Scrolling aimlessly on my phone, I wait for the intercom to announce the boarding of our flight. My little sister, Nancy, sits across from me - her hand dug deep in a bag of crisps. Pulling out a mighty handful, I watch and grimace as she shoves them into her awaiting mouth. My sight immediately trails down to the crumbs littering her bright pink jumper and her chubby fingers which are now covered in a thick layer of cheese dust.

What a sight to be greeted with at the crack of dawn.

My mother sits beside her, checking and re-checking her schedule sporadically, despite us being several hours early. My father, on the other hand, is knocked right out, deep in slumber. The blacked-out shades perching on the tip of his nose say everything.

It's the summer break before I leave for university and my parents thought what better way to end the year than going on one last family holiday... to Italy. The idea sounded appealing at first, but I have concluded that I am dreading having to walk around my mother on eggshells the entire time.

My Uncle Terrone and Aunt Vienna own a small townhouse in Vernazza, Cinque Terre, which hasn't been occupied for the better part of eternity. We agreed to meet them there and we'd spend three weeks together.

"Heidi, if you carry on looking at that phone, you'll give yourself a headache," my mother says, and my eyes meet with hers. "We should be boarding soon; do you need to use the bathroom?" she asks as though I'm a child and unable to allocate a bathroom if necessary.

"No, mother, I do not need to use the bathroom and I'm sure my head will be okay." I give her a tight-lipped smile in response.

Her gaze is quickly dragged away from mine before it settles back on Nancy. She crumples the crisp packet before stumbling out of her chair and stalking towards the bin. "How long is the flight, mummy?" her small voice sounds with the same question she has repeated the past half an hour.

"About two hours, hoping there are no more delays," my mother says, checking the itinerary, yet again. "Brush yourself off, you've dropped more crisps down you than you have eaten," she says as a snore erupts from my father.

My mother swats him on the arm with her wad of paper and he quickly snaps out of it. "What was that for?" he thrusts his arms into the air, shook by how unprepared he was for my mother's actions.

"Sebastien! We are in the middle of an airport, and you are snoring like your life depends on it. Wake up, we don't want to be late," she raises her voice and heads swivel in our direction. Wanting the world to wipe me from existence, I sink further into my chair.

"Honey, I'm sorry-" my father's is cut off by a woman's voice through the intercom.

"This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight B172 to Pisa, Italy. We are now advising those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes' time. Thank you."

As soon as the woman's voice sounds, I am out of my chair and hastily grabbing my luggage. I've never been more thankful for my six-year-old sister. The sooner we get on the flight, the sooner I can feel the warm breeze of Italy against my cheeks. Just the idea makes my feet move faster against the worn carpet.

The glass doors slide open as the crowd moves towards the gates in a frenzy. Flashing our passports, I feel relief as we are granted permission to finally board the flight. In just about four hours' time, I will be able to finally relax in the Italian rays. My own thoughts make me feel giddy as we walk outside, the cold air chilling the warmth in my veins, and towards the stairs that lead to the plane.

"Mummy, look! Look how big the plane is!" Nancy shouts from in front of us as she skips along and for the first time this morning, my mother smiles. She smiles a big, toothy grin. I can't deny that the sight provokes a small smile of my own.

The sun is rising with wondrous purples and pinks behind the body of the plane, and I would look at it a moment longer if it weren't for my mother persistently pushing us along.

"Very soon our feet will be on Italian soil! I don't know how you are not all bursting with joy. It's our big finale before our little Heidi is off to university," my father grows soppy again. "It only feels like yesterday when we were off to the hospital to welcome you into the world."

"We get it, father," I let out a small laugh at his antics. "And then you continue with the part where you warn me about teen pregnancy and advise me to ward off all boys until I'm fifty."

Silence stretches between us before my father responds, giving me a bashful smile. "That would be correct... but, Heidi, we thought we were young and fun back then. I don't regret you, not one bit, but if I can give you any food for thought... leave boys out of the equation," my father continues his ramble.

"Enough, Seb. Heidi is old enough to understand that prot-" I cut her off before she can go any further. I'm not sure if they are aware but we are surrounded by far too many people, that we will have to sit in the same cramped space with for the next two hours, to be having this conversation.

"Let's go," I say through my teeth as the line starts dispersing and more people board.

Holding my boarding pass, I anticipate stepping onto the plane and slouching in the awfully uncomfortable seats. It's only two hours but two hours can feel like a lifetime when you have babies crying or someone incessantly kicking the back of your chair. All I need to get through the flight is my perfectly curated playlist and the joy of the window seat.

We begin walking up the stairs, our feet colliding with the harsh metal, and my anticipation grows. As soon as I show my boarding pass and the flight attendant flags us through, I let my excitement bloom. Nancy squeals next to me as we trail down the aisle, trying to seek out our seats.

"Here," my father guides, and I sit in the seat next to the window. My father sits beside me, then Nancy next to him, and then my mother sits by the aisle as she is consequently the only person who needs the bathroom every five minutes. "Seatbelts everyone," he says, and a laugh bubbles through me at his enthusiasm.

Once everyone is settled, the usual process of safety procedures takes its course - the flight attendants gesturing towards the fire exits and the motions appearing on the screens in front of us. As soon as it is over, I grab my headphones from my pocket and put them in - attempting to drown out the surroundings and the tedious conversations taking place around me.

When the plane begins to move, I watch in awe as it speeds up before the ground floats away from us. I've always loved flying, but I can never help the underlying anxiety that it gives me. The idea that our lives are in the hands of this piece of heavy flying metal taking us to our desired location and the pilots that are flying said heavy metal, doesn't sit right with me. Unease curdles in my stomach.

I take a deep breath.

I watch as the clouds take over the view before they sink below us. With music playing in my ears, I focus on the three weeks ahead. Which are either going to be from hell itself or just as heavenly as I am hoping for.

Something taps on my shoulder, and I am awoken from a slumber that I hadn't even realised I had slipped into. Snapping my head to the side, I notice my father looking at me expectantly. Taking an earbud out, I give him a questioning look.

"We'll be landing in about thirty minutes; do you want anything to eat?" he asks but I shake my head.

"No, thank you." I've been cutting back with snacks and chocolate for this getaway. No need to stop now. He nods his head before turning back to my mother and I put my music back on, staring out of the window.

Before I know it, the ocean appears, and the plane begins its descent. My excitement brews as the city of Pisa comes into view. I am in complete awe as I watch its approach, my eyes glued to the world outside the window.

Another tap on my shoulder. "We need to get our suitcases as quick as we can, our coach leaves not a short while after the plane lands," my mother says over the faint sound of my music, reciting her schedule. The coach ride is another two hours trip until we can sit back, and this very fact elicits an internal groan from me.

Taking out my earphones, I place them back in my pocket as we prepare to land. "Sit back, Nancy," my mother says, and I focus on the nearing city.

Eventually, the wheels of the plane meet with the ground and the aircraft jolts. Nancy makes a noise somewhere between a squeal and a cry causing both of my parents to turn and comfort her. This is Nancy's second time on an aeroplane, but she wouldn't have any recollection of the first. This is practically all new to her.

"How excited are you, Nancy?" my mother says as everyone gets prepared to leave the plane. I am beyond tired from our early start this morning, but I know I can kill some time by napping on the coach that takes us to Vernazza.

"So, excited," her small voice drags out the 'so' and I smile at her.

Time seemed to move irrevocably slow as we grabbed our suitcases and headed for the coach bay. Of course, delays occurred, and we were waiting for much longer than we had expected. My mother was itching to get moving, her itinerary already hours out of place. I felt bad for her, she's been planning this for months, but her obsession with planning everything by the second cannot be healthy.

"It's okay, we're basically already here and we've done everything you planned... only a few hours later than you wanted." I place my hand over my mother's as the coach nears the small town of Vernazza.

"I just want this to be perfect... you know how your father and I are. We're not ready to let you go, we just want to spend as much time as we can with you before you're off on your own adventures with Calli." The mention of Calli reminds me to message her.

Mine and Calli's parents were best friends long before we were born which resulted in Calli and I following in their footsteps – minus the teen pregnancy part.

"I know and it will be perfect. And just because I'm going to university doesn't mean I'm going to simultaneously fall off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again. I'll still be here, and I'll make as much time for you all as I can. I'm not going anywhere." My mother's eyes glint under the bright lights of the coach.

"You know... when me and Mandy were younger, we came to this very place. It was how Terrone fell in love with it here and how he eventually met Vienna. Those were the years of our lives – when we didn't have a care in the world. I can only hope you find the same love for Vernazza," she says.

"I hope so too," I reply as the coach comes to a halt.