Planet Hoppers | December 2018

December 2018

My favorite thing about the holidays is the chance to connect with family and friends. While some enjoy a traditional home dinner with loved ones, more and more of us are enjoying family time abroad. With shared adventures, new discoveries, and enriching experiences, I deeply admire these families who are creating stronger connections with each other and our world. I’m wishing you all a loving holiday and many adventures for the New Year!

Featured Trip Of The Month

VERMA FAMILY CRUISING THE GALAPAGOS

Galapagos Itinerary

Kapil Verma and Aila Malik are on a year-long journey around the world with their three children - Zayan (12), Kenza (9) and Kaysan (7). They left their California home in July of 2018 to begin this once-in-a-lifetime trip. They’ll be traveling until mid-July, 2019. I caught up with them soon after their Galapagos trip. Although this article focuses only on Galapagos, their story is both fascinating and truly inspirational. I encourage you to read the full transcripts of their interview where we go into more depth about how this trip came to be, the planning involved, and many of their stories so far. From a luxury ship in the Galapagos to volunteering at the largest dump in Guatemala - they are determined to experience it all.

"The most amazing experiences for us are the ones where we have no expectations."

"We went in with high expectations and they were all met – just the quality of the experience. The biggest surprise was the visual of the wildlife. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It was just beautiful and unspoiled. That was the most enjoyable part of the experience for me. Sailing around being pampered on a luxury boat also didn’t suck. A lot of the reason we went was to see wildlife you don’t see anywhere else in the world and the formation of the islands. My dad said he saw way too many turtles and way too many blue-footed boobies. We never got tired of it. I’ve never seen that many sea turtles in my life all in one location. We didn’t know what to expect and we saw a lot of cool stuff. The iguanas are amazing too, especially swimming with them. We saw otters swim with the iguanas and they played with each other. There wasn’t anything that we were afraid of and the wildlife didn't seem to fear us - that's because humans have never been their predators. That was a big takeaway. We would walk up to sea lions or blue-footed boobies and they would have no fear of us."

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"The boat was awesome. It carried 16 passengers, plus a staff of roughly 12 people. It was a big boat for 16. Most of the downstairs of the boat was like a huge living room with couches, windows where you could see the ocean, dining tables, a huge kitchen, and a bar. It was very comfortable. We had our own primary guide. We went from island to island and would anchor adjacent to the island. There were different excursions – one where you take a zodiac and dock it so you could go walking around the island. Another excursion where you stayed in the zodiac itself and toured around the island. A third type was a snorkeling excursion from the zodiac."

"We’re doing a year’s worth of bucket lists. Along the way, we're connecting with the local people, doing volunteer work, and immersing ourselves, and it has worked well for us. We assimilate well into a lot of cultures because the kids can throw a ball around. They were constantly invited into homes, living rooms, and yards to play. Cultural humility is the number one value with us. We’re not too good to do anything. We are witnessing and learning from people.

We are 100% encouraging of it. We’re sharing as much as we can. For us, we had thought of this when we first got married in 2004. We wanted to travel before careers and kids. Then I got pregnant sooner than expected so I thought, I guess we’re traveling with kids. We knew that it was going to be 2018 or 2019. We designed our careers around it. We talked about it for a decade. Our families didn’t think we were serious, but we made it happen.

100% I think families should do this. If they set out the intention, it can totally be done. It can be done on a budget and/or more luxurious. It’s amazing. We really appreciate Amy and everything she’s done for us."

You can follow their journey by reading their blog at www.franklinstreetglobetrotters.org or following them on Instagram @franklin_street_globetrotters

Where In The World Is This Planet Hopper?

Read about this fantastic trip in next month's issue. Here's a hint:

Planet Hopping In Progress

November Travelers

Donetta and Dana’s honeymoon in Asia
Walter’s family holiday in Fiji
Justin and Maria’s honeymoon in Bora Bora
Lindsay and Mike’s honeymoon in Thailand
Lucy & Tony’s honeymoon in Maldives & SE Asia
Melissa and Sanjaya’s South America tour
Ariege and friends in Amsterdam

December Travelers

Randazzo family holiday in Maui
Chris and Ed in Japan
Kraft family in Asia plus Mekong River Cruise
Srivastava family in Australia with New Year’s Eve Gala at the Sydney Opera House
Ananth family holiday in France
Lam family in Chile with New Years Eve fireworks in Santiago
Chamberlain family in Thailand, Cambodia and Hong Kong
Raman family holiday in Thailand
Fritz and Jennifer in Bora Bora and New Zealand
Vadakkedath family reunion in Thailand

New Year's Tradition and Superstitions from
Around the World

Many New Year's superstitions and traditions involve food. In the Philippines, the focus is on these round fruits in order to ensure a prosperous year. In Greece they smash pomegranates in hopes that many seeds will scatter because more seeds = more luck. Follow these instructions to see if it brings you luck in 2019. For more lucky foods and recipes, click here.

What wishes do you have for 2019? Would you like your 2019 to be filled with travel and adventure? Here are a few Latin American superstitions you can try to ensure those dreams come true.