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.