The most important question I've ever been asked

And it's one that I continue to ask myself now, regularly. Especially when thinking about 'home' and where I want to settle (or not).

As a teenager, I developed an almost insatiable appetite for adventure.

I went from being a shy, fairly quiet child who loved being at home and never veered very far to being a teenager with big ideas about what I’d like to do.

First, I went off to India and Thailand for six months with my best friend, Lizzie.

On returning, we went straight to Glastonbury festival. And I went from there to Edinburgh to work the festival for a month.

I slept in tents, on sofas - anywhere. I didn’t care. As long as I was having adventures and experiences, I felt fulfilled.

I started university in Liverpool but it didn’t work out so I returned to London for a few months before deciding to live in Brighton with my sister (sharing her bed).

I worked as a waitress, writing poetry in cafes before my shift and doing some quite serious partying.

Every summer, I’d find work at festivals - Big Chill, Green Man, Reading - I’d take on any job that meant I could be paid to go and get wild in a field.

I travelled through Italy to Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. Camping, finding hostels, staying in people’s homes. All on the cheap; all for the fun.

In my second year of university, I lived with someone who’d become a good friend of mine. He was interested in my approach to life.

One day, while sat in our local pub, he asked me a question that I would come back to many times over the following years. I still do, now. He said to me: