My name: Holly Burns.

How I earn my keep: I'm a writer for Travelocity.

First thing I do in a new place: Check out the grocery store.

Fondest travel memory: In the fall of 2006, my fiance Sean and I took a 13-hour ferry from Mandalay to Bagan (in Burma), and since there were no seats, we spent the whole time sitting cross-legged on the wooden floorboards with the locals. The most bizarre moment was falling asleep shortly after the boat left Mandalay at 5 a.m. and waking up a few hours later to find 20 locals just staring at me. Smiling. To my right, Sean was sitting on his backpack, doing a Sudoku puzzle. Behind him, five Burmese men were leaning over his shoulder, watching him intently. Every so often, one of them would lean forward, point to the puzzle and suggest a number. Thanks to this group effort, Sean did his Sudoku in record time. I doubt he has done one more quickly since.

Best meal I've ever had while traveling: It's possible I sampled every single fresh spring roll along the coast of Vietnam--I'd be hard-pressed to choose a winner.

Proudest travel accomplishment: Getting back my copy of Lonely Planet China from a customs official who confiscated it on a train at the Chinese border because the map was outdated. (After a lot of arguing, he finally acquiesced. But not without ripping out the offending map first and putting it in his pocket.)

Greatest travel lesson learned: Three words: no white clothes.

When I'm not traveling, I'm: Posting on my blog, www.nothingbutbonfires.com, paying library fines on overdue travel guides and working on my quest to find the best falafel sandwich in San Francisco.