We're currently home in France, preparing hard to embark on the traveling lifestyle in April 2011. In the next few months we'll be very busy with the round of family holidays. The winter holidays of about five cultures and everybody's birthday will be landing smack in our inbox, leaving us wiped out and overfed by January. Oh well...
Where we're going...
Our calendar shows our traveling plans as far into the future as we've made any. I get re-motivated every time I look at it.
The Google map shows our proposed itinerary around the world. There should really be a big question mark between Australia/New Zealand and Japan, and another between Moscow and whatever happens next, but Google doesn't do question marks.
View RTW in a larger map
Where we've been...
The other thing that makes me feel good is the list of places we've been in the past:
Asia:
- India, twice. We've been around Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and of course Delhi and Mumbai
- Japan: Mike's worked in Tokyo, the rest of us have had to make do with a short but much enjoyed stopover in Narita
- Nepal: Kathamandu, and what they deign to call a 'honeymoon trek' in the mountains
- Reunion: a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean, technically part of France and rather like a Tardis - larger on the inside than the outside!
Europe:
- Austria: Vienna for a short trip with a friend
- Belgium: brief stop in Bruges
- Czech Republic: Prague, for a short trip to visit a friend
- Denmark: Cophenhagen, on a school band trip, way back a long time ago
- England: lots of places, but the highlights are London, the Pennine Way, York, Scarborough, Stonehenge
- France: lots of places,but the highlights are our honeymoon Tour de France, which went, well, everywhere, and our own Alps and pre-Alps
- Germany: Munich and the Bavarian castles a short drive to the south. We've also been to Kassel for the Documenta contemporary art show
- Hungary: mother-daughter trip to Budapest
- Iceland: we drove round the main perimeter on a fabulous, nearly impromptu holiday
- Ireland: Dublin and Newgrange
- Italy: Tuscany, Venice, Rome, Naples and surrounding country
- Luxembourg: most boring childhood holiday ever (sorry Luxembourg)
- Monaco: short excursion from the French Cote d'Azur
- Netherlands: camping in Holland + HAR 2009 for Mike
- Portugal: Lisbon and surrounding country
- San Marino: day trip for Mike
- Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Skye, Orkney, West Highland Way and other Highlands
- Slovakia: short but very pleasant excursion to Bratislava
- Spain: Andalousia, Barcelona, and parts of Catalonia to the north-east, Madrid - read about Antonia and Pen's girly camper van trip here.
- Sweden: on a school band trip, way back a long time ago
- Switzerland: we keep going to Geneva for various reasons but our fun trip was to Gruyere and Fribourg
- Wales: mostly Portmeirion, home of The Prisoner
Middle East:
- Israel : a longish but interesting trip, before Penny knew how to plan trips or understood that Mike doesn't (plan trips, that is)
North America:
- California, USA: San Francisco, Redwoods and wine tasting
- Connecticut, USA: to see family
- Hawaii, USA: Mike's been there, a long time ago
- Louisiana, USA: New Orleans and surrounding country, before all the hell broke loose
- Mexico: Mike's been there, on Spring Break or something like that, before he moved to Europe
- Massachusetts: Boston and Martha's Vineyard, in November!!!
- Maryland, USA: to see family
- New York, USA: to see family
- Ohio, USA: to visit a friend
- Oregon, USA: to visit family, with a trip to volcano country
- Pennsylvania, USA: home of Philadelphia, Penny's least un-favorite city on the East Coast (sorry, East Coast)
- Washington DC, USA: which isn't a state
Oceania:
- New Zealand: most fabulous life-changing holiday of all time
