Around the World Travel Summary Part 1

 

Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, coming to you from a recent trip, on a 90-day solo journey around the world.

 

Listener Story Spotlight

 

Alina, whom I met in Toronto and who hosted me for my final four nights, is trying to travel to Seattle this week, but she’s been affected by the Air Canada airline strike. She’s a great traveler who has visited Japan, Spain, and many European countries. She was an excellent Servas host. Look up Servas if you want to encourage world peace with cultural exchange.

 

Quick-fire FAQ:

 

The FAQ for today is: What was my favorite place during my 90-day journey? It’s what I get asked nearly every day.

I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I usually say, 'Right here is my favorite place.' Right now, I’m home, so that’s my favorite place. It’s usually the NEXT trip that I’ll be taking. My next trip is for work, to Las Vegas, so that’s not a favorite. I can stay here for up to two nights, and then I need to get out. However, after that, it's off to Chicago soon. That will be a favorite this fall.

 

60-second Travelbest confidence challenge

 

Walk outside. Close your eyes and stop where you are. Listen to the sounds you hear. Did you catch every sound? Make a list in your mind. Continue walking and focus on what you hear. The sounds of nature or the city are there, but maybe you haven’t been listening. Go ahead and do this once a week. That’s your challenge.

If you like today’s Confidence Challenge, Chapter 1 of my 5 Steps series book A dives deeper—link in description.”

 

See Book A for addressing all of these items.

https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/

 

Destination Deep‑Dive

Today’s special destination is: 

A summary of my 90-day trip. Part One

 I began my trip in South America on May 13, 2025. I charted a course to go around the world from north to south. I flew to Chicago to begin my trip and then went to Bogota, Colombia, Cartagena, and finally Medellin. I spent a total of four weeks in South America, traveling through four countries, each for one week. Some of the highlights of South America would include fantastic artwork in downtown Medellin and riding on their very sophisticated tram system. In Cartagena, I had the opportunity to explore the old town and the city walls, as well as spend a day at Isla Blanca, a resort. My second week was spent in Ecuador, where I spent several days on the island of Isabela in the Galapagos. I saw many natural wonders here on this small island. I explored the tunnels and had the opportunity to swim with sea turtles during this trip. I also saw many lizards and other unusual creatures. After arriving in Peru, I landed in Lima and then traveled to Cusco by plane, where I spent a few days acclimating to the high altitude. I spent one 19-hour day in Machu Picchu, leaving at 3 AM and arriving at about 11 PM. That was quite an adventure, and it was a beautiful day at that. I felt that I got to know the city of Lima after visiting it for the second time at the end of May, when I spent a week in Brazil. I first arrived in Rio de Janeiro and visited the Christ the Redeemer statue.

 

I then spent several days exploring the city before heading to the sister city across the bay in Nero, where I enjoyed the locals and the beaches. I then flew to São Paulo. I explored this vast metropolis, one of the largest cities I've ever seen. From there I flew to South Africa via Angola, and when I arrived in Cape Town, I rented a car and drove on the left side of the road for the first time. I explored the Garden Route for several days before returning to Cape Town, situated at the southernmost tip of Africa. After Cape Town, I flew to Johannesburg on another airline. I was fortunate to visit the Apartheid Museum and the homes of two Nobel Peace Prize winners, all in the same neighborhood. This is my second trip to Africa, so I was glad to see a different part of it this time. I'll finish up my summary in the next episode, so stay tuned. 

Smart Move and Slip-up pairings

 One of my slip-ups on this trip was losing my phone. I lost it while I was entering the CN Tower in Toronto, one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. I was going through the X-ray machine, and they asked me to take off my vest. They also asked me to remove items from the pockets in the vest. They removed my phone from my pocket and dropped it in the basket when I was collecting my vest. I forgot to put the phone back in my pocket and proceeded to enter the exhibit for about five minutes. When I went to take a photo of an item on the tour, I couldn't find my phone I knew where it was so I turned around retrace my steps, made sure that they were gonna give me a reentry went into their highly secure staffing room and retrieved my phone immediately so don't slip up like I did and leave your phone behind when you're going through security, even if you seem to be a little bit nervous when you're going through there take a minute and make sure you have all your things. The smart move is to take a breath whenever you are going through a security situation.

60-second confidence challenge

 

Here's my challenge for you. Can you pack all of your toiletries and one small cube that will help build your confidence in many ways? Don't forget to zip up any items that could leak, especially if you have bug or mosquito protection, such as DEET, which should be double-bagged.

 

Resources Roundup

 

One of the good places to find resources is with your government agencies, such as the US consulate. Don't hesitate to check those out before you take a big trip.

 

Take away mantra and goodbye.

 

My takeaway for today is that traveling in one direction means that you don't have to double back and return to the same destination. Making a loop is a more efficient way to travel, draw a circle, and see where you can go on that journey, instead of just coming back.