a short aside before we begin: 2013 was the first year i really started to embrace travel as a lifestyle — or well, at least as much as i have been able to, and i’m so grateful for it. rarely a day passes that i don’t reflect on how fortunate i have been to have seen as much of the world as i have been able to.
achievements
- flew on the A380 five times this year: 2x Air France, 1x Singapore, 1x Thai, 1x Lufthansa. i don’t have a favorite airplane, but if i did, it would likely be this.
- finally crossed the sole aviation-related item off my list, Hello Kitty.
- i started my lounge shower review series and wrote 21 of ’em so far.
- according to my records, i flew 189,431 miles this year, significantly more than any year previous:
- my longest flight was Dulles to Dubai, 7,069 miles (about 13 hours) which i did in a middle seat (somehow got switched at the gate; at least it was economy plus? — luckily the return was in an exit row aisle)
- my shortest flight was Dulles to Philly (3x this year), 135 miles.
- according to the tripadvisor facebook app i use, i’ve passed the 50-country mark (50 was Singapore, 51 was Myanmar). note that if you use it and your number comes out lower than you expect, it’s because it counts England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all as one country, the United Kingdom (which makes sense).
a brief word on United PQD
for me, the 2013 development that will have the most impact was the announcement that United will be instituting a minimum spend for their elite tiers in addition to the amount of miles flown. i can’t say i was completely taken by surprise, just saddened they chose to do it right as my flying was really picking up (this will likely be the only year i ever make United 1K).
that said, i totally get their side of the story.
they are making a business decision: they want more money. i’m making a business decision: i only fly when it’s cheap and i want to save money. they are valuing me less as a customer, i’m valuing them less as a business. as i’ve said before, no hard feelings. see ya’!
but first, the food
i’ve singled out three of my favorite food experiences from this year (tough, since y’all know how much i love to eat!):
zaatar in Qatar:
the Skåne-focused pop-up food festival in Malmö during Eurovision:
pretty much anything in Singapore (yes, i know twitter thinks i was in Malaysia):
i suppose, though, i shouldn’t forget this was the year i waited for that damn cronut…
and now, drumroll please, some highlights from 2013
- it didn’t make my 2012 review, but i spent new year’s eve walking around Vienna, Austria. amazing.
- my first-ever op-up to business class, flying home from Frankfurt to San Francisco (New Year’s Day)
- my first time on the Arabian Peninsula: a trip to Qatar and Dubai (February)
Driving around Qatar, almost a bit too far
- stumbling across an earworm-worthy protest/dance in Santiago, Chile (March)
- looking down at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from the Christ the Redeemer Statue (March) bucket list
- my first time really exploring Buddhist temples, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (April)
Never before have I been so overwhelmed (in a good way) by the smell of incense.
- finally conquering (aka walking through the abandoned) Sideling Hill Tunnel in Central Pennsylvania (April)
Heh, I still can’t believe I did it!
Mother Nature worked overtime here.
- the art nouveau explosion in Riga, Latvia (May)
I will admit this one is a bit creepy.
- going to Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden (May) bucket list
(the wedding theme makes sense given Finland’s entry this year)
i’m disappointed my number one pick (Germany’s Cascada with “Glorious”) didn’t win, but i had a blast nonetheless.
- my first, but hopefully not last, visit to Thailand (July)
From my day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya
- a threefer from Mongolia (July):
Drinking salty milk tea in a yurt, part of my wacky day trip out of Ulaanbaatar.
Towing a car using a seatbelt (which explained our missing seatbelts), also from the wacky day trip.
Experiencing Naadam, Mongolia’s annual sports competition
- returning to Budapest, Hungary for the first time in seven years (August)
And spending a day wandering around just a little south of here in less-than-touristy District VIII.
- a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia, because why not? (August)
Especially this one particular street in the old city that’s in the slow process of rehabbing.
- hiking to a glacial lake south of Anchorage, Alaska (August)
I’m not a hiker, but the trek was so worth it.
- pretty much any time i looked up in St. Petersburg, Russia (September)
Between the cathedrals and the Hermitage…a feast for the eyes to last a lifetime.
- exploring my family’s heritage in Penang, Malaysia (September-October) bucket list
Me at the Khoo Kongsi, or Clanhouse. Yes, the same Khoo that’s my last name.
- getting to go inside the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport (October)
And getting to meet fellow #avgeeks!
- my heart racing as i explored the abandoned ruins of a coal breaker in Northeast Pennsylvania (October)
I was so afraid of the building collapsing or me falling through a hole in the rusted-out flooring.
- my two-in-a-row Hello Kitty flights (November) bucket list
So. Kawaii.
- eating at the original Din Tai Fung in Taipei, Taiwan (November)
- the modern + traditional dichotomy found in Singapore (November)
while much of Singapore is so unabashedly modern…
…there are some areas that are still very much as they used to be, like the Geylang District
- standing on top of a temple overlooking a vast plain dotted with history in Bagan, Myanmar
Oh and the sunset view! AMAZEBALLS.
2014 is shaping up to be a busy travel year as well. i can’t wait to see what experiences are in store!
this post is dedicated to the amazing folks at The Flight Deal, who unearth the cheap airfares that make many of my trips possible. oh, and for the record, my 2012 retrospective.