Some holidays change your life. Others merely change your Wi-Fi network.
There are two kinds of people who go on holiday.
Those who genuinely wish to escape the world...
...and those who hope the world notices they've escaped it.
Roxie belonged to that generation who firmly believed that if a moment wasn't captured in a TikTok reel, it probably hadn't happened at all.
She was the undisputed queen of every party. Life arrived in a blur of fifteen-second shorts—filmed, filtered and posted before the ice had melted in her tequila. Every spectacular entrance, every outrageous dance move and every regrettable kiss had its own soundtrack, hashtag and audience.
By morning, complete strangers knew where she'd been, what she'd drunk and who she almost certainly shouldn't have kissed.
Roxie, meanwhile, simply wanted to know where she'd left her handbag.
They'd affectionately nicknamed her Snow White, not because of her complexion, but because she had an unfortunate habit of ending most evenings in a state best described as comatose—without the inconvenience of a poisoned apple.
Then came the morning that changed everything.
Or rather, the afternoon.
Roxie awoke wearing one shoe, yesterday's sequins and the unmistakable expression of someone whose liver had submitted its resignation overnight.
She reached instinctively for her phone.
The previous evening's exploits were already attracting thousands of views. There were comments, laughing emojis and one marriage proposal from a man called FitBloke247.
As she searched for something to cure both her hangover and her existential crisis, she stumbled upon Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love—the story of one woman's journey through Italy, India and Bali in search of meaning, inner peace and a fresh start.
Roxie frowned. It looked wonderfully straightforward.
Eat in Italy.
Pray in India.
Fall in love in Bali.
Self-discovery.
Perfect.
She announced to nobody in particular that she, too, was about to embark upon a life-changing spiritual journey.
This time, things were going to be different.
Her suitcase suggested otherwise.
Into it went six bikinis, four pairs of sunglasses, enough make-up to survive a small apocalypse and a ring light the size of a satellite dish. Somewhere beneath it all, she vaguely remembered to pack a passport.
As the aircraft climbed above the clouds, Roxie made a solemn promise to herself.
No more endless scrolling.
No more chasing likes.
No more measuring life in views and followers.
For the next three months she would embrace the present, savour every moment and become gloriously, unapologetically offline.
By the time the captain announced their descent into Rome, she felt almost... enlightened.
The warm Italian sunshine wrapped itself around her like a welcome embrace. Church bells drifted across the rooftops, the scent of fresh coffee lingered in the narrow streets, and somewhere nearby a violin was playing to a crowd gathered in a sunlit piazza.
Roxie paused.
Perhaps this really was the beginning of a different life.
She swept into the marble foyer of her hotel, removed her designer sunglasses with cinematic flourish and smiled serenely at the receptionist.
"Welcome to Rome," he beamed.
Roxie smiled.
For one glorious second, she looked every inch the woman who had come in search of inner peace.
"Wonderful," she said. "Now... what's the Wi-Fi password?"
This is the first of Roxie's travel adventures.
More questionable life choices await...