How Do You Vacation During a Year of Round-the-World Travel?

I guess it all depends on how you define vacation. For me, vacation is about relaxation and fun. It’s about not having chores and not having expectations. So, on this round-the-world trip, how do we tell the difference between travel and vacation? The main criteria is to stay in a place where we feel no pressure to sight-see. Our first vacation of this trip was in Paros, Greece. We had a beach house and no expectations to do anything but look at the beach, go to the beach, and eat by the beach. It turns out we did some sight-seeing, but more out of a playful curiosity than an expectation of learning anything.

Our second - and much anticipated - vacation was in Phuket, Thailand. We stayed at a luxurious resort. We had a private pool. We spent a day at the spa and several days in our swimsuits. We did no travel planning, no school work, no caring, and we had a blast.

We also got out of the resort. We took a cruise into Phang Nga Bay where we would have guided kayak tours of the caves and hongs. We splashed and swam and paddled and squealed at the sight and smells of bats. We ate delicious Thai food and made a traditional kratong and saw bioluminescent plankton. Sea sparkles! What vacation is complete without sea sparkles?

Like all vacations, this one gave me plenty of time to reflect on what has passed and what lies ahead. The word “wow” kept popping up for me. I mean, what an audacious thing we are doing with this round-the-world trip! The people we’ve met and learned about, the wildlife and landscapes we’ve seen, the foods and arts and daily life we’ve experienced have changed us all, already. It’s incredible, especially considering what a homebody I am.

Oh, and there was even a rainbow.