It’s been a grand year of great adventure, and though the clock is ticking the final seconds ’til 2014, I am glad for the chance to review all that we’ve been through in the past twelve months:
I opened 2013 on the streets of Edinburgh, exploring the land of my forefathers before leaping back across the globe to the frozen white mountains of Montana. Then we ventured south to the wild Galapagos, and then deep in the heart of Texas, where I clocked more than 5,000 miles, all in the state of my birth, then hopping over to Norway for a wee bit and then to Mexico City for a vacation from my travels. Summer saw me travel from Miami Beach to Tanzania to Iceland via Amsterdam, then back to Montana, up to Alberta, and back to Scotland before kicking off an epic 3-week journey through six of our nation’s National Parks. Then, in commemoration of National Geographic’s 125th Anniversary, I embarked on the expedition of a lifetime, jetting off to some of the rarest spots on the globe (Bhutan and the Kalahari were some of my personal favorites). And then, for my final assignment, I explored South Africa, crossing the country overland and falling in love with that beautiful country all over again.
Now, in these last days of the year, I am back home in Washington, DC, immensely thankful for a marvelous year of travels. Above all, I am filled with a huge sense of gratitude to all of you, my readers, and for my amazing team at National Geographic, who make all my journeys possible. None of us ever really travels alone, and I only wish I could personally thank all of the guides, chefs, bellhops, mechanics, gas station attendants, park rangers, hotel owners, servers, and fellow travelers who’ve helped along the way—thank you!
It’s quite challenging to pick out “the best” from so many magnificent moments, but after reviewing a year of notes and reliving each trip, I present you the BEST OF 2013: Read More…