What’s up in 2020

Looking ahead to the new year has me thinking about where to spend my travel time and energies and what’s next for this blogging adventure I’ve started. 

Within the US, a New York trip is being planned for March/April. There are so many great Broadway shows on right now and visiting the Big Apple is always an exhilarating experience. May add on a side trip to see friends who live in Connecticut. Richmond, Virginia is a rapidly changing city with a wonderful food scene so that rises to the top of the plans as well.  Possibly a Las Vegas quick visit too and I have been thinking about New Orleans a lot lately. Given that it’s only January as I write this, I’m sure some new things will pop up and opportunities will present themselves. Maximizing where I live in Washington, DC and Southern Maryland are also important because I love those places and my community there - and it’s helpful for my future travel-related business goals. Below are photos of Richmond and New York’s Central Park.

It’s not even the end of January yet and I’ve already had one big travel disappointment. I was to have a weekend stopover in Guangzhou, China in between working in India and the Philippines this month. I do these stopovers as often as I can and when it works within the needs and policies of my company. But if I am connecting through a city and it’s on a weekend, extending that a day or two if possible is a great way to explore someplace new. It’s worked for me in London, Doha, Dubai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Paris, and Seoul. I’ve not been to China and was looking forward to learning more about that fascinating country. For this side trip to China though, Mother Nature had other plans when she concocted the Wuhan coronavirus. The outbreak seems fast and unpredictable and I certainly did not want to take any chances. At first I just canceled the weekend but kept the connection through Guangzhou but now I am even having that rerouted. Thankfully I have a company that supports this and I realize not everyone may have this luxury. But one definite rule of travel is that things are unpredictable and changes will have to be accommodated. This first international trip of 2020 will continue with visits only in Hyderabad and Delhi, India and Manila, Philippines- places I have been to many times. Below a photo of Guangzho’s skyline.

Our “big” personal trip this year will be to Scotland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland in May and June. This will be a fun trip mixing some familiars with a lot of new. We’ve been to Scotland before and this trip takes us back to Edinburgh and the Orkney Islands, two favorite places. I’m usually resistant to revisit places I’ve been, a fault for sure that keeps me from really getting to know a place. But my spouse has wanted to go back for a long time and that wish was the genesis of this itinerary. Adding on the Faroe Islands and Iceland was completely my idea and, while I’m sure Iceland will be lovely, the Faroe Islands is really intriguing me. Three great friends, and known excellent travelers, are joining what may come to be considered the first TypeATravel “one of a kind” trip. Also internationally, I’m thinking about Almaty, Kazakhstan (a friend just moved there), Nepal or Sri Lanka. Ethiopia is in the works for early 2021 so I’ll lump that in this look ahead too! Photos of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Orkney follow.

In 2020 i will continue to mature this blog. It’s been about 6 months now that I have been doing this and it has been an awful lot of fun. I have learned a great deal about hosting an internet site, blogging, social media engagement, etc. but I also recognize that I have so much more to learn. There is a whole industry behind all of this which, as only a reader or social media user, I had no idea about. I want to continue to find my voice around writing, hoping to become more descriptive and focused than what I’ve done so far. Also I hope to refine what regular features I want to include here - beyond just reviews and photos, what can I add that will help folks who want to travel. Developing the “business” side of this adventure and beginning to offer services and products is on my mind and I will continue to evolve those concepts. This will all take time of course and I will have to be patient. I purposely stared this adventure now, while I already have a demanding full time job, to give myself that time to grow. I’m happy you are along for the ride with me! 

Thanks for joining me and happy traveling.