I love airports, after the initial stress of making sure you have everything, actually getting there and the checking in palaver there is that amazing feeling of calm once your through customs and security. That feeling of adventure and that you are well and truly on holiday (the G&T probably helps). I think about people that do the whole international travel thing with work and actually feel sorry for them - it must dampen down that whole excitement and indulgent airport feeling. I would hate that association with freedom and adventure to change to one of chore and boredom.

Lots of people hate long haul flights and I even know those who it stops from ever visiting places - I just don't understand it, well ok I do for those that are over 100kgs but for me it is a complete indulgence without that feeling of guilt. Whatever the weather in your destination or starting location you can snuggle back and watch back to back films - now tell me, if the sun was banging down and the surf was up - would you seriously be able to do this without feeling guilty (however hungover you were!). You are fed every 3 hours (ok, so quality of food depends on the airline), served wine at your beck and call and of course my favourite past time of all get to cat nap on and off for however many hours your in the air........ Bliss!

Today the one thing I have learnt is that traveling to an international destination without hand luggage is suspicious?!! Not only did I shock my work colleagues this morning with what little I am taking for my 9 day adventure but Sydney International clearly didn't believe that a young lady would be traveling on her own to Kenya with simply a small back pack and Cath Kidson hand bag. At checkin I was questioned twice - " your sure you have not got anything to check in?", "where is your luggage for the trip madam?" . Seriously, in a country where it's pretty much consistently 29 degrees and on a safari camping holiday where the only things to impress are the 'big 5', Rups and Daubs - what weirdo needs more than hand luggage? Again when I got to the gate and showed my boarding pass the attendant pulled me aside and questioned where I had flown from and was I honestly travelling alone with no hand luggage? The worrying thing is she had clearly been briefed to stop me - I'm now wondering what's waiting for me at the other end - questions or otherwise!

And so now in the air, with a glass of red in hand and my Thai green chicken curry on its way I am well and truly enroute to my first Kenyan adventure with the boys. I am lucky to have a husband who is liberal enough to encourage my independent missions and could never have ended up with one that didn't. What I have realised is that 75% of the most important female influences in my life and whilst I was growing up are the most fiercely independent women on the planet, which kind of goes some way to explaining my desire and need for independence, ones own adventure and possibly selfishness (I'm sure you influencers know exactly who you are ....... Although one of which who will be far to old to be reading this but still swims 25 lengths every morning before going to communion at and is over 90!?!?). So sorry Tim but it was never going to be any different!

The first time I had the desire to visit Kenya was just before my GCSEs when Mr Brown our geography teacher came back from a holiday with photos and stories. Kay and I decided this would be the destination for our first holiday away on our own once we had finished our exams so asked the parents if this would be ok. Of course when it came to booking it, this kind of trip was about a grand over our budget (I think this was probably the main reason the folks agreed to the trip in principal, full well knowing we would not be able to afford it). Oh well Ibiza it was......that's all we could get for our money - I'm sure the parents were bowled over by this location of dance music, drugs and foam parties! Anyway Browner, 17 years on and Kenya here I come!