![I smile because I am different](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf0759-470x140.jpg)
I got thinking about this post after reading something a fellow traveller had written on Facebook about being laughed at by locals. Although this is…
![How should I set a budget for my trip?](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ems-photos-074-470x140.jpg)
Setting a budget for my trip It’s all very well getting super-organised about your saving but how should you go about setting a budget for…
![It Could Only Happen To Me - A transport downgrade in Burma](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/dscf1550-320x140.jpg)
When you’re travelling long-term it’s inevitable that you’re going to have a few bumps and scrapes, along the way. Plans don’t always run smoothly, things…
![30 reasons why 2012 was such an amazing year](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/30-470x140.jpg)
There are countless reasons why 2012 was such a great year for me. Here’s 30 of them: You can find out more about my 30b430…
![Happy New Year and all that jazz](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fireworks-284x140.jpg)
As the clock struck midnight last New Year’s Eve I was on a rooftop in Buenos Aires, surrounded by new friends I’d met at the…
![It Could Only Happen To Me - Inviting myself to stay at a stranger's house in Burma](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/kids-320x140.jpg)
I don’t know what is the most “it could only happen to me” moment of my visit to the village of Pan Kam in Burma….
![#28 Write yourself a postcard from every country you visit on your trip (suggestion from Ruth)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf3769-470x140.jpg)
I love this suggestion from my friend Ruth. When you’re on the road for a long time you have the tendency to forget about the…
![M is for Myanmar (continuing with the alphabet challenge)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf1552-470x140.jpg)
Myanmar, Burma? Burma, Myanmar? Even its name is confusing. Should you call the country Burma, its former name which Aung San Suu Kyi believes it…
![J to L (Continuing with the alphabet challenge)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf1545-470x140.jpg)
J is for JJs Considering that I’ve spent the last month rotating two pairs of trousers and four t-shirts in order to keep my legs…
![Burma: Stars In My Eyes](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf1375-470x140.jpg)
I think travelling solo in Burma is the closest I will ever get to knowing what it’s like to be a celebrity. Everywhere you go,…