At 69, I've spent much of my life avoiding camping, so why, as I approach my 70th birthday, did I decide to throw caution to the wind and hire a campervan for a trip to Cornwall?
A rogue decision, especially seeing as my previous two camping experiences were less than enjoyable, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone this year, after joining HELLO!'s Happiness community, and reading about how taking a leap out of your comfort zone can make you happier.
"When we step out of our comfort zone, we learn more about ourselves, we become more resilient in terms of discovering skills we never knew we had and building confidence and self-esteem, as well as opening ourselves up to new opportunity," explains Dr. Radha of BBC Radio 1 show Life Hacks.
"When we step out of our comfort zone, we rediscover the skills and talent and potential and the sense of openness we had as a child," Dr. Radha continues.
I am a generally happy person; I'm independent and motivated, but who doesn't want to be even happier? If stepping out of my comfort zone was how to be happier, then so be it.
But why a camper van? Let me explain.
Comedian Susan Calman and her little campervan Helen Mirren inspired me. She's a woman on her own, as I would be on my adventure. And she's small, like me. So if I could get a small enough van, I decided I could follow in her footsteps.
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I started searching the internet, firstly thinking I might buy one, then came across Kooky Campervans near Bude, and saw just the vehicle for me. A miniature campervan called Kerri. The adventure began.
A holiday with a difference
Every year my daughter and I go to Cornwall to meet up with our friends, who have a big VW camper van.
Not happy campers, we generally stay in an Air B&B and meet them each day for adventures all over the south of Cornwall. It's a great experience, however this year was different as my daughter could not come with me.
I resigned myself to not going on our annual trip until I started reading about stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things in the HELLO! Happiness newsletter.
I decided I could take on the challenge of hiring a camper van and going away alone. Others were sceptical. I generally prefer the finer things in life, such as a comfy bed and breakfast served to me, plus I had only ever had two experiences of camping, both not good!
The first was in John O'Groats (not your ideal camping venue, you might say ) when I was in my twenties. The tent blew away and the weather was so bad even the caravan that we hired in an emergency was perilous, rocking madly as we tried to sleep. An unforgettable experience to say the least.
My second foray into camping was with our friends in Cornwall in 2013. This time it must have been the wettest, windiest week of the year and again the tent flapped around in wet soggy ground. Not a good experience and I vowed never to camp again.
However, I decided a camper van would be a better bet.
I took the plunge, talked to the owner of Kooky Caravans and he told me a bit about Kerri, my home for the week. She was converted to give me everything I would need. A comfy bed, cooking facilities, water, lights and a table and chairs for sitting out in the sun. What more could a traveller want?
My campervan experience
I was a little worried about driving the unfamiliar vehicle. It had no power steering and no mod cons, but once I got in and started driving it was surprisingly easy and comfortable to drive. You are higher up than in a car, so it was lovely for looking around.
My biggest concern during the trip was when I first picked Kerri up because I couldn't connect my satnav and I had no signal on my phone to use Google Maps. Although I thought I knew where I was going, I went the wrong way, heading north instead of south.
This knocked my confidence a bit. It was an unfamiliar vehicle and I was lost on a wet, windy fairly isolated cliff-top road. Getting used to driving a high-sided vehicle in the wind was an experience. This was probably the only time I missed a travelling companion while driving.
The perils of camper van life
Once I arrived at the campsite, my lifestyle changed. Everything I needed was in the van, my friends welcomed me with open arms and I looked like I belonged in Kerri and the camping community.
That said, the first night was quite scary. I got into the van and settled into my bed and it started to rock with the wind.
All sorts of thoughts went through my head. Would she roll over in the night, how would I survive, what about the people in the tent beside me if I blew into them?
I need not have worried; in fact, the rocking must have helped me sleep, as next thing I knew it was past eight in the morning. I told my friends my worries the next morning and they laughed at my concerns.
Another worry I had was I might not sleep well and the light would wake me at the crack of dawn, but I had a backup plan to go for a nice run each morning before everybody woke up, but this did not happen as I slept like a log.
How did stepping out of my comfort zone make me happier?
The best part of the experience was that I had taken what seemed like a risk of driving a much older and different vehicle to what I was used to, on my own. The challenge reminded me I can do hard things. Buoyed by my newfound confidence, I even tried body boarding for the first time, something I wouldn't have considered had I not already tried something new!
The freedom of camping was good too and I felt pleased with my adventure, but would I do it again? I'm not sure.
The main thing I learned is that I am happy going away as a solo traveller and I'm motivated to try another solo holiday in the future.
I would advise anybody considering a new and different experience to give it a go, what's the worst that can happen?
