View of Airlie Beach at 4000 ft

It’s just another day in the Whitsundays, the sky is clear, the sun is shining, and we’re about to jump out of a plane at 13,000 ft above sea level. How the heck did I get here? I ask myself as I look down at the houses and roads that keep getting smaller and smaller below me as the tiny Cessna airplane creeps higher into the atmosphere.  Before coming to Australia I would have never have even imagined jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft, never mind choosing it as a birthday present for myself. After about 15 minutes of climbing we reach our maximum altitude and the pilot signals to the tandem masters that we are good to go.

Seconds before the jump

I have decided to jump first, as I think that seeing Andrew fall out of the plane would add even more fear to my already over burdened nervous system. Within seconds the door of the plane is opened, and before I can even count to three we are free falling to the ground below us.  And while I expected the “rollercoaster” stomach feeling to be overwhelming, surprisingly, there is none.  Just the wind rushing past your face and a huge adrenaline rush surging through your body.  After 50 seconds of plummeting to the ground, the parachute opens and I can finally catch my breath and let out the scream that’s been stuck in my throat the whole time.

So how did a girl like me who once had a panic attack climbing to the nose bleeds section at the Toronto Skydome willingly jump out of a plane smiling the whole way down?

Free Falling and loving it!

After traveling for 10 months, and testing myself and my abilities in dozens of other areas, I have learned there is nothing that you can’t do if you put your mind to it.  Travel has opened my mind to new possibilities, and made me face some of my biggest fears – in this case head on.  And while I would have never even thought of sky diving as something to do back at home, it seems to be a “must do” activity on all travelers lists here in Australia. I’ve learned that in most cases, the anticipation of the event is scarier that the actual experience.  A big thanks to Skydive Whitsunday’s for taking us on the ride of our lives today.  As lululemon would say, we should do one thing a day that scares us --  as for tomorrow, I’m not sure how we’ll top sky diving, but we will definitely be keeping our eyes open for the next adventure.