WHERE IN THE WORLD WERE WE?

2025 TRAVEL RECAP

THAILAND

I’d like to begin by thanking you for reading this travel blog. Writing this blog serves two purposes. First, it helps us keep track of what the heck we’ve done and what we’ve seen. Reminiscing is that much easier. There’s no quibbling about past travels like where we were or when were we there? We simply look it up on the blog.

Secondly, we get to share our travel experiences with you, the reader, and hopefully inspire you to travel as well and along the way give some helpful advice.

Thirdly, yes make that three purposes, the blog serves to slake my ego. Afterall, I am a writer and a writer likes to be read. So, where were we?

HERE AND THERE

Overall, this past year we spent a lot of time at home. We started 2025 in England as we spent Christmas and New Year’s there. Our English family then spent part of their summer vacation with us, and we rented a house in Ocean City, New Jersey. Janet returned the favor by traveling back to England in October to show them how Halloween is properly celebrated.

We also paid our “dues” to other family members who needed their dogs watched while they traveled. They have watched our dog a lot over the years, so we returned the favor. A gift of a bottle of rum wasn’t enough.

We also traveled to visit friends in the Saratoga Springs area in September.  

THAILAND IN FEBRUARY/MARCH

We spent three weeks in Thailand. The first two we toured the country with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). This was our second trip with this   tour company. Last year we booked a trip to Vietnam and then Cambodia with them.

At the Golden Triangle

Specializing in small group travel with no more than 16 people allowed, OAT took us from Bangkok to Chaing Mai to Chain Rai and the Golden Triangle. It was historical with some sobering visits to the “Bridge over the River Kwai” and the Hellfire pass.

After our tour we then traveled to Kamala Beach in Phuket for week of revelry. It was completely different than our time in the north. We stayed at the Sunprime Resort.

OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL

SUNPRIME BEACH RESORT KAMALA THAILAND

THE BIG ISLAND HAWAII IN MAY

Normally we don’t like to return to a place we’ve visited before, but we always make an exception for Hawaii. We were last there in 2014 and this past year we were able to get a two-bedroom condo at Waikoloa Village for just $1,600. Splitting the cost with friends we spent a week in paradise. One day we were proper Paniolos riding horses on Kohala mountain and one evening we went to the summit of Mauna Kea.

Renegade and me

The next week we returned to Hilo and rented a house with a pool. We also visited Volcanos National Park and partied at Uncle Robert’s Farmers Market in Kalapana.

PANIOLO AVENTURES  

ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES IN DECEMBER

Our yearly trip to a Sandals resort had us on the island of St Vincent earlier this month. Eight Caribbean islands have a Sandals resort on St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) just opened last year. 

St Vincent

We had been in the Grenadines previously. Twenty years ago, we sailed on the Yankees Clipper, once part of the Windjammer Cruise's fleet. We sailed then from St. Lucia to Grenada and then back, stopping at several small islands in the Grenadines. 

Before our trip to the Sandals on St Vincent we returned to Bequia one of those islands, and we almost didn't leave. 

THE FUTURE

2026 is getting booked up already with Team VFH. In February we are staying on over the water bungalows in Bocas del Toros in the western Caribbean side of Panama. We are spending a few days before and after in Panama City, near the canal.

In June we are sailing in Greece on the Panorama with Variety Cruises. We had been on the Panorama when we sailed with them in 2020 from Costa Rica to Panama on the Pacific side of central America. On that trip the Panorama sailed with 16 passengers and 18 crew members.

VARIETY CRUISES. 

Next December we’re returning to the south coast Jamaica Sandals. We had been there in 2021 and the allure of a two-mile private beach and a fantastic over the water bar was too great to resist. Later that month we are returning to England to spend Christmas with the family.

There you have it. We have all the odds and ends written down and my ego is intact.

Thanks for reading.

Please have a healthy and prosperous New Year and safe travels.

Love Janet and greg

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj