At this point in time I’ve travelled to 42 different countries in the world. 38 of them solo. I’ve travelled for long periods of time and shorter periods of time. The reason I can afford to travel so much? I mostly stay in dorm rooms. Yes I know, I’m 32. Although I do enjoy going…
I sat on the window side chair and took a sip of my molten hot cup of tea. I had been back in England for 3 weeks now, an extremely long time for a wanderer like me. The thrill of ‘normal life’ was fast wearing off. Part of me enjoyed the easiness of life back…
In 2013 when I travelled solo across Asia and Oceania I travelled extremely slow. I’d bought into the idea that slow travel was the only real way to travel. The only way to fully immerse yourself in another land and culture. I had a great time and visited many places off the beaten path. I…
One of the highlights of working as a teacher isn’t playing with paint or toys everyday, It’s having an amazingly long summer holiday each year! This summer I will have 2 whole months off. At first I planned an epic trip to China and North Korea but I changed my mind after Trump’s threats. I…
Security is one of my top priorities when travelling solo. One of the downsides of travelling solo is that you have no-one to look after your bags when you most need it . A travellers most treasured possessions are their passport and bank card. Without them life can get extremely hard and complicated. But how…
Dubai was the first country that I visited on my big RTW trip so understandably it has a special place in my heart. Dubai is a city of contrasts. Expats drink pints of beer beneath the impressive architecture, women in burkhas obediently follow men wearing the traditional Arabic clothes and head-dress, Westerners prowl the metro…
When people ask me what my favourite country is, I always say Thailand. Thailand is such a diverse country and you just can’t compare the countryside in the North to the hedonistic partying that happens in the Southern Islands. It has something for everyone which was why I decided to visit it in my summer…
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…
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while but for some reason I’ve been putting it off. Maybe because after the initial 24 hours my thoughts and feelings changed so often that really I did not know what I was thinking. Travel really does change you and coming home is a shock to…
Before my big trip I always had such a romantic view of Malaysia, the name itself conjured up images of an exotic country, the pearl of Asia and one where I would feel like I was a million miles away from the Western world. I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried…. As…