Let's Runaway: places i want to get lost in

I'm only 17, and there aren't many places I've been to in these seventeen years of life. With a passion in photography, the love for travelling just comes with the package.

Guangzhou, China, 2012 (captured by me)

The conflicting matter in this is my fear of flying. I'm not worried that the plane will crash or anything of that sort. It's just that I have really bad motion sickness. I travel to China a lot, ever since I was a baby, and I go once a year usually, (since all my relatives are over there) but this motion sickness, over the years, has developed into a slight phobia. Such that when I walk up that path towards boarding the plane, I start breathing really heavily, my vision somewhat blurs and I feel really sick, losing all taste in my mouth. It's really bad.

I used to get sick on the plane all the time, every time. It became some kind of sick game to see how many times I would, let's just say, empty my stomach out, in one single plane ride. I would take motion sickness pills but they wouldn't help because it became some kind of mental thing.

Now I'm getting better, I would still get the reaction I always have when getting onto the plane but I haven't 'emptied my stomach' in many of my plane rides now. I have learnt how to control myself. I lose my appetite and feel sick so I just eat. I eat and eat and eat until my mouth has taste again and it helps me regain my appetite and avoid 'emptying' anything out.

These days I usually make my parents take the transfer planes with me, the ones that stop for a few hours at a different city before we board again so I can have a break. E.g. stopping at Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia. It also allows us to explore the airport and look out at the city. Sometimes we even make it a holiday stop where we spend a few days before continuing our way to China.

But it's bad, the plane trips are only 6 hours long, the longest. I used to take the 8 hour ones directly to Hong Kong but they were the times when I would get sick. I really hope this will continue to improve each time I go on the plane. 6 hours improves to 8 hours. 8 hours improves to 12 and soon I can travel wherever I want... I really hope!

It sucks that Australia is so separate from all the other wonderful countries. If this comes true, and I become capable of travelling for long hours (how my choices would widen!) I would LOVE to go to these countries:

• France

• UK

• Italy

• USA

• Greece

• Croatia

• Canada

• Russia

• Poland

• Portugal

• Spain

• Switzerland 

• Ireland

• Scotland

• South Africa

• Austria

• Germany

• The Netherlands

• Mexico

• Turkey

• Romania

(Other Cities: Dubai)

(this doesn't include places like Indonesia, Korea and Japan which are places I am capable of going in my current state anyway. I really hope to go to these places in a few years time.)

I've realised I have many readers from all over the world. It really amazes me that my words are being read from places I could only dream of. One day I hope to visit your country!