For my 21^st birthday, my best friend and I are going to Orlando, Florida, and spending a week in Disney World and Universal. I’ve had a few people question me saying that’s for children, and why would I want to start out my adult life by going to a place meant for little kids? The answer is easy. It’s a relatively safe place to be on my own for the first time.

Even though I’ve flown by myself before, there has always been an adult waiting for me, whether it be my own family or a friend’s parent. Someone older than me and familiar with the area has always been waiting at the airport and stayed with me the entire time. This time, that won’t happen. My friend and I are the only people going, and there won’t be anyone to tell us where to go. Neither of us have ever been there before. And though the park may be primarily meant for children, I think that makes it safer for us. We’re much less likely to get lost, and we know there will be plenty of “adultier adults” around if we need help.

We have already planned and gotten confirmation on loose plans for the entire week we’ll be gone. This makes it so we have a basic understanding of where we need to be, and at what time, though the entire trip wasn’t planned for us. It’s just the right amount of structure to make me feel secure, with enough freedom to make me feel more grown up than I ever have before.

Finally, even if everything goes horribly wrong, it is pretty much impossible for this to be boring. We know that even if something happens that we weren’t expecting, it’s still Disney World. It should be fun no matter what.