Travelling Kiwi
To kick-start our travel section, HER got to have a little Q&A with Huriana Cookson, otherwise known as the TravellingKiwi_ on Instagram. As a current Flight Attendant with Emirates, she has inspired her following of over 21 thousand people to travel to some pretty unique places. Having ticked off 61 countries and 85 cities around the world, she talks about her experiences and the lessons she has learnt along the way.
Get ready from some serious wanderlust.
HER STORY
I was Born in Auckland NZ, but moved to Australia at young age. My Dad is Maori (Ngati Kuri and Te Arawa) and my Mum is European/Chinese with a little bit of Maori in her. I completed all of my schooling in Australia and once I finished high school at Keebra Park I moved to Auckland to study at the Air New Zealand Aviation Institute in Manukau. After working at the International Airport for four months I moved back over the Tasman where I completed my Diploma in Events Management, Travel & Tourism while also working in I.T Management.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A FLIGHT ATTENDANT?
Not necessarily. When I was younger I wanted to be a Palaeontologist. Then throughout high school I noticed I was really good at I.T and fixing problems/glitches. When I was 15 I used to tear apart computer hard-drives piece by piece and then put it all back together for 'fun' haha. Deep down, I always had this urge in my heart to always be on the move, to explore and see the world.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS LIKE APPLYING TO BECOME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT AT EMIRATES?
It was actually pretty hard in all honesty. But my heart was set on this and I prayed about it and I left it in God's hands. Long story short, 86 of us were invited to an assessment day. Applicants were slowly cut throughout the day after different activities. By the end of the day only nine of us were left. Within that week we all were individually interviewed by the recruiters and were then sent home to wait for a phone call (the golden call) to join. Only four of us were recruited from that assessment day. We all moved to Dubai for the two-month training, however, only three of us passed the intense training at the college.
HOW ARE YOU FINDING LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD?
I love it, I still enjoy living abroad as an expat in Dubai. Besides the obvious of missing my family, my loved ones and friends back home.
HAVE YOU LEARNT ANYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF SINCE MOVING TO DUBAI?
I now appreciate everything I took for granted at home. You meet people whose circumstances are totally different to your own and you learn to appreciate all that you do have. On the flipside, I am always the missing person during certain events. As much as I try to book my vacations at the right moments, being the absentee from Christmas, birthdays, weddings or pregnancy announcements is hard as I am constantly missing these memories that I'd never get to witness. Cue the violins, but it does get sad sometimes.
WHAT LIFE LESSONS HAS TRAVELLING GIVEN YOU?
I've learnt more about myself since living abroad then I have my entire life. I'm more patient, open minded and self-aware. Through travelling, I self-reflect quite a lot which helps put things into perspective. Travelling really allows you the time to focus on what you want from life.
FAVOURITE BUCKETLIST DESTINATIONS TO DATE?
Where do I start? Swimming in the Dead sea in Petra, walking along the Great Wall of China in Beijing, sharing a quattro formaggio pizza in the rain with a colleague and a homeless man in Rome next to the Colosseum, having monkeys jump on me at the Batu Caves in Malaysia, swimming in open waters with sharks in the Philippines… hand gliding over Rio de Janeiro… I honestly can’t choose. I am addicted to traveling and I'm not even close or half way to finishing yet. My absolute favourite place to visit is still New Zealand and one day I will definitely hire a hippy van and drive all over the North and South Island.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO REMEMBER YOUR CULTURAL ROOTS?
So important! My Polynesian features are very different to a lot of my colleagues at work. I always get mistaken for Mexican or Arab but I love it when I correct them by saying, “No, I'm from New Zealand!” haha. My parents and older siblings keep me in check with knowing my whanaungatanga. And I'm very close to my Maori side of the family. My Mum is fluent in Te Reo and my grandmother always reminds me of my heritage in China, Spain and Ireland. In terms of work, there are so many Polynesians that I work with. I feel like half of Samoa and Tonga live in Dubai and there is a handful of Fijian and Niuean crew. It's great to fly with Kiwis/Polynesians that come from the same home as you, the common interest's and conversations never end.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
My parents. My Mum for starters is the most remarkable woman I have ever met. She was knocked down many times in her life as she was chasing a goal of hers. She was a single mother of two kids, working two to three jobs while also studying to achieve her career. My Dad is a huge family man, the most selfless human I know. Both inspire me to do whatever I put my mind to.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A WOMAN WHO IS WANTING TO LIVE HER TRUE PURPOSE?
Don't let anything hold you back! You're never too young, too old, not educated enough or over qualified. Set your heart on it and don't let anything or anyone get in the way. Count all of your blessings, when you get the chance - grab it and run.
LASTLY, WHAT IS YOUR PIECE OF ADVICE FOR ANYONE WANTING TO BECOME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT?
Be sure you're 100% in and know what you're applying for! What us 'flight attendants' upload on social media is not what it’s all cracked out to be sometimes. Yes, it’s a great job. You get to see all continents of the world sometimes in one month. But, it’s not cut out for everybody and there are flaws to it. It can be very tiring and draining to the human body. Prepare yourself otherwise you're going to have a big shock once you're in the industry.
FIVE TIPS TO BECOMING A FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
1) Ensure you have customer service experience on your resume
2) Keep fit and make sure you’re in shape for a swimming assessment
3) Apply! Go online and search the airlines that fly in your city
4) Know the airline before your interview. Research what they are about and what they are looking for
5) Role play interview questions with a family member or friend and make sure you are well prepared
Lastly - Never lose hope! If one door closes on an opportunity, learn from it and try again.
*If you live in New Zealand – here is a helpful careers link.
FOLLOW TRAVELLING KIWI ON INSTAGRAM: @TRAVELLINGKIWI_
Thank you, Ana, for sharing your journey as a Flight Attendant. I pray for continuous travelling mercies over you as you fly. And I pray for more adventures and opportunities as you enter the new year. I know so many women have a deep desire to travel and your story will inspire them to do so xxxxx