So much for my grand plans for travel in 2019…
I flew over 200,000 miles in 2019 and visited dozens of countries. In that sense, it was another great year of travel.
But in reviewing two posts I wrote last January,
It has been more than two years since I set foot in a new country. For someone who has visited more than 130 countries and was on a tear for a decade and even in the first couple years after I got married, this has been a huge personal setback. And I cannot even blame my commitments as a husband and father…it has been my other work.
One thing that has always, at least historically, set my blog apart, is my adventure travels. Who else flies in first class and stays in five-star hotels, but heads to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan? That’s a combination that I hope to restart this year.
Last January, I set out to visit these five new countries:
- Algeria
- Bhutan
- Mongolia
- Nepal
- Syria
To challenge myself, I’m going to renew this list and set out five additional countries I hope to visit (in a separate post). 10 is hardly a stretch if spaced out wisely and I hope to have more time this year to plan travel in advance.
Last January I also set out to try 10 new premium cabin products. Those included:
- American Airlines 777-3000ER First Class
- WestJet 787-9 Business Class
- Air Canada 787-9 Business Class
- Korean Airlines A380 + 747-8 First Class
- Air Algerie A330 Business Class
- Virgin Australia 777-300ER Business Class
- Air Italy A330-200 Business Class
- TAP Portugal A330neo Business Class
- Singapore Airlines A380 New Suites
- Air Greenland A330 Business Class
I scored 2/10…I only flew Virgin Australia’s 777 business class and Air Italy A330 business class.
Surely, I can do better than that. It is my sincere hope to add more diversity to my blog content this year.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, I am writing this “progress report” post to myself and letting y’all look over my shoulder. I publish it to hold myself accountable. But I do welcome your suggestions on how you broke out of your own travel funks or made the time to visit new lands and fly new airlines.
This post is the very definition of “humblebrag”!
Lol. That really wasn’t the point.
Swing and a miss! No offense but that’s hysterical in a not so funny way. Amazing how life gets in the way. Clearly you had an amazing year but not on the way you’d hope. Still….a great year for your readers who’ve enjoyed your chronicles!
As a Star Alliance loyalist out of IAH, I’ve of enjoyed your UA/LH write-ups, but I agree that diversity of products this last year was pretty weak. Try those other products for us who don’t have the luxury to! I look forward to reading more this year. Thanks for the content
Didn’t you fly Air Italy as well for a 2/10 on airline reviews? You also got ANA and China Southern A380 reviews; while not planned for at the start of the year, give yourself some credit there too!
Correct! I fixed it. Thanks for catching that.
I managed only one new country in 2019 …Israel, courtesy of the new redemption partnership with QANTAS ( El Al, BKK-TLV-VIE), keeping a promise to my grandmother to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem, c 1963.
Politically I’m not a great fan, but I really loved the week there, in every regard.
I also want to visit Syria but I have crossed it off my list for the 2020 decade. Not a chance. Be glad that you did not go. You could have been kidnapped by militia for money then sold to another militia then given to the Syrian government to be burned alive. That would be the end of Live and Let’s Fly. It would be Live and Let Die. …and you are not 007.
If I had to give you 10 goals for 2020, it would be:
Chennai, India
Singapore
Hong Kong
Athens
Rome
Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands
St. Helena
Trollhattan, Sweden
and 2 more, making 10