A journey doesn’t start the moment you set your feet on a plane. It starts the moment you make a decision. Following her acceptance in the Business Administration Program at Thompson Rivers University, Nancy knew her journey was just beginning. At 20 years old, Nancy Zamarrón Cantú left her home in Monterrey, Mexico in the early morning of August 13, 2021. After saying goodbye to her dad and brother, Nancy flew to Mexico City accompanied by her mom, where she would finally board a plane to Vancouver by herself.

Nancy Zamarrón on the highway to Kamloops Airport.

Once Nancy arrived at the Mexico City Airport she embraced herself for what would be the hardest part of her trip. Nancy is not an emotional person. Neither is her family. However, when the moment came to separate herself from her mother and call her father to say goodbye one more time, everyone was emotional.

Finally, she boarded her flight to Vancouver, Canada. “I got in the plane. I sat down and it just hit me, like, I’m going to live in a different country by myself,” she said. Looking down the window as she flew away from Mexico, Nancy had a mix of emotions overruled by the excitement of a new life.

After landing in Vancouver, Nancy’s dream began materializing. She could see the hundreds of people making a line through immigration; the black screens with flight departures; and the tall windows through which she saw a glimpse of Canada.

Nancy Zamarrón at the waiting room in Kamloops Airport.

“It was great for like five seconds. I got my study permit, it was nice. And when I went to get my bags… they weren’t there.” she described. But lost bags can be dealt with. What would take more time to deal with would be something that never crossed her mind. Due to the gravity of the wildfires in Kamloops, flight AC8192 was canceled until new notice. “I grew up in two seconds at that moment.”

In her mind, Nancy knew she was on her own and that she needed to come up with a solution quickly. So, with the help of her parents and her traveler’s insurance, she managed to book a hotel. It was not the best hotel, it wasn’t clean and the locks didn’t work properly (which resulted in a sleepless night); but at least it was a place to stay for the night.

Nancy Zamarrón talking to her family on the phone at Kamloops Airport.

The next day Nancy found out she wouldn’t be able to travel to Kamloops for another three days. Following a new change of hotel, a few trips to Walmart, and some orders through Skip-the-Dishes, she managed to win a little bit of stability. “I thought, you know, I might as well enjoy myself,” she said. So, during her stay in Vancouver, Nancy made the most of it and visited Stanley Park, plus figuring out how to use public transportation. “I always shared my location with my mom whenever I went somewhere. I also asked for directions to people that seemed trustworthy, mostly women.” She explained.

Finally, on August 18, 2021, Nancy arrived at the Kamloops Airport. And although she almost wasn’t let into the bus that would take her to TRU, she made it safely to her dorm room.

Nancy Zamarrón outside Kamloops Airport.

As a final thought on her experience as a young female traveler, this is what she had to say: “We’re paranoid, but we have reasons to be. We’ve heard the stories. We’ve seen the stories. Traveling as a female is hard, but it’s exciting because it shows that you’re strong and independent, and capable of doing so many things.” She hopes that the future of female traveling is brighter and much safer, as well as much more spoken about.