“Bitch I love your outfit!” a woman, maybe tipsy, yelled at me from across the road as I strode through the crowd in my black platform boots and daisy dress. She was beaming, hyping me up in a way often reserved for those close friends you cast a self-conscious glance at pre-night out. I spun around, we locked eyes and I screeched back, “thanks!” 

Whether it actually was the outfit or my newfound confidence from five days in Vancouver that she loved, who can tell. A new city has so much beautiful, cliché potential. No one knows who you are and they aren’t stuck to how you may have presented yourself in the past. 

It may be whimsical, but nothing compares to the feeling of stepping off that plane, hundreds of kilometres away from home. The holiday itself is always refreshingly unfamiliar, but there’s an internal sense of change that ticks too.

Of course, it’s an immense privilege to shed a past self. Far off city vacations, working holidays or study exchanges come at a hefty price tag. At the same time, the idea of reinvention can be misconstrued as throwing out an entire wardrobe and ordering more trendy versions piece by piece. It’s a fast fashion, unsustainable nightmare, not to mention costly. 

Instead, time in a place where you’re known by next no one presents an opportunity to rejig. Pairing new items together that you haven’t before. Experimenting with makeup. Dumping a bottle of bleach on your head. Even adjusting some of your clothes to fit who you want to be. Pinterest is your best friend.

There’s no time stamp for this reinvention either. Mine was spurred in the traditional fashion of having gone from high school to uni to full-time job to quarter life crisis. A whopping dose of global pandemic for good measure. 

Conversely, if you’re on a family holiday, or a later-in-life Eat Pray Love venture, the option still stands. All you need is the common thread of mystery. The likelihood of you bumping into an acquaintance is low, and the chance you’ll rock a look outside your usual realm? Very high.

The New Zealander in me trembles at how narcissistic this seems. But the way fashion and pop culture is going – with calls to embrace your individuality, or even multiple personas – is being celebrated. People showcasing their diverse styles on social media can be a source of inspiration, if not for the outfits, then for the pizazz they exude.

That said, there’s no need to entirely throw away who you were, especially if it’s a short stint away. It can instead feel like cosplay or as if you’re acting out a role in a show. This may all stem from my desire to relive my school drama class glory days – which is also to say, why not explore old flames while you’re away? 

Whether it was horse-riding or swimming that brought you joy in your far or not-so-far away youth, picking it up again in a new location can reinvigorate you  – and your potential for cross-ocean friendships (or flings, if that’s your vibe). 

It’s no secret that holidays are a whole lot of fun. If you just so happen to tap into a new facet of yourself along the way, you’re a step closer to your true north. Or a step further away, if that’s what excites you.