The Fault Is Not Mine

1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it? If you haven't stayed in a hostel, would you? No — I never have, and I don’t think I ever will. Even when I was younger, I was more likely to end up in a little family-run hotel or something slightly nicer. Hostels have never really appealed to me; I can “rough it” if I must, but only if roughing it involves room service and at least three pillows. I like a proper bed, a bit of quiet, and the ability to unpack without worrying someone’s going to nick my shampoo. 

 

2. What is your favo(u)rite airport that you've been to? Why? Changi in Singapore. It’s the only airport that’s ever made me wish I had more time before my flight. Waterfalls, gardens, food that isn’t just sad sandwiches — it’s practically a five-star hotel masquerading as a transport hub. Heathrow could never

 

3. What is the best museum you have visited on vacation? The Uffizi in Florence. Walking into the room with Botticelli’s Birth of Venus felt like being slapped across the face by beauty. I nearly cried. It’s one of those moments where you think, “oh, this is why we put up with queues and blisters and dodgy train timetables.”

 

4. Have you ever made friends while traveling whom you keep in touch with on a regular basis? Not in a lasting way. I’ve had those glorious holiday friendships where you’re inseparable for three days, then never see each other again. I rather like that, honestly — no pressure, just golden little moments, like postcards you keep in your head.

 

5. Have you ever had a conversation with a seatmate on a plane? Yes, though I usually hope for the universal signal of headphones in, book open, please don’t. But once, on a transatlantic, I sat beside a woman who told me her entire life story — loves, losses, scandals. It was like being handed a novel, only with complimentary gin and tonic.