If I had no limitations on where I could go and what I could do, then I would push myself to the four corners of the Earth. I would want to travel to every continent, get a flavour for life in the North, the South, the East and the West. I want to meet the people, see the sights, live the life. Be in the heart of the city, and trek out to the middle of nowhere. I want the opportunity to take the road less travelled. To really experience our Earth. See it, get to know it, and most importantly, learn the language of the world.

I want to stand in the middle of a rainforest, not even able to see the sky for the dense overgrowth, the sun struggling to light the trees, the roots of which come way over my head. I want to be amongst this precious land with its majority of animal life, before our greed destroys it, only to be read about in history books and long forgotten geography lessons. I want to be there to touch it to see it to feel it, feel the rhythm and the heart, to feel the life.

I want to know what cold is. I want to travel to the Arctic, shout my lungs out to absolutely no avail, to hear no echo, just the wind, whipping and howling and moaning away. I want to see every single shade of white no matter which way I turn. I want my eyelashes to freeze. I want my bones to ache with the cold. I want to shiver so much that after a while my body ceases vibrating in an effort to try and make energy, and is forced to accept, the numbness takes over. I want to know what it feels like to be so cold it actually burns.

I want to stand in the middle of the Sahara desert and feel the searing rays of the Sun penetrate my clothes and scorch my skin. It blisters me, permanently scarring my arm, forever a reminder of the power and importance of the Sun, and the insignificance of my Self. I want the sweat to collect on my forehead before flowing down the sides of my face. I want to fully realise the actual point of my eyebrows. The sweat runs down my neck, my back, my armpits, the backs of my knees. My sticky, sweating knees. My clothes saturate with sweat, and then the heat instantly absorbs the moisture. I want to truly feel thirsty, and then drink.

I want to know what real hunger is. I want to work long and hard, with my weight on my back, for 14 hours straight, just to earn my meal. I want to earn it, I want to taste it, and I know it will taste good.

I want to stand in the frantic high streets of Vegas, Tokyo, Bangkok... pulled left and right by different street vendors trying to help ease the cash from my pocket. Not knowing which way is up with the hustle and the bustle and the flashing neon lights. The Temptations. And then I want it all to go away. The other side of the island. The calmness, the serenity, the stillness. Learning to be mindful. Learning to read the signs, and learning the language of the world. Learning to be by myself, to be myself, learning what it is to be me.

I want to stand on the tallest mountain and feel like The King of the World. With my head, literally, in the clouds, I want to look down and survey my Kingdom, and look up and know that there is literally nothing between myself and Heaven. I want to breathe in deep and inhale the purest air I've ever breathed and let it heal me.

And from the highest point and the freedom of Air, I want to feel the totality and severity of Water. I want to dive into the Ocean deep. The waves engulf and envelop me. And I am calm. The beauty is profound. Crystal clear waters, and sea creatures of such intense colour and variety that the spectacle simply dazzles me. Trying to work out what is flora and what is fauna, and whether I am more scared of them or if they are of me. And looking forward to the freshest paella of my life, caught this morning just off the local beach. Just catching the smell of the frying fish makes my mouth begin to water. The smell so intense that it drives itself straight up my nostrils, and lingers there many hours after the meal has been consumed.

Finishing off the last few grains of sticky, succulent rice as I drift down the shore. This trip has given me so much, I feel as if I ought to give something back. But leave no litter, and close every gate is the code, so perhaps all I can do is leave my footprints on the shore. My toes sift through the fine sugary sand on the most dazzling of white beaches, leaving prints that will quickly be faded by the rhythmical ride of the waves lapping back and forth, back and forth, erasing my presence. And I remember once more, that really, I am no bigger and no more or less important than a tiny speck of sand.

My Ultimate Trip would have me exploring every corner of the world, and every facet of my personality. I want to discover the world and discover myself. I want to meet great people, and know that I am a great person, also worthy of being met. I want to absorb all I can, and give all I can. For if you are not here to learn you are here to teach. I want to take my lessons of love, life and living, and teach them to you all.

• ultimate
• rainforest
• Mountain
• Arctic
• Sahara
• Vegas
• Tokyo
• bangkok