was away.

I flew with Delta for both the long-haul and the connection flight. I have to say, I really couldn't fault them. The crew were wonderful, the seats were pretty comfortable as economy flights go, the food was great (unless you hate cheese - So. Much. Cheese.), and the entertainment system was the best I've seen on a plane to date. There were a few technical issues with some film/tv show viewings, mine included, but there was a large selection of music to pick and choose from to make playlists. I was happy as Larry. I'd recommend Delta to anybody going to America for next year's year abroad, or for any other reason.

Atlanta Airport was probably the worst part of the journey. The airport itself, or what I experienced of it, didn't have the greatest of organisation. Of the 20+ kiosks at immigration, only three of them were occupied by staff, so the queue to get through was so much longer than it needed to be. Fortunately, flights were slightly delayed due to thunderstorms. If all had been on time, it would have been a tight squeeze to get to the gate for the next flight at a comfortable time. Fortunately, though, I made it.

Arriving at the university campus was slightly daunting. It was pitch black, and about 5am in my brain's time zone so I had no sense of orientation whatsoever, but I had a brilliant taxi driver who hunted a friendly face down to take me to where I needed to be.

All of that, all on my own, and not one single melt-down. A pat on the back well deserved, I'd say. I think the trick is honestly just to pretend you know what you're doing. Just pretend you're a sophisticated individual (even when you're really really not) on a well-planned and highly successful trip. That's what got me through, anyway!