I was 4 years old when I went on my first adventure travelling around France, Spain, Portugal and Scotland with my parents. This trip lasted five years with only the occasional trip home, one of those being for the birth of my sister. Two week’s after she was born we were back on the road again, me with a new sister to play with and she with a new passport!
During those five years I was home (or on the road) educated by my Mum and Dad which meant we could set our own school hours and ensure there was plenty of activity time. I can recall playing outside everyday and going on huge bike rides with my little sister Ocea towed in a trailer by my Mum. Dad would take us fishing to catch our dinner and I remember my 8th birthday vividly as I caught a fish – it was better than any present bought from a shop.
I really enjoyed meeting other children and if we couldn’t speak the same language we would paint and draw together – that’s how my other passion for art, grew. Wash days were fun as we did our laundry in sparkling rivers and bathed in buckets. It was also so much fun working together as a family and made me appreciate that these are the special moments in life. We used to say "home is where you park it" – much like the idea behind Freedom to Go.
Mum and dad skated, mountain biked and surfed and although I was always fascinated by the sea it wasn’t until I was older that I started to take an active interest in surfing.
I was 9 years old when we returned home to the UK to live permanently in a house and I can remember feeling claustrophobic. Luckily we always had a campervan (our house on wheels) parked at the house so that we could go away for weekends and never be more than 10 minutes from the beach.
My love of surfing really started to blossom around the age of 13 when my Dad would take me out for a surf at our local beach in Hayle, Cornwall. Then I started attending the local surf club every Saturday and after just two years, I started competing. I am currently ranked fifth in the UK for under 18’s and 10th in the ladies division. I’ve worked really hard to get there in a short space of time and am looking forward to the 2015 season and improving on this.
Read Melodie's blogs Surf's Up and Surf Stardom.
