My big trip

When I finished serving in the army on August 17, I knew I would want to go on a long trip, in order to clear my mind and feel a real sense of freedom.
After the release I started working as a waitress and for about two and a half years I saved money so that I could fulfill my dream and travel the world.

I found the culture of the Far East very interesting to me, so I decided to travel there.

I started the trip in Japan. It was the most powerful beginning and very different from anything I experienced afterwards. I got to know a very different culture, very friendly people and of course eat the most delicious food in the world!

From Japan I continued to the Philippines, a place whose beauty is hard to describe in words.

The Philippines is still not very touristy, and you can still feel the local and beautiful culture there. I was there in the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life, I saw beaches that made me cry from excitement.

After the Philippines I flew to Cambodia. In Cambodia I felt like I had started the “big trip”, because there it was the first time we met many other young Israelis of our age. I remember Cambodia as the destination where I had the funniest moments, and had a lot of fun with new friends.

From there I continued to northern Thailand.

It wasn’t my first time in Thailand, so I decided to focus only on the north of Thailand, in a town named Pai.

Pai felt like a kibbutz, in a moment we got to know the whole city and felt at home there. The food there was excellent and we felt it was a rest from the race of the trip.

From Pai we continued to Vietnam.

Vietnam is so beautiful, there is a lot to see. Every day we went on a different trip, see new landscapes. For about a month we traveled all over Vietnam and we got to experience perfect culture and to see amazing views.

After Vietnam, which was full of attractions, we felt we needed some rest, so from there we continued to northern India.
India is different from anything we have experienced so far. There is a different calm and quiet there.

It may not be the most beautiful place I’ve been to, probably not the place with the tastiest food and maybe not the most interesting culture either, but India is the most special destination I’ve been to on a trip.

We experienced peace and quiet, interesting conversations, time to think about what we have experienced so far, and what we will soon experience when we return to Israel.

At this point, I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to return to Israel soon, but I wanted to end the trip in a different vibe.

Therefore, from India we flew to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka was a perfect end to the trip – views, sea, parties, food and a lot of fun!

Then, after six months, I returned home, full of experiences that will accompany me for life, but with a desire to return to my home and especially to my bed.

I think that a long trip in this time of life (after the army and before university) is seen by some people as a waste of time. I can understand this of course because these are the years in which we build ourselves for the future.

But I can say unequivocally that the feelings I felt on the trip, I did not feel and probably will never feel either. A true sense of independence and freedom that is not found anywhere else. A real disconnection from everyday life. In my opinion that’s the beauty of flying at this stage in life, as there aren’t many worries to worry about.

I learned a lot about myself in the trip, and hopefully I’ll be back there soon!