Some people say the travel bug is something you catch as an adult, but mine bit early. My family always traveled – Spain, France, the usual “next door” holidays. But nothing shaped me like my first real international trip: Palestine and the occupied territories. It was 1994 and I was just a kid, but that journey cracked my world wide open. It wasn’t just about travel – it was about seeing a place that would challenge everything I thought I knew. That’s where it all started. After that, I knew I’d never be content staying still. (And honestly, that trip deserves its own blog post soon, because it changed everything for me.)
We kept traveling as a family, but I always wanted more. I wanted independence, adventure, stories that were mine alone. By my late teens, I was desperate to get out there on my own terms.
But if you want to know how I started traveling solo, and how I got my parents to let me, well, let’s just say it started with a lie. And a little help from the Spice Girls….
Let’s set the scene: early 2000s, Portugal. My life was all about the Spice Girls, it has been since the 90s. Geri Halliwell was my queen, but my first shot at seeing one of them live was Emma Bunton in Portugal. I had special tickets, I was supposed to be on stage with her, and then – classic drama – the car broke down on the way to Lisbon to see her. I missed it. I cried for days. It was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my teenage life.
A couple of years later, Mel C was performing in London. By this point, I had a close internet (portuguese / spice fan) friend (even younger than me), and we were both obsessed. We wanted to go, but let’s be real – there was no way our parents would let two teenagers fly to London alone just to see a Spice Girl….. unleeeeeeess, we got creative….!
So we did!!! We bought the tickets ourselves, (and this alone was an adventure as we are talking about purchasing something online in the early 2000s when none of us even had a credit card lol) – a big gamble, because if the plan didn’t work, we’d be out the money and the dream. Then we staged the “big win.” As we were online having a video call on MSN, yep…. who remembers MSN? We timed everything so both our mums would be close by, just in earshot, as we “discovered” the tickets. Cue the screaming, the jumping on the bed, the full Oscar-worthy performance: “Mummy! Mummy! You’re not going to believe this – I WON tickets to see Mel C in London! And better, Mike also won. We both won the competition” (competition we have been casually talking about for the past few days non stop……. Tears, drama, the works. They believed it.
Our mums – living on completely different sides of the country – got on the phone. There was hand-wringing, back-and-forth, “but it would break their hearts if we said no.” And just like that, two teenagers who were just internet friends were off to London to see a Spice Girl, with tickets we’d bought ourselves, not won….
I’ve never told my mum the truth. (Sorry, Mum. Please don’t read this!!!!!)
That trip to London was more than just a concert – it was the moment I realized I wanted to live there someday. Walking the city’s streets, feeling that energy for the first time, I just knew: I had to come back. London got under my skin in a way nothing else had.
And here’s the best part: even though Mel C was the reason for the trip, the biggest highlight wasn’t even the concert. It was meeting Victoria Beckham. Yes, the Victoria Beckham. I ended up on TV with her, have videos and photos of her hugging me and crying with me, and somewhere in my archives there’s video to prove it, on some VHS lol. So in one wild week, I met not one, but two Spice Girls. Teenage dream, unlocked.
Emma and Victoria Beckham (and yes, it’s a real photo lol)
After that trip, everything changed. That was just the beginning – I became unstoppable. Once you pull off something like that, once you realize you can make your own adventure happen (even if it means bending the truth), it gets easier. The world opens up.
Next up was Brazil. And not just a quick trip … I stayed for almost 2 months, living with internet friends I’d never met in person before. My parents weren’t sure, but I was determined. I was responsible, street smart, and stubborn as hell. Then came Italy, Slovenia, for a couple of months too, and soon I was going to London two or three times a year, always chasing that same feeling of freedom and possibility.
Looking back, I’m still amazed my parents trusted me so much. Maybe it’s because I always acted older than my age, maybe it’s because they saw how much travel meant to me. But that trust (and that little white lie) set me on a path I’m still following today.
So yes, my travel story starts with Palestine – a trip that changed me forever, and one I promise to write about soon. But my solo travel story? That begins with a lie, a Spice Girl, and the kind of audacity only a teenager could pull off.
And honestly? I wouldn’t change a thing.
Love & Girl Power
Emma