Case study: It was something I have always wanted to do. I'd been talking about it for years

SUSAN Findlay, a successful sponsorship manager for a large company in Edinburgh, had always dreamed of going on trip to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

At the end of last year the 35-year-old finally realised she was ready to make the trip. "It was something I have always wanted to do. I'd been talking about doing it for years. Then I realised I was finally in a position to do it. I thought I would ask my boss and see what she said, and she said yes."

Ms Findlay knew she wanted to travel over Christmas and New Year, partly because it was always the quietest time at work. She wrote a report about how her workload could be handled in her absence, booked three months off and bought a ticket. "I went on my own, but it is such a tourist trail," she said.

"You meet so many people along the route, people from different countries. It took me a little while to lose my inhibitions, but you realise everyone wants to chat. Because I am a bit older I didn't want to slum it. I stayed in little guest houses that cost about 5 a night - 10 a night was expensive."

She said she was only scared once, when she found herself in a rough border town in Thailand without a companion.

Ms Findlay says she would recommend the experience to anyone. "I think it is a humbling experience. It sounds like a cliche but it really makes you realise how lucky you are. It makes you really value your family and friends.

"When I look back I used to be really materialistic and I took things for granted. It took me a couple of weeks to get back into working but I wasn't depressed about it."