How I became addicted to travelling

My travel journey began at age 7 when my parents decided to take our first plane trip. Along with my 3-year-old sister, we embarked on a summer vacation leaving from our home country Belgium. Despite the novelty of flying, I don't recall feeling nervous. Our destination was Menorca, followed by Tenerife the next year.

Menorca was an ideal introduction to air travel, with only a 2-hour flight from Belgium. The next year, we ventured to Tenerife, a slightly longer 4-hour flight. By 1993, at age 9, we explored Gran Canaria, and that's where my love affair with the island began. From the moment I arrived, I felt an inexplicable sense of peace and belonging.

Though Tenerife is geographically close, it didn't evoke the same emotions. Gran Canaria's charm captivated my heart, making it a place I vowed to revisit. Over the following years, our travels expanded to Mallorca, Ibiza, Almería, and other sunny destinations in Spain. However, I could never forget the way I felt in Gran Canaria. I had an enduring wish for my parents to take my sister and me back to that magical island. I needed to know if my feelings were genuine or just a temporary crush on that little place I call paradise. Finally, in 2003, a decade after my first visit to Gran Canaria, my parents asked if I wanted to join them for another holiday there. At 19, they thought I might not be interested in traveling with them, but I couldn't have been happier. When they said those magic words, I literally jumped for joy.

Upon landing in Gran Canaria again, I felt like I was home. It's unbelievable how a place can touch your soul and give you such a profound sense of belonging. That was also the year I decided to make plans to study Spanish and somehow at one point in my life move to live on the island for a longer time than just a 2-week holiday. That's when it hit me: I was going to be travelling alot in my life, particularly to that little Spanish island, but there was also a deep desire to discover the wonderful wide world and all of it's jems and treasures. And so, with alot of passion and excitement, my travel addiction was born in that summer of 2003.