Three go round-the-world

Since my post earlier this year, our plans have come together nicely. It has taken innumerable phone calls to Qantas and Singapore Airlines, the patience of a saint, learning new languages (have you ever tried to understand airline and airport taxes?!) and a fair amount of flexibility.  We had been planning one really long trip through Europe, the Caribbean, the US and a little bit of Asia, taking four months and including a few days in Bali at the end to recuperate before winding up back in Brisbane a few days before Christmas 2017. When we reflected on our previous longest trip (about nine weeks – and without a three year old!), it dawned on us that 15 or so weeks away from home, eating lots of great (but inevitably carb-, fat- or sugar-laden meals), with not too many stops longer than three nights, would probably stretch our travel affinity a tad too much. So we reconfigured a bit, taking into account that our frequent flyer redemption tickets placed a few constraints ...