I have always had a sense of adventure. After a life of work work work my marriage drifted apart, we sold the house and I took off on my motorbike to travel around the whole of Britain's coastline. Whilst on this trip I decided to travel further a field and explore the world! The aim was to travel for some one else…..no more package tours.
For many years we had fostered and cared for children. I had an inner voice that I couldn't ignore… I wanted to give something back, to share a smile and instead of donating money to charity I wanted to be the donation. I wanted to be of help and make a difference. After searching the internet and numerous overseas charities, I found Gap Year for Grown Ups. The idea of volunteer work touched my heart and I decided this would be the focus of my gap year.
The planning of my trip took 6 months to get it right. I felt calm throughout this period but crossing those gates at Heathrow I suddenly got a reality check on what was about to come and suddenly felt ‘what am I doing?!'. All perfectly natural I think and it really didn't last for long.
My background is in electronics and engineering and it was great to be able to bring in these skills to the communities of my volunteer work. It helps for someone to go in with fresh eyes to help out. There are so many opportunities to make a difference, no matter how small, and you really do get out what you put in. First off I learnt that I had to quickly leave any comparisons, inhibitions and suspicions behind in the UK.
South Africa was my first stop on the Leopard Research programme close to Kruger National Park, then the privately funded Emelela HIV & aids project, finishing with a tour of the Garden route from Cape Town to George.
Then across to India, working on the Rajasthan programme, volunteering with children. It was a bit of a culture shock when I first arrived, all those honking horns! When I got used to it was an unbelievable place and would be my first choice to return back to. Onto Australia for conservation work and adventure tours, followed by some travelling around Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
My last stop was Malaysia - I spent a month in Borneo working with a tribal community, I fixed leaky pipes, built a picnic area out of tree stumps and slashed through overgrown forest with machetes to make way for a clear walking trail. My last programme was 2 months on the beautiful Perhentian Islands on a turtle conservation programme, here I helped conserve these wonderful creatures patrolling the beaches from potential poachers.
I can't possibly round up my time away, there is no way I can attempt to convey the effect that this trip had on me in only a couple of pages. So many things I experienced, I met so many people and learnt so much. The main highlights for me were in meeting the people and experiencing new cultures, languages and the innocence of young children smiles of that have nothing.
I feel humbled by all that I have seen, working with people in poverty, with AIDS/HIV - it has ripped apart everything that I thought was important in life and it has made me more aware of the ‘bigger picture'.
My trip of course consists of the usual travelling anecdotes, you cannot travel round the world without experiencing some little mishaps along the way! Some of my favourites included losing my passport at Johannesburg airport, boarding the wrong plane and on day 2 of my travels being checked for drug trafficking!!!!!
Besides these are the things that you learn from, overcome and grow stronger because of them.
I was planning to stay out much longer than a year, perhaps until April 2007 but one day whilst watching the movie Love Actually in Australia I felt the call to come home.
This was the 27th December and I had made up my mind to surprise my friends and family on New Years Eve - only one problem this is the busiest time of the year to travel! My friends organised a leaving do that night and I got a flight the very next day down to Sydney. At the check in desk they asked me ‘just how much do you want to get home Mr Burnham? ….there is a plane boarding in 5 minutes!'. I was almost the last person to board and arrived back at Heathrow just 12 hours later.
And what does the future hold for me now? Well you know what? I still want to travel but I have no plans at all…how amazing is that?! I have an entirely different outlook on life now, I have nothing but my computer and my motorbike as I have realised that no material things are important… travel truly broadens the mind.
Spend time discovering the best parts of Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Explore fantastic places, relax on gorgeous beaches and be part of exciting adventures. Thailand - Australia - New Zealand.
Discover Asia in a trip that combines all the very best bits of this region. Compare landscapes, people and cultures during four very different programmes. India - Nepal - Thailand - China.
Spend 5 months or more on an amazing gap year in Latin America. This programme provides all the structure you need, with lots of activities including Spanish lessons, volunteering with wildlife or disadvantaged street children.
Discover why so many travellers love this part of the world! Volunteer in India, spend eight weeks in Thailand and work with the wildlife in Malaysia. You’ll get to see things many people miss.
If one of our existing plans doesn’t quite suit you, then why not tailor make your own adventure? Our experienced travel advisers can help tailor make a unique trip to fit your plans and to include everything that you want to do.
Go on the adventure of a life time on this round the world trip through Africa, Asia, Australasia and Latin America. South Africa - India - Thailand - Malaysia - Australia - New Zealand - Ecuador - Galapagos Islands.
An exciting exploration across four continents. Volunteer with children, learn a new language, trek the Inca trail, discover Australia’s red centre. USA – Guatemala – Peru - New Zealand – Australia - India.
