Wrapping it all Up

July 28, 2025//May 31, 2026

It is an impossible task to put into words what our trip around the world has meant to us, how it has shaped each of us, and what memories we will keep with us, but we wanted to do something to reflect on it all. So I came up with a few highlights and asked everyone to share. (We referred to our accommodation as our “nest” throughout the trip because “home” didn’t feel right and sometimes they were hotels, houses, apartments, hostels, etc and “nest” just felt like it encompassed it all.) So, in ascending age order, here is each person’s wrap up:

Luisa, age 9-10

Favorite Tour: Thailand island tour

Favorite activity/day: day in Seoul, South Korea with the Chans and Lincoln National Park, SA, Australia

Worst activity/day: Vatican City tour

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand

Country with the best food: Japan (especially Kura Sushi Train)

First place you want to return to: Australia and Japan (and almost every country on the trip)

Olivia, age 13-14

Favorite tour: One in Thailand where we went into the cave.

Favorite activity/day: Day with the Chans where we went to karaoke (Seoul, South Korea)

Worst activity/day: Tour in Vatican Museum with Sofia and “my group”

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand and Bali (both places)

Country with the best food: I liked one thing in each country rather than everything in one country. In Thailand I liked the yellow curry, in Japan I liked the cucumber sushi, in Greece the pizza was amazing, and all the pasta in Italy.

First place you want to return to: Japan (Osaka, Nikko and Tokyo, in that order)

Charlotte, age 14-15

Favorite tour: Wilpattu Safari in Sir Lanka and Thailand Boat Tour with the cave swimming

Favorite activity/day: Surfing in Bali and the concert at the Sydney Opera House

Worst activity/day: My birthday. We were in Jaipur, India and half of the family was sick. Most notably Steffen, who suffers from severe man flu and requires a lot of care and attention when sick.

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand

Country with best food: Japan, but my favorite food (from multiple countries) was Egg Fried Rice

First place to return to: Vietnam, explore more or revisit Hanoi

Hannah, age 17

Favorite tour: Swimming with dolphins in New Zealand and the tour of the water village in Cambodia

Favorite activity/day: teamLabs Planets interactive museum in Tokyo and DisneySea in Tokyo

Worst activity/day: When I threw up at the airport in Bali and Hong Kong on our way to South Korea. Just the whole day was terrible.

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand and Margaret River, Australia

Country with best food: Italy (anyone who knows Hannah won’t be surprised by this!)

First place to return to: Tokyo, Japan and Melbourne, Australia

Most memorable part: All the nice people we met on the way and interacted with.

Julia, age 46

Favorite tour: Taj Mahal at sunrise

Favorite activity/day: swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Worst activity/day: when Olivia and Hannah were so sick when flying through Hong Kong from Bali to Seoul

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand

Country with best food: Japan

First place to return to: Margaret River, Australia

Steffen, age 48-49

Favorite tour: swimming with dolphins in New Zealand

Favorite activity/day: Semi-final of the Australian Open. (But also, the Sydney opera concert, the Thailand boat tour where we swam through a cave, the safari in Sri Lanka where we saw the leopards and were “attacked” by the elephant, and surfing in Bali.)

Worst activity/day: BTS bus tour

Favorite nest: Koh Lanta, Thailand

Country with the best food: Japan! 7-11 rice triangles and amazing sushi everywhere

First place you want to return to: Tokyo. Vietnam. Scottish highlands.

Most memorable and unexpected experience: Going to dinner at our Uber driver’s house in Sri Lanka.