My Round the World in 30 Days trip took place in February/March 2014.
My route took me to Hong Kong, Fiji, New Zealand, Vancouver, Seattle and Iceland.
As well as providing some exciting place to visit, it added three new countries to my list of Countries Visited, namely: Fiji, Canada and Iceland.
I provided articles as I travelled around, particularly emphasising those things that appeal to the Senior Traveller and help in planning a similar trip.
Initial planning had been very much aided by the Travel Consultant, Stewart Hazell, based at the Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, branch of STA Travel. And all went very much to plan.
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I reported the journey in seven stages as I travelled along:
- Stage 1: Hong Kong
- Stage 2: Fiji: Suva and Levuka
- Stage 3: New Zealand: Auckland and Coromandel
- Stage 4: New Zealand: Blenheim and Kaikoura
- Stage 5: Canada: Vancouver and the North Shore
- Stage 6: USA: Seattle and Snoqualmie
- Stage 7: Iceland: Reykjavik and the Golden Circle
Final Thoughts
Now I’m back home, I can look back on the trip and pose the question:
Was travelling round the world in 30 days a good idea?
The answer: Yes, definitely yes!
Maybe a longer journey, such as the Round the World in 50 Days trip I made five years ago, might be preferable, but we only had 30 days available this time. Hong Kong, New Zealand and Canada were essential stops for various reasons; Fiji, the USA and Iceland tied the whole journey together.
Of course we needed quite a range of clothing, from shorts and T-shirts for tropical Fiji to heavy jackets for freezing Iceland. We also had to adjust quickly to different times and seasons, such as Autumn in New Zealand to Spring next day in Iceland.
But the scenery was tremendous: waterfalls, canyons, tropical forest, rocky seashores and beautiful beaches, combined with some fantastic buildings, including three sky towers and the Hong Kong skyline.
We particularly enjoyed the botanic gardens and conservatories in Auckland, Vancouver and Seattle.
Gastronomically, we sampled some great wines in New Zealand and enjoyed some interesting eateries, including the historical Whale’s Tale in Fiji, Nins Bin for lobster in New Zealand and the top notch Teahouse Restaurant in Vancouver.
We managed to stay at least three nights in most places we visited and can recommend all the Holiday Inns where we stayed.
Of course it’s the people you meet than can make or break any holiday. We found everyone we met to be friendly and helpful, even the US Border Guards! It was interesting to move from the polite friendliness of Hong Kong to the totally laid-back friendliness of Fiji, with the other four countries somewhere in between.
I very much enjoyed the independence of this trip. Because I’m a Senior doesn’t mean I need to be shepherded. I could visit where I wanted when I wanted, particularly in the four countries where I had hire cars.
I can very happily recommend a round the world trip of this type to any Senior Traveller who enjoys the freedom to roam. But not just to Senior Travellers, but to any traveller who can manage to escape for 30 days.
