We are planning, preparing and packing for #The Ellner 2019 Around the World Tour( aka RTW ) kicking off in less than two weeks . Around the world, while accurate, understates the nature of this travel extravaganza with 28 countries, 20 new for Cindy and 21 for Bruce; 17 different hotels ( some more than once ), 29 flight legs ( 4 overnight ), one round trip ferry , a stack of visas and a certain someone’s birthday fete on Lake Como.

We’ve been thinking about this trip for several years and began serious planning in 2018. The backbone of our #RTW journey is the #Star Alliance Around the World planning guide and booked through #United Airlines’ Around the World desk. Once we had selected destinations, flights and dates, the ticketing process was straight forward. A few changes were made easily without any additional cost. So, bravo to the #United Airlines Around the World people.

In the end we have structured the RTW trip into six segments which made it simpler for us to book lodgings, transportation and must see sights .We used Expedia and Hilton for most lodgings. DrukAsia for the Bhutan side trip…all inclusive air travel, hotels, meals, visas, ground transportation. Many of the non RTW flights were booked directly with local carriers. For this Google was a power tool.

For disease prevention and positive health we consulted with our renown travel doctor on whom we have become dependent for safe travels. After a few shots and a half dozen prescriptions in case of bad luck, plus our GlobeHopper Senior travel medical insurance and we are as prepared as we will ever be.

Packing books for a couple of months is a no go, so we bought new #Amazon Paperwhite Kindles and are now packing them with titles. I’m looking forward to reading Midsummer Night’s dream in both English and French ( we are skipping our annual month in Paris and Bruce feels a little homesick ).

Start looking in this space for RTW updates around the end of May and you can follow us on# Instagram. We are travelingseniors101 .