About
Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Hello
안녕하세요
Bonjour
hola
Aloha
Hi! My name is Brooke and I'm the main person behind the keyboard and camera. Welcome to Twenty Minutes in Burma, the place for sharing some of my past travels, experiences of living on a tropical island in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, and itineraries for those intrepid enough to venture out into the wide world.
Ocean County, New Jersey, USA
I originally grew up in a small town on the Jersey Shore (fist pump!), but eventually migrated my way out west to the beautiful islands of Hawai‘i in 2004. Since then, I have lived on the island of Maui, and for the past 10 years or so on the "Big Island" of Hawai‘i. Sprinkled in between those ten years was a two year stint in New York City for grad school, but Hawai‘i is where I've spent the majority of my adult life - it truly feels like home.
Recently, my husband got a new job in Seattle, so I spend some of my time there, and some in Hawai‘i. However, I have loved getting to know more about the Pacific Northwest - it is a truly beautiful, and under-appreciated, part of the world.
Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, USA
I also started my own travel advising business, On Voyage Luxury Travel Advising, where I can share the knowledge I've attained from all of these travels to those who want to see more of it for themselves. Through this business, I am able to visit more places and experience more modes of travel than I had before. You should note that I started this particular site long before I started travel advising, and posts and writings will be updated over time to reflect this change.
Previously, I wrote here as a hobby when I have time between my main jobs as university lecturer and writer at a local Hawai‘i magazine. And while I still do some of those things, I can now focus on making travel more of a priority for my clients and show you that you can hold more traditional jobs, get slightly off the beaten path and discover a world of beautiful sights, delicious foods, and friendly locals.
Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam
My travel style is a bit of a blend of everything. Sometimes I travel solo, but mostly its with my partner in crime, Ben, with the occasional friend or family member thrown in for good measure. We don't have unending streams of income, so we're always on the look out for a good travel deal, but we do enjoy traveling comfortably and indulge in the maybe more-than-occasional splurge. I am fortunate that Ben happens to work for a major hotel chain which offers lots of hotel room discounts, but we do venture off the corporate hotel track here and there. I will say that I will never recommend a hotel or company on this site or in my advising business that I wouldn't recommend to a close friend or family.
St. Petersburg, Russia
You may be wondering about the different greetings above - all of them are languages that I am attempting to learn (some more proficiently than others), so feel free to drop any language tips my way - I welcome all the help I can get! :)
So, what are we waiting for? There's a big world out there to explore and little time to do it. We better get started - won't you join me?
~Brooke
