As we are getting close to the end of 2009 it is time to make a bit of summary of the year. How was the travel year 2009? It has been a pretty exciting year for me as I have got to visit new places and I have also revisited places that I have been to before. It has also been an exciting year when it comes to just the flying bit – in total I had almost 50 flights and in total it was over 100.000 km (or 155 hours in the air).
I stopped by Amsterdam in March and I have been there on vacation before. But I have to admit that I had totally forgotten how charming this town really is. This time I did not get to see and do anything more or less but I have been tempted to re-visit this city on vacation in the future.
In April it was time for a brand new experience – a trip with the relative new Airbus A380. Yes, this is the plane with two floors and I had the pleasure of flying it from London to Dubai on Emirates Airlines. I have posted pictures and videos of the flight experience on http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/?p=31 . On this trip we ended up in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) (see trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/Ho_Chi_Minh_City_Vietnam_trip_report.htm ) and Siem Reap / Phnom Penh in Cambodia (see trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/Angkor_Wat_Cambodia_trip_report.htm ). Both Vietnam and Cambodia was countries that we had not been to before and it was great to experience a new culture, new food, new people. I would love to go back to Vietnam to explore more of the country in the future.
Due to a great offer from Lufthansa we ended up going to Dubai in May. Dubai can offer shopping, insane building projects and beaches but I’m stuck with mixed feelings after the visit. There are many other places that are more fun to visit in my opinion. Anyway – here is my trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/Dubai_UAE_trip_report.htm
In September I spent a long weekend in London and I have been there several times before. During visit in the past I have not had any great feelings towards the city but maybe I have changed because this time I was stuck with a WOW feeling when I went home. It is an amazing place when it comes to sightseeing, food, shopping, history etc. I have posted some info in the blog on http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/?tag=london-2009 and I’m also working on a trip report.
In September I spend a few frequent flyer points to fly on First Class to Hong Kong with Lufthansa and back again on First Class with Thai. It was a brand new experience for me and I wish that I could travel like that every time 
The service was incredible both at the airports and in the air. I have posted photos and videos on http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/?tag=first-class-experience-2009 . Feel free to visit the link and find out what life on first class is like 
And to round the year of we took a trip to Thailand and Phuket. We have also been there before but we were tempted to re-visit as SAS had a good offer. We had a nice hotel on Kata beach but there is no doubt that Phuket is really busy with tourists. And you know that when you get the menu in both English and Swedish, there must be many Scandinavians in the area. I have posted some thoughts about Thailand on http://gardkarlsen.com/blog/?tag=thailand
That is a short summary of my year. What do you remember best from your 2009 travel year? And where are you going in 2010?
Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com – trip reports and pictures
I spent 4.5 weeks travelling through Nepal, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Using a travel agent here in Toronto, I trekked the Everest Base Camp trek with the assistance of a local company. I spent 5 nights in Kathmandu, two nights in Chitwan National Park, but the highlight was the 11-day EBC trek. I didn’t actually vist the Base Camp, instead summiting Kala Patar (5545m). I’ve hiked the Inca Trail in Peru and, like you, summitted Mt Kilimanjaro, but the Himalaya truly represent the pinnacle (pun intended!) of the trekking experience. And gazing at the highest mountain in the world with my own eyes was fantastic.
I then spent three nights in Singapore, just walking around.
From there, I spent one night in Yogyakarta, on the Indonesian island of Java. I visited Prambanan and Borobudur. I then flew to Bali, first spending three nights in Ubud for some siteseeing, and then ending with four nights at a resort on Kuta for some rest and relaxation.
I’ll email you a limk with my photos!
I’m afraid I haven’t got a clue as to where I will travel in 2010. But I’ve borrowed some guidebooks from the library…
Hi
We started the year with a week skiing in Val D’Isere in France where we enjoyed record amounts of snow, and lots of lovely sunshine and great conditions.
We then went to Ibiza in July with a big group of friends. This was a week of sun and fun and lots of partying!
The highlight of 2009 was in December when we visited Bangkok for 4 days then Phuket for 10 days. We found both places interesting, with Bangkok in particular being a real new experience. We enjoyed Phuket, but probably preferred Koh Samui as it was smaller and less crowded.
No plans for 2010 yet, will keep you posted..
I’ve always enjoyed reading your travel site and this blog is a great compliment to it. I love aviation, flying and photographing foreign carriers and airports too.
I enjoy traveling in the U.S. and abroad and love reading stories from people who share the same interests. If you’re ever through Colorado I’d be happy to take you and Nikki out for dinner.
Cheers from Denver – and Happy New Year — james…