minus 2 days: a $700 oversight

"Passport holders from ASEAN countries do not need to apply for visas to visit Myanmar," says my trusty Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. I should have checked, considering this 15th edition was printed in March 2010.

A quick visit to the Myanmar Embassy web site would have saved me some trouble and a lot of money.

Just five days before my flight, my travel buddy 'Bun' realised that we need a tourist visa. The problem: I was in Seoul Korea. The earliest I could get my visa approved and collected is in the afternoon of Wednesday 21 December. Another problem: my flight is at 9am on Wednesday.

Fortunately, Bun got us sorted by calling Jetstar to grab the last two available seats on the next flight on Friday. Unfortunately, that cost us S$700, amounting to 30 per cent of my travel budget!

I guess it could be worse. We could have found out the mistake at the airport.

Cost:

• S$350 each to change flight
• S$35 visa application

By the way, on the last page of the Lonely Planet guide, it does disclaim that "Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasonable care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use".

minus 45 days: never leave home without it

This is why I will never leave home without my travel insurance. That was me in a Polish hospital with an over-sized ankle on a public holiday. The only place that could treat my sprain was the A&E department.

Fortunately I had my trusty and capable travel buddy who could walk a mile carrying both our 15kg backpacks. (You will not believe it if you see how petite she is.) So there was little disruption besides a little adjustment to our itinerary.

But I did chalk up S$40 worth of international calls and a US$60 medical bill. If I haven't bought my travel insurance, this (or a potentially bigger sum) would have eaten in to my travel budget.

For this Myanmar trip, I got my travel insurance from ACE at 30% discount! Thanks to my good friend Kev at Finexis (kevin.ong@finexis.com.sg), that was settled with just a couple of emails.

Now, I can happily leave home, knowing I don't have too much to worry if my ankle decides to swell up again.

Cost: 

• S$37.80 Travel insurance for 17-day trip in Myanmar

minus 48 days: The Itinerary

After having a sizable following on my Europe-in-37-days blog last year, it didn't take long for me to create this. It won't be easy to beat that, but I'll work just as hard to capture the best of Myanmar.

Research suggests that the happiest time of a vacation is at the time of planning. That is true at least for me.

Seven hours over Spizza pizza and a seasoned Lonely Planet on my lap, I have our rough itinerary laid out:

Day 1: Arrive in Yangon and walk around downtown

Day 2: Visit the magnificent Shwedagon Paya

Day 3: Take a 12-hour train ride to Thazi

Day 4: Take another 9-hour scenic train ride to Inle Lake

Day 5: Explore Inle Lake

Day 6: Trek or relax at hot spring

Day 7: Relax on a long bus ride to Mandalay

Day 8: Check out Mandalay city and her BBQ restaurants

Day 9: Go back in time in ancient cities around Mandalay

Day 10: Ride down the river to Bagan

Day 11: Hire a horse cart for the day and comb through Bagan

Day 12: Rent a bicycle and have a picnic

Day 13: Wear my beach hat on my way to Ngwe Saung Beach via Yangon

Day 14: Shades, bikini and magarita, and I'm all set for the day

Day 15: Head back to Yangon

Day 16: Pout all day complaining I don't want to go back

Day 17: Get dragged onto the plane back to Singapore

Many loved the expenses summary in my travel blog, so here's what I've spent so far.

Cost:

• S$54 Lonely Planet
• S$299 Return air ticket on Jetstar, includes $15 for 20kg checked in baggage allowance
• S$38 Spizza Isabella pizza and hot wings