After a very full 30 days in Vietnam, Samantha and I were very much looking forward to our next stop. Our friends Greg and Kathy live in Honolulu and we felt like a visit with some friends was in order. We planned to spend two weeks in total in Hawaii, and split that time evenly between one week on Kauai followed by a week with them on Oahu.
Read MoreAfter exploring the center of Vietnam at Hoi An and Hue, we flew south to Can Tho, a city on the Mekong Delta. The delta is filled with canals, rivers, swamps and rice paddies. There isn't all that much to do there, but we booked several extra days to relax after a busy travel schedule. One of the highlights of Can Tho is the floating markets.
Read MoreWe arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam after a couple of flights from Bali, steeling ourselves for more crazy Southeast Asian traffic and bustle. And while it was definitely busy, it wasn't nearly as hectic as some of the other Asian cities we've visited. Sure, the roads were filled with a high number of cars, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians, but at least there weren't many cows.
Read MoreWe took a ferry from Picton on the South Island of New Zealand across the Cook Strait to Wellington on the North Island. The seas were really rough that day, and unfortunately I had the worst seasickness of my life! When we got to Wellington all I wanted to do was sleep and do laundry. Chuck, Justin and Tania went out and met some locals and had a few beers. We didn't get to explore Wellington too much, but there's only so much you can do in a limited timeframe!
Read MoreAfter our weekend in Kaikoura, we had a few days to relax and take in Christchurch. Both Sam and I really loved the city, though it is a bit small and definitely a bit sleepy. Everyone we spoke to told us that before the big earthquake several years ago the city was a bit more bustling, and you could definitely see how that would be true. Though they have come a long way in rebuilding, the signs of the damage are all around in the central business district (where we were staying).
Read MoreAs of a few days ago, we’ve been traveling for six months! We looked back over our photos and our travels so far, and decided to post the top photos from every country we have visited so far. We’ve taken 4,059 photos, visited 18 countries, and stayed in 63 different hotels / AirBnbs. These are our favorite 77 photos.
Read MoreAfter leaving the Netherlands, Samantha and I were feeling like we wanted to slow down a little bit and have some down time. We also only had to return our rental car back in Milan, so we figured we'd head south and spend some time in the small French town of Metz. On our way we stopped at a third trappist monastery, Orval Abbey, for a couple beers and some trappist cheese.
Read MoreAs we made the rainy drive across the countryside from Bruges to Amsterdam I got more and more excited. We booked an especially nice hotel in downtown Amsterdam for our first wedding anniversary, and I was looking forward to a little luxury!
A minor anxiety attack crept up on me as we entered Amsterdam. Roads were blocked off and people were EVERYWHERE.
Read MoreWe had a great time in Brussels, drinking all the beer and eating way too much chocolate. We got on the road, headed west towards Bruges. I have been before, right after graduating from high school in 2007. Fortunately, not very much about the city has changed. It is a beautiful old city, protected by UNESCO, full of canals, cobble-stoned streets and medieval buildings. We didn’t have the best weather, but fortunately we managed to stay mostly dry.
Read MoreSamantha and Charles Parsons went a little overboard when planning their honeymoon. Instead of a few short weeks of travel, they opted for a year-long adventure around the world! Follow along as they leave their home in Denver, Colorado in the United States to travel the globe.
Just click on the logo of the store you want to shop at, and every purchase you make at that retailer will get the Parsons team around 4% - 8% of the cost of your order!
It costs you nothing!
Charles & Samantha Parsons
parsonsworldonline@gmail.com
