…but we did go to some pretty cool places on this journey.  Hard to believe that we covered 20 countries and 62 cities in 11 months.  Could we have done more?  I guess, but we didn’t want to move too fast or rush through any place we stayed.  We really enjoyed taking our time and setting some roots down so to speak.  We finished our time in Stockholm and actually had one couple from Canada ask us how long we were staying.  When we said 8 days, they wanted to know what we would do here for so long.  The answer is a lot and nothing at all.  Having extra time means no rushing and enjoying what you do see.  We went on a bike tour, a boat ride, spent 7 hours at an amusement park and the girls got to have a lot of down time, which is necessary.  So, if you can take anything away from our time on the road, it is this – slow down, take your time and don’t feel like you need to check the box.  After all is said and done, we are really happy with the direction we took and the places we saw.  We didn’t have one bad stay or experience – how lucky we were.  

Here is the list of the places we went and actually stayed overnight.  After that there is a list of each person’s favorites – which actually changes sometimes depending on the day 🙂

JAPAN – Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima

CHINA – Beijing, Mutinayu, Xian, Shanghai, Hong Kong

VIETNAM – Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, HoiAn

THAILAND – Chiang Mai, Bangkok

CAMBODIA – Siem Reap

PHILIPPINES – Boracay, Manila

BALI – Seminyak, Ubud

AUSTRALIA – Bondi Beach, Brisbane, Sunshine Beach, Port Douglas, Melbourne

NEW ZEALAND – Waiheke Island, Aukland, Rotorua, Taupo, Rangitikei Farm, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch

SINGAPORE

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai

SPAIN – Barcelona, Figueres, Granada, Sevilla, Madrid

PORTUGAL – Lisbon

ITALY – Venice, Palermo, Agrigento, Taormina, Sorrento, Gaiole in Chianti, Lucca, Rome

ENGLAND – London

FRANCE – Paris

AUSTRIA – Vienna, Hallstatt

SWITZERLAND – Lucerne, Basel, Murren, Zurich

GERMANY – Meckenbeuren

SWEDEN – Stockholm

ALONSO FAMILY FAVORITES 

Kelly – New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Paris and Japan

Dave – Japan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, Taormina, Portugal,

Paris and Murren

Claire  – Japan, London, Australia and New Zealand

Lauren – London, Basel, Australia and New Zealand

Grace – Paris, Portugal, and Australia

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

~ St. Augustine

Coming next: Planes, trains and automobiles