I got my bags packed on a roll heading out there and I'm ready to go looking real good

in my passport photo. Amateur Traveler episode 354.

Today the Amateur Traveler goes to an ancient country almost ready for tourism,

with mist filled valleys full of pagodas,

but also difficult roads and difficult bureaucracy. Today we go to Myanmar.

Welcome to the amateur traveler. I'm your host Chris Christensen. Before we get into this week's interview I do have three news stories for you. If you run a

tourism company get ready because the Chinese are coming.

Last year, they doubled the amount that they spend on foreign trips to $85 billion,

and that puts them third behind Germany and the US in the world for

tourism dollars spent.

Our second story, Zipcar, and you may not know Zipcar.

Zipcar is a company where you can rent a car, but not like the usual rent a car

because you can rent it for an hour or two if you just live in the city and want a car to get

groceries or run some errand has just been purchased and they've been purchased by

Avis Rent a car. And in the third story you're going to have high expectations the next time you fly Virgin

Atlantic if you've seen their new ad

their new ad which is a YouTube video implies that the people who work at Virgin

Atlantic may have been born for a greater purpose that they may have some sort of flight attendant superpowers.

It is a cute ad.

I think you'll enjoy it, but don't let it set your expectations.

For links to all three of those stories, check out the show notes at amateur traveler.com.

I'd like to welcome to the show Dustin Maine from Skinny backpacker.com, who has come to the show to talk to us about Myanmar.

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