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In early 2000, 21-year-old Lucy Blackman and her longtime best friend Louise Phillips

devised the plan to spend a few months living and working in Japan. The pair had lived

seemingly parallel lives, with both working in an investment bank before commencing work

as flight attendants for UK airline British Airways. Lucy's previous 9-5 corporate job in

London had left her board and her expensive spending habits had led her into debt. She craved

the life of adventure where she could travel internationally and experience different cultures,

but couldn't afford to travel in style and the concept of backpacking held no appeal.

In 1998, Lucy's impressive customer service on short-haul flights led to a promotion

to the Intercontinental Circuit. Not only did her new role take her to exotic and glamorous

destinations, she also received a healthy pay increase, with bonuses for longer flights

and generous daily meal-alouances. Despite these perks, the initial appeal of her jet-setting

career quickly faded. Lucy soon found the job tiring and monotonous as her days became

a blur of in-flight meals and generic hotel rooms. Her health began to decline as she

...