Our Itinerary

Check out the map of our big trip. If I weren't so technologically inept, you would be able to click on each number to find out more but, alas, you will have to scroll down a bit to get that information.

Not a 'True' RTW Trip....

Now I have to admit that when the seed of this idea was planted about five years ago, I fully intended for our family to circumnavigate the globe. On some personal level, I feel that to travel around the world would be an accomplishment. That you can point yourself in one direction, keep moving, never turn around, and eventually return to the exact same spot, has intrigued me since I was a little boy. 

Clearly, from the map above, there are a few too many left turns on our journey. So what happened? Nothing, really. A combination of factors - budget, timing, weather, destinations - seemed to lead us to our final itinerary. 

On the cost side, rather than opt for RTW air tickets, which we found to be quite expensive, we chose to purchase many separate flight legs on different airlines. This strategy worked well for the most part, but let us down when we looked at flying from Africa to South America - the deals just weren't there. Also, Shirley and I just didn't feel up to spending the final month of our trip tackling Central or South America in the month of July - potential destinations would see us either suffering through winter (Argentina) or rainy (Costa Rica) seasons, or facing hordes of fellow travellers (Peru). Turning back and finishing the journey with a month on the island of Bali just felt right.

Countries at a glance....

Taiwan (February)

This is a no-brainer. It's Shirley's home country and where her sister and many of her closest friends still live. We'll be there in time for Chinese New Year and plan to stay for only 5 days - long enough to visit family, kick the jet lag and get our fill of stinky tofu (parents) and bubble tea (kids), among other delicacies.

For any of you researching potential Asian travel locations, I happen to think Taiwan is one of the more underrated destinations. It has much to offer - vibrant cities, amazing food, stunning mountain and coastal scenery, strong cultural traditions, warm and welcoming people - all on an compact and easy-to-explore island.

For a quick overview you can go to Wikitravel's Taiwan page

Thailand (February - March)
Current political crisis notwithstanding, I think Thailand is a great country to begin a trip such as ours. Thais are friendly and welcoming people, the country is easy to get around, the climate is great, and the attractions are many and varied. 

You can go here:

or here:

or here:

And relative to other great travel destinations, Thailand is easy on the budget. We expect to be in Thailand for just over one month - planned highlights include Chiang Mai, some remote hill towns in the far northwest, Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Khao Sok National Park, and Krabi.

Malaysia (March)
After leaving Thailand we will spend about 3 weeks in Malaysia, another country with a great mix of sights, sounds and flavours. Nature will be the main focus of this visit, so after a few nights checking out the colonial gem of Melaka and the modern glitz of Kuala Lumpur, we will head to another long time dream destination of ours - Borneo. We will stay in and around the Kuching area enjoying camping, hiking, kayaking, caving

A bit of our time will also be spent trying to reconnect with a few relatives we haven't been in touch with for some time:

This guy, who is under protective custody at Semenggoh, is from my maternal grandfather's side....

while this fella, who can be found in Bako National Park, is believed to have come from my father's line...

We have a lot of catching up to do.

Singapore (March)
We will only be in Singapore for 3 nights. Sterile though it may be, we hope it will serve as a welcome respite of air conditioning, mass rapid transit and convenience after several weeks of tropical humidity, creepy crawlies, and long distance bus rides.

And truthfully, I don't think we could afford a much longer visit - accommodation is very expensive and rooms for a family of four are few and far between. But we expect the awesome street food at the numerous hawker stalls to make up for that a bit.

I was last there in 1994 - I'm looking forward to returning.

Sri Lanka (April)
If the guidebooks are accurate, this is a gem of an island. Scenery - check. Wildlife - check. Ancient historical sites - check. Train travel - check. Colonial historical atmosphere - check. Amazing food - check. Beaches - check. A rich tradition of music, dance and arts - check. Squat toilets - check...wha? 

See - it's got it all and we hope to cover much of it during the 3 weeks we're there.

Maldives (April)
I'm only half joking when I say that we want to visit this place before it disappears under the rising ocean levels. Another dream destination for us - we initially thought it would be beyond the reach of our budget, but where there's a will....

Not only do we hope to relax in the beauty of white sand beaches and coconut palms, but we also plan on experiencing some magical aquatic life under the surface of that turquoise water. Annie has recently completed her PADI certification, so some fantastic diving awaits the two of us, while Shirley and Owen will patrol the surface at some world-class snorkeling sites.

Abu Dhabi, UAE (April)
Since we are making good use of Etihad Airways on this trip, it was natural that we would have the chance to transit through Abu Dhabi at some point. Having never visited any of the oil emirate cities, we're looking forward to some travel relief in this oasis in the desert. While not as over-the-top as Dubai, we expect to be treated to some interesting sights - the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque being one of them. Also, rumour has it that the fastest roller coaster in the world can be found at Ferrari World - Gotta balance culture with some fun. 

Italy (May)
One of our biggest challenges will be to fit Europe into our travel plans without breaking the bank. We've decided to rent an apartment and park ourselves in Verona for about 10 days, making several day trips to fun and interesting destinations in northern Italy - including Venice and the Italian Lake District. We're not sure how much the kids would get out of Rome and Florence, and Shirley and I have both been there, so we'll give those destinations a pass.

Greece (May)
This is the country which our kids are most looking forward to (credit must go to the Percy Jackson series of books), and I have longed to visit Greece my whole life. Well I guess we'll be a happy bunch in May, as we've got 3 weeks set aside for some highlights of this Mediterranean nation. 

After a short visit to Athens, we're going to set up shop for a week on the island of Naxos, and then continue island hopping to Santorini and then Rhodes.

Turkey (May - June)
We'll take the ferry from Rhodes to southern Turkey to begin 3 weeks of travel across this vast country. Not enough time to see everything, but we expect to cruise the turquoise coast and hike a section of the Lycean way.

Then it's off to central Turkey to visit the magical landscape of Cappadocia before finishing up in Istanbul

South Africa (June)
Although I'm sure we could spend many weeks travelling in South Africa without even scratching the surface of this vast collection of 'must-sees', we are going during their winter with one goal in mind.....

This family trip has taken on the theme of "see it before it disappears", and despite the best efforts of those who are dedicated to saving them, it appears some of the great wild animals of Africa still march rapidly towards extinction. We would be thrilled to catch even a glimpse of some of them in their natural habitat. So we'll spend our 2 weeks in and around Mpumulanga - Kruger National Park, the Blyde River Canyon, and Hazyview.

Seychelles (June)
We're feeling a little spoiled at this point, but it's a free stopover on our flight. Wouldn't you go? I'm not sure what we are going to do for our week on the Seychelles, but visiting the "most beautiful beach in the world" (see photo below), hiking the lush Vallee de Mai, and hanging out with huge tortoises on Curieuse Island will be high on the list. 

Bali, Indonesia (July)
Travelling can be hard work ("yeah sure", I can hear you say), but we expect that after 5 months of moving around, packing and unpacking, sticking to a budget, making connecting flights, enduring long bus journeys, suffering homesickness, fighting off tummy troubles, taking wrong turns, making wrong decisions, and generally trying to keep everyone happy, we will probably be a bit travel weary. The last time I went backpacking on my own (20 years ago), I hit this wall after a similar period of time. So we've rented a place in Bali for the month of July and will explore this little piece of paradise at a leisurely pace

Then it's back to Vancouver, exactly six months later.
Rich in experiences, poor in the pocketbook, and with no regrets.