Milda Ratkelyte

My favorite childhood holiday will always be summers spent in a tiny village called Watamu in Kenya. This was our family vacation spot for three years in a row when I was about 15. We used to stay in a small family run resort next to the turquoise Indian Ocean and white sand beaches. We would spend at least three weeks there.

The first week would always for exploring. We would go to a different Nature Reserve every year, but my favourite has always been Masai Mara with it's huge roaring lions, lazy hippos and stunning gazelles. During the second week we would help out at a local school run next to our resort. We would bring books, pencils, toys and clothes for the kids and play with them during the days. This was always my favourite week.

The last week of holidays was the relaxation time: lazing around the beach, diving, snorkelling, beach games or just getting through the summer book list given by the school before we left for summer vacation. This was where I caught my travel bug and developed my thirst for exploring and discovering.

Definitely Tokyo! It will never fail to suprise you with the fresh caught fish sushi and sashimi, golden and perfectly crispy fried tempura, mouthwatering tender chicken yakitori and gloriously rich, creamy slurpable broth ramen. Yummy!

I always aim to pack light, especially when I am travelling with budget airlines that charge enormous amounts for check-in luggage. Also, most of my trips are up to 5 days. However, my attempt to pack light is not always successful. There is always something I grab the last minute "just in case" that I end up not using at all. But I am getting much better! I managed to squeeze into 6 kilos for my last one week trip to Japan! Woot!

1: Explore Japan.
2: Homestay in Yap Island in the Pacific Ocean.
3: Do an overland South America trip.

I think my scariest travel experience was back in Kenya. We were staying at the camp site in the middle of the Masai Mara Nature Reserve. The tents were huge and fit in a lovely four poster bed and water barrels inside. Each of them also had a huge yellow lamp outside at the front. During the bonfire dinner at the camp, we were told that the bright lights are there to scare off elephants that wander around the park at night, but when I headed back to our tent, the light was broken.

My brother persuaded me that we are surrounded by other tents with the lights so there was nothing to worry about (never listened to him again).

I woke up at midnight from a heavy stomping sound. It was a family of elephants running across the field just next to our camp. It was so loud that I was sure that any minute the huge elephant feet will be inside our tent stomping all over my brother and me. I woke him up and dragged him outside in his pyjamas and ran to the tent next to ours and sat right under the bright hot yellow lamp till the morning.