On this outing I opted to do some proper adventuring with a custom itinerary all my own. Taiwan was the major destination, but my flights were going have me changing planes in Korea anyway and since threats of conflict from North Korea had faded from the news this seemed to be the opportune time to add on a couple of days for a visit to South Korea as well.

I don't normally do cruises, or cold destinations for that matter, but Antarctica had to be an exception. The last continent, a place I never would have imagined visiting even a few years ago as it was a place for explorers/scientists not a place where average people go. So after my original trip plan for this year fell apart, and this opportunity came up I knew I had to do it.

The trip to South Africa was truly amazing. I was a bit anxious about doing a Christmas - New Years trip where flight from Seattle to Johannesburg was going through New York when just the year before there had been a huge snowstorm that delayed flights for days around the same time. However, luck was with me this trip and the weather was good.

Good luck isn't necessarily required for a great adventure, and traveling to Tokyo this year I am pretty sure I proved the concept. My luck was absolutely horrendous, but in the end I still came home with a really good feeling about the trip.

China was definately a unique trip. Famous historical sights like the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army and significant modern places like Tiananmen Square as well. Absolutely a fantastic experience, and yet inexplicably a bit unsatisfying as well.

Wow! Vietnam was a fabulous adventure in almost every sense of the word. Given the history between the US and Vietnam I didn't really know quite what to expect from this trip. However, it was one of the destinations I really wanted to see, and it very definitely did not disappoint.

This was my first time with an organized singles tour so I was not really quite sure just what to expect. However Ireland sounded like a fun short tour, I do love to travel, and a singles group for company might be interesting. I wasn't looking for romance really, just company to travel with.

Not exactly the greatest start on this trip. One-hour delays on both of my flights in getting to Honolulu from Seattle. Then once here I didn't get the full ocean view room I had reserved and had to settle for one with a partial ocean view…

To begin, I have to be fair and admit my commentary here is a little bit after the fact. Unlike what I hope I will be able to do on future trips which is to report a bit more in the moment. But with that said, Thailand was just a destination too fabulous to leave out of the content here…