My world revolves around travel. I enjoy visiting new places, gaining new experiences, and learning more about myself along the way. Having a British passport has helped me explore different countries around the globe. Even with all these various trips, I had never been out of the UK to celebrate my birthday. I'm one of those people that absolutely loves birthdays, my own as well as other people's. I decided to spend my 27th birthday in East Asia, as I had found a cheap ticket to Hong Kong. A good friend of mine who was living in China suggested that we spend it together in Shanghai. I had a fabulous time getting to know Hong Kong and all that it had to offer, but I simply could not wait to arrive in Shanghai and have a fuss made over me. Getting into China was easy, thanks to my passport and as I was only spending 3 days in China, I was eligible for the 72-hour visa-free transit.
Landing in Shanghai Pudong Airport, I had to fill in a card detailing my reasons for visiting and where I would be staying. I was waiting at border security for the agent to look over my passport and card, and let me through. For the first time in my travel experience, the border agent held onto my passport and pored over the details I had given. He looked at me several times, while I was waiting to be granted passage into the country. After what felt like an age, he eventually stamped my documents and I was let through to the other side. It is experiences like these that remind me just how privileged I am, thanks to my nationality.