In early December I wrote about my upcoming travels in 2020. As it always seems to happen, I managed to squeeze in another trip. No matter how many times I say I'm going to slow down "next year," my passion for discovering new places, cultures and wildlife gets in the way. A friend and I always talk about our fantasy of having a teleporter, we refer to it as a wish for a "Beam me up, Scotty" kind of thing. Unfortunately, that's unlikely in our lifetimes or or probably at any point in the future, but hey, we can dream. Until then, it's long-haul flights, and I'll be on a very long one in early March as I travel to Indonesia.

I'd been binge watching a lot of documentaries on wildlife and natural wonders around the world, and several featured various islands of Indonesia. I knew I'd have to visit sometime in the near future - I was especially intrigued about Borneo as I'd always wanted to see orangutans in the wild. Pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys are there too! 

I searched through flights to get an idea of how much it would cost to get there, and was surprised to find that airfare was quite a bit less than flying to Europe. Of course, it's a very long journey - 21 hours, and that was the least amount of time. Many flights, with various connections, were 33 hours or more.  So, perhaps saved for another year when my schedule was more open. Or so I thought. The next morning I received a message out of the blue - "Do you happen to be going to Indonesia anytime soon?" it read. Bizarre coincidence? Long story short, I was invited by Nihi Sumba Resort, named the best hotel in the world (twice) by Travel + Leisure, to stay for four nights and experience what it has to offer. 

I believe everything happens for a reason and, there's no way I'd turn that down. I'll land in Bali and spend some time there before and after Nihi. While Borneo will have to be saved for another year, perhaps I'll go as part of my trip to visit New Zealand again in 2021, I'm pretty excited about this trip. 21+ hours? Hopefully I'll sleep through at least a good portion of that, I have a feeling it will be worth it. 

Leaving in early March, and I can't wait. I'll be sure to tell you all about it and post the article I'll be writing after it's published. In the meantime, if you're considering an exotic trip this year, you might want to think about Indonesia too. Why?

• The flights are very reasonably priced from L.A. and San Francisco - less than $500 round trip.
• If you like to dive or snorkel, 20% of the world’s coral reefs and some of the best diving and snorkeling on the planet can be enjoyed here.
• The beaches are stunning.
• The wildlife is incredible, from the colorful hornbills to the orangutans, all sorts of monkeys like the unique proboscius, and pygmy elephants.
• There are soaring mountains to hike and enjoy some of the world's best sunrises and sunsets from the top
• If you need some stress relief or just to soothe sore muscles, you can get all sorts of spa treatments, including massage, at very reasonable prices​

I've also been hearing a lot about how friendly and welcoming the people are, and so far  my interactions with them from afar have proven that to be true. Of course, I'm sure I'll be creating an entire new, longer list after I return. 

This world has so much to offer, it may be impossible to ever slow down! 

​Not surprisingly, the most frequent question I'm asked is "What's your favorite destination?" It might seem like an easy question to answer, but that's far from the reality. There are so many destinations around the world - I love mountains, beaches, wildlife, warm weather, cold weather, meeting new people. I've traveled to Newfoundland and Iceland many times. I have family in Ireland and have been visiting since 2001 - I think I'm on my 10th or 11th trip, I've lost count. Those countries are all on the top of my list. 

​Staying in the heart of the Amazon in beautiful Ecuador, one of the most diverse and spectacular countries was an experience of a lifetime - listening to the howls of the monkeys through the rainforest, seeing the red eyes of the caimans in the river after dark, the toucans perched in the trees and the hundreds of parrots soaring through the skies, it was something I never thought I'd see outside of a TV screen. 

Greece was incredible, the history, the people, the food, the scenery!

And, traveling to Croatia this year I fell hard for that country too - I'm returning to experience more of some of my favorite spots there in 2020 - there's so much I have to say about that spectacular country, it deserves a post of it's own...on the list!
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Of course, I've been mostly living in Baja, Mexico for the last 18 months or so - the Wild West feel, the stunning beaches and crystal-clear blue waters for snorkeling that are like swimming in an aquarium, the Mexican people and the mouthwatering cuisine, make it one of my favorite places too. And, the whales...humpbacks and gray whales come so close you can almost pet them - in some places, you can!

Truly, it's an impossible question to answer. But, after visiting New Zealand, I have to admit, that one is going to be hard to beat. Not that I have to choose just one, of course. When I returned from my trip, I endured some of the worst jet lag ever... but I also felt more calm and relaxed than I had in a very long time. There was just something magical about this place that I tried to boil down to a list of reasons, but to really understand it, you'll need to visit yourself. Trust me when I say, the long flight and jet lag is worth it.
 
I'm going back in March of 2021 - in one of my latest articles for Trips To Discover I reveal just some of the reasons why:  !3 Reasons New Zealand is the Best Country to Visit
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Where will you go in 2020?

2019 was quite the year for travel - and, I've been so busy with client work I've barely had time to breathe between working and traveling. It's time to slow down the pace a bit, but I have got some very exciting adventures coming up in 2020.

I'll be traveling to Ireland like I do most years, visiting in late April/early May, a great time to be there with all the green and wildflowers, but far fewer tourists than what the summer springs. From there, I'll fly to Porto, Portugal for a few days and then drive north to Asturias, Spain. That region is rarely visited by American tourists, and it happens to be one of the last places that Anthony Bourdain featured on Parts Unknown before passing in June of 2018. Mountains, ocean, amazing food... there are many reasons I've decided to visit, some of which I've outlined in this article for Trips To Discover: Top 9 Reasons to Visit Asturias, Spain.

In July, I'll return to one of my favorite places on Earth, Newfoundland - this will be my sixth trip, but it will be shorter than usual. Last time I visited the west and north, so heading back to spend more time in St. John's and Trinity, for two whale watching trips. There were hundreds of humpbacks there last year so crossing fingers that it will be just as good in 2020, but it's always a beautiful place to visit. From there, I'll head to the Arctic - Churchhill, Manitoba from there to spend a week with the beluga whales. The Hudson Bay coastline in Northern Manitoba is home to the world's largest population with over 57,000 belugas  congregating in the region in the summer. And, while polar bears don't usually come into town until the fall, I'll be heading out with Lazy Bear Expeditions to go where they are.  Seeing the belugas and the polar bears is something I've wanted to do for years.

Finally, I had such an amazing time in Croatia this past September/October that I'm going back again in 2020. I was fortunate to be able to join a small-ship cruise with Unforgettable Croatia, one of my clients, and I was seriously blown away by the experience. A small-ship cruise is nothing like going on one of those mega ships and it was one of the best trips I've ever had - it really requires a full blog post, and during this "slower" time of the year, I'll  be getting to that soon. The food, the wine, the people, the scenery, the history. Incredible.  For this next trip I'll be visiting Crete in Greece for a week first and then head to Dubrovnik, Korcula Island, Split, the Plitvice Lakes area, into Slovenia (Lake Bled) and the Istrian Peninsula, which is amazing, a lot like Tuscany with hilltop towns and lots of vineyards - the area is famous for its truffles too. 

Just recently I spent a couple of weeks in New Zealand, so I'll be detailing that trip in my next blog post. I'd wanted to travel there since I was a teenager and it was even better than I imagined. While it's always hard for me to pick a favorite place, I have to say, that was it. I really never wanted to leave... but more on that coming soon. I'm already planning a return trip in March of 2021.

Where will you go in 2020? I'd love to hear about it!