Feb 8

Why I’m moving to Japan

On my birthday last year I cried all morning, now people who know me will understand how I hate getting older and how I cry on every birthday. This time it was different though. As well as being upset about being older I was upset about my life. I had a deep burning desire to…

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Jan 25

First impressions of Thailand

‘Miss Stephanie, Miss Stephanie. Border time. Get off!’. I woke up from my deep sleep, still tired from the 5am wake up call. Dazed I made my way to the back of the mini bus and heaved my heavy backpack on to my shoulders. The border was swarming with people selling strong smelling food and…

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Jan 13

A brief history of my travel pre-sabbatical Travels

      As you may well know from my previous blog post, I never had great aspirations to travel throughout most of my life. That’s not to say that I didn’t love going on holiday and experiencing different cultures (From the safety of a package holiday…). Spanish has always been a passion of mine,…

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Jan 6

Reflecting on life in Betws Y Coed

  Sometimes distance is needed to gain perspective on where your life is going. A new place means fresh eyes to see situations clearly. I needed to get away.    I’m currently at a crossroads in my life. I have a lot of decisions to make and I don’t want to make the same mistakes…

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Dec 30

2014, Reflections and travel summary

As I write this I’m tired, aching and with flushed cheeks after spending the day walking through Delamere forest in the bitter cold. I have a cup of tea at my side and I’m sat in my warm and cosy room, as comfortable as can be. 2014 was the year where I appreciated what I…

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Dec 18

How I decided to take a sabbatical and travel long term

  I devour the words of other travel blogs. I love seeing what made people just like me take a permanent or temporary break from the treadmill of’ real life’ in exchange for a life of adventure and the unknown. There’s one similarity between all of these bloggers. They have always wanted to travel. My…

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Nov 16

Ask Stephanie Anything: 6 Cheap things to do in Singapore

  I get many emails from readers asking advice about where to stay and what to do in destinations that I’ve visited. Just email me at stephanie@pearlsandpassports.com if you have a question and I will answer it. My question today was recieved from Caroline, a grad student who will be working in Singapore for the…

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Sep 20

Ten Months of Travel: Summary and Review Part two

Throughout my travels people had hyped up the South island so much I was actually scared that I would be disappointed. I’m glad to say that the South island actually took my breath away at every spot that I visited. The landscape is so diverse and untouched that it sometimes seemed too beautiful to be…

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