Our First World Tour:


View FirstWorldTourLeg2 in a larger map

Above is a rough map of our first world tour, which finished in Dallas on June 22, 2009.

Trip Details:

September 21st, 2008 – we boarded the Royal Caribbean ship Freedom of the Seas., which was our home for 4 weeks. During that time we visited the islands of St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Labadee (Haiti), Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel twice each.

October 21st, 2008 – we boarded another cruise ship, Emerald Princess, where we spent 40 days touring the Eastern & Southern Caribbean. Stops included St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, and the Bahamas.

November 30th, 2008 – again we stepped off one ship an onto another. This time it was Carnival Valor, where we only spent 2 weeks, visiting Roatan, Honduras and Belize, along with some places we’d been before.

December 14th, 2008 – After completing our 3 month experiment living at sea, we returned briefly to friends and family in Texas – just long enough to buy the rest of the gear we need, take care of medical & dental appointments, fix Marc’s laptop and give the kids time with the grandparents.

January 2009 – we began our land tour of South America in Peru, spending most of our time in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. We visited Machu Picchu and other ancient sites, as well as Lake Titicaca.

Late January – Early February 2009 – we spent a few wonderfully laid-back weeks in Buenos Aires, enjoying the city life for a change!

February – March 2009 – we began our tour of Patagonia in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Then we made our way all the way back up to Buenos Aires by bus, stopping for a week in El Calafate, and for a few days on Peninsula Valdes, checking out all the wildlife and beautiful scenery. We spent a few days in Buenos Aires to rest from all that bus riding.

March 2009 – In a 1-week period, we spent 3 nights on buses, taking a trip to IguazĂș Falls before leaving Argentina, heading overland across the Andes to Santiago de Chile.

Late March 2009– from Santiago de Chile, we made our way across the Pacific Ocean, stopping at Easter Island, Tahiti, Rarotonga, and New Zealand. (minimal jetlag – yay!!)

Early April 2009 – we spent a frantic 9 days in Tokyo, Japan, taking in all the cherry blossoms & sushi, and visiting Tokyo Disneyland.

Late April 2009 – we spent almost 2 weeks in Beijing & Xian, China, before heading to Thailand.

May 2009 – A wonderful month spent in Thailand, splitting our time between the exciting capital city of Bangkok and the laid-back beach towns of Phuket and Krabi. Then we caught a flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, home to some of the coolest ancient temples on earth.

June 2009 – we saw as much of Vietnam as our tired selves could, starting in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), flying to Hoi An for their famous full-moon festival, then on to Hanoi, where we took a cruise in Ha Long Bay before catching our long flight(s) back to Dallas. (maximal jetlag – boo!)

July 2009 – our (first) world tour might be over, but the real adventure is just beginning…

Comments on this entry are closed.