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 ...

Leave approved - yes! Flights booked - yes! Money saved - mostly yes! Since finding an excuse a couple of years ago (it wasn't hard), we've been aiming to take ourselves and our now two year old on a long holiday, seeing some as yet undiscovered places and returning to some old favourites.  We pondered the where, when and how of this intended adventure from time to time.  Organising got serious a few months ago.  We are both just about to become eligible for long service leave, have done some fairly serious saving and last week got approval to take our proposed four months off during the second half of 2017. I am hoping this will continue the process of instilling in our son a real love of travel, a curiosity about people, places, cultures and history, that he can embed as a lifelong passion or pursue as an occasional escapade.  Before he came along, and since he was just a few weeks old, we have indulged our enjoyment of food, drink, exploratio...