The new lease of life upon arrival in a strange city. The arduous trek up sacred steps. The exertions of a day spent walking the wall, climbing the tower, riding the river. The split second of disbelief upon beholding the world’s greatest wonders.

The curiosity of street signs in unfamiliar scripts and neighborly chatter in foreign tongues. The same old cup of coffee or tea in the morning, laced with novel aromas to decipher. The timeless, unique connection between visitor and local, momentary yet long treasured by both.

The sheer magic of modern commercial flight. The joy of mastering the Miles & Points game, vastly expanding your range of travel possibilities. The immense satisfaction when the best laid plans run like clockwork; the rush of spontaneity when they don’t.

Travel feels addicting, otherworldly; it pushes the senses, questions our knowledge, and enriches our lives in a unique way. Yet for me it also feels instinctual, as though it were the most natural thing for us humans to explore our planet with insatiable curiosity.

I begin writing this blog with the hope that my love for travel can inspire some of you to take to the skies together with me, armed with a wealth of knowledge on how to do so cost-effectively and a deep yearning for a more complete understanding of the world.

Stay tuned.