Last month, in celebration of their 100th birthday, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, together with 14 456 scholars across Gauteng, broke the record for the most number of paper planes flown at a single time. Planted over 2000sqm of land, this food forest will become a consistent, sustainable source of food for both the orphanage and communities in and around the Northriding rural region. In addition, Food and Trees for Africa have secured the support of small restaurants and cafés in the area and the orphanage will supply them with fruit and vegetables to generate a source of income as they assist the 28 children who call Mother of Peace their home. The KLM brand has committed to maintaining the garden for the next three years where the staff at Mother of Peace will be trained on how to look after and maintain the garden so that the garden continues to be a source of nutrients for both the orphanage and the surrounding community.

On Friday 13 September, in celebration of their 100th birthday, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, together with 14 456 scholars across Gauteng, broke the record for the most number of paper planes flown at a single time. Forest of the Future’ at the Mother Of Peace orphanage (situated between Diepsloot and Northriding) which will help nourish the surrounding communities for years to come. So, although it is a world record attempt and that is a fun activity to do, the thought process behind it; using the re-cycled paper to make the paper planes, having the children’s wishes on the paper and then using that as compost for the gardens; is quite inspired really. In celebration of its centenary, instead of looking back at everything they’ve achieved over the past 100 years, KLM will be looking at what the next 100 years of aviation will bring.

In one of my previous posts, I talked about 5 Convincing Reasons to Travel Solo – in this post, I want to touch on why it is important to travel with friends. These friends have become my family, because travelling with them, having to trust them in a foreign country and knowing they will have your back, makes them family! Planning a trip can be overwhelming sometimes, having friends chip in and assist with planning and bookings can definitely make the process easier and more enjoyable. However, when you’re travelling in another country with friends – almost all expenses (possibly with the exception of flights) becomes shared.

“Solo travel is dangerous, it’s better to travel with a group or family” but those who travel solo, will tell you that sometimes, travelling by yourself is the most liberating feeling you can experience! Travelling solo enables you to interact more with locals, it somewhat forces you to learn a foreign language or a few words at least, to ask for directions, order food, and most importantly to absorb a different culture. By having better opportunities to interact with locals of a place, you will ultimately gain a better understanding and better knowledge of the place, culture and lifestyle. Travelling solo will come with a number of firsts – first time going through airport security alone, first time flying alone, first time in a new city alone, first time on tour alone etc.