I was told no information other than to meet my guide out the front of my Airbnb at 4.30am. I set my alarm for only moments before, which saw me rushing down the stairs still pulling my tshirt over my head at 4.30m exactly. The door was locked from the inside with a key I didn't have, and I heard nothing but the whizzing and chirping of tropical, nocturnal insects and the loud snores of my host's father, drowning out soccer still blaring on the antennaed television.
Read MorePortraits of Sri Lanka
To anyone that will listen, I will tell you that my 2015 trip to Sri Lanka changed my life. But when asked why, I am unable to find the words. All I know is that I left for Sri Lanka as one person and returned another - bolder, wiser and kinder. What I do know is that the people I met were funny, welcoming, gracious and loving. Here are the photos and stories of too few.
Read MoreThe Okavango Delta, Botswana
Escaping life is rare. There is always some reminder - some impossible to ignore breadcrumb - that has you turning around before you have even departed just to sap a little more energy.
So it was with great joy and surprise that I managed to go 'off grid' for over two weeks recently when I travelled around Southern Africa. I worked until 11.30pm the night before, with a 4.30am departure planned the following day. I charged my iphone, charged my battery packs, prepared to respond to only 'urgent' emails, and scheduled my out-of-office.
18 days later, I arrived back to reality and an untouched inbox, having evaded the constant news cycle and the ping of new emails without even missing them; the lack of internet and wifi across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana preventing any urge to check in.
One of the places that I travelled, without internet, reception, electricity or permanent structures was the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Read MoreThe Children of Myaing, Myanmar
Tourism has rapidly increased across Myanmar since the military junta officially 'dissolved' in 2011 and instituted some semblance of democracy. However the main areas to benefit from tourism tend to be the major cities: Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake. Previously Aung San Suu Kyi, the spiritual leader of Myanmar who spent 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to convert the country to democracy in the 1980s, condemned tourism due to the most of the money lining the pockets of the military elite. The National Democratic League, whom Aung San Suu Kyi leads, now supports tourism but they are keen to stress that it must: promote the welfare of the common people and the conservation of the environment and to acquire an insight into the cultural, political and social life of the country.
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