A gap year. Not unusual, but Angela Elwood is older than the average student taking a break. She has family and business responsibilities, with a lovely home and friends. Yet she has the desire to travel alone to South East Asia. Angela feels she is becoming an almost invisible middle-aged woman, with life passing her by, so this is her new challenge. This factual account of her journey is not a traveller's guide to train and bus travel, or the best hostel to stay at, although there are useful details regarding these. It is more an account of Angela's personal journey to find out about herself, beginning with the tidying up of all of her affairs before leaving, and leading into the first steps on her journey. There are happy times, but also times when there is a feeling of not being comfortable within a country. Further travel beckons, but there is also a need for family and friends.