Trip Stats

Round the World Trip Stats!

Some folks may love the stats and recap below, others not so much...and still others might be stratching their heads about talk of points, miles and upgrades.  Think of it as my USA Today quick facts without the pretty color graphics.

Personally, I love it since it shows the vast array of experiences I had, not just in different countries and cultures, but with airports, aircraft, types of transportation and where I was sleeping.

Please let me know if there is any other broad statistic you might be interested in knowing...I probably either know it or could quickly figure it out.

Number of countries visited - 18

Number of continents visited - 4

Number of cities visited - 32

Total Miles flown - 34,432

Number of airline points redeemed - 455,000 (between Delta, Delta partners and US Airways partners)

Number of airlines flown - 15

Number of airplane types flown - 16

Number of airports visited - 23

Number of nights in hotels - 85

     - Number of hotel nights - paid - 33

     - Number of hotel nights - used points - 52

Number of nights staying/sleeping in something other than a hotel - 5 (Plane - 4 and Train - 1)

Number of hotel points redeemed - 1,580,549 plus 3 free night certificates from credit cards (across Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Starwood)

Modes of transportation - 9

Major Train Stations Used (does not count subway-like stations) - 24 (mostly in Europe)

Number of Visas required – 4 plus 1 reciprocity tax

Favorite souvenirs

     - Wine cork screw cuff-links (in total, I bought 17 pairs of cuff-links as souvenirs!)

     - Murano glass items - picture frame, bowl and cuff-links

     - Poland hand painted finials

     - Various food items

     - Chinese and Japanese Christmas tree ornaments

Favorite Cities (so difficult to pick just a few!) - no particular order

- Berlin - seems to be constantly changing.  Great mix of history and future.

- Barcelona - art, beach, tapas - some of my favorite things!

- Vienna - when can I move here and not have to learn how to speak German?  If only Empress Sisi was still alive and needed a BFF! 

- Budapest - this city made my favorite list late in the visit after some initial apprehensions.  It was actually very livable, very approachable and some great meals.  Plus, tons of things to see and do.

- Hong Kong - Incredible skyscraper skyline, American comforts along with Asian treats, plus most everyone speaks English.

Favorite Cities with an asterisk:

- Paris - this was one of the cities that I was most looking forward to and spent more nights than almost any other city...however, it was so overrun with tourists.  Every attraction was a major wait and it was very expensive.  However, the museums, once you were inside, were amazing.  The food was amazing as well.  Would love to return and spend more time in smaller neighborhoods.

- Mendoza - loved the wineries and the lunch and tasting experiences, but there was extensive poverty in the city.

- Rome - lots of walking since no metro system to speak of and you must like history since it is every where

- Positano - loved the city once we were there...but getting there is tough.  Plus all the stairs once you're there is tough.

- Buenos Aires - it was colder when I was there and I didn't like the B&B, but it certainly captured my attention for 4 days.

- Antwerp - was only there for one night and didn't feel well - would love to explore it another time.  

- Beijing - pollution, huge city, smoking, and congestion.  I would certainly go back for the markets.  The pollution and congestion in particular were my issues with the city... a city where I couldn't get a cab for almost an hour after leaving a club around 11:30 PM.  

Least Favorite Cities - in order (I enjoyed seeing all of the cities that I visited, but the cities below just feel to the bottom of the list):

- Rio - never felt completely safe; undercurrent of corruption and super expensive for mediocre food, rooms and services.

- Reims - so this made this list since we visited on a Sunday and most of the Champagne houses were closed....as were most of the stores.  Seeing Nick and Jason was one of the few redeeming qualities of the town.

Most Overrated Cities:

- Rio - everything seems to be happening in Rio - the World Cup, the 2016 Olympics, etc, but it was my least favorite ciiy that I visited.

- Venice - I had heard so many wonderful things about Venice, but I found it to be terribly touristy, expensive, a little smelly and a little dirty.

Most Underrated Cities:

- Madrid - When Bridget and I told people in France that we were going to Madrid, we got looks of pity.  We even considered changing our plans to skip Madrid.  But in the end, Madrid was a lovely city.

- Florence - This was perhaps the easiest of all European cities I visited to get my bearings.  For anyone who is hesitant about international travel, Florence should be your ideal city - no major subway system to figure out, wonderful museums without horrible lines, incredible food, great shopping and most everyone spoke English.

Best hotel experience - room, lobby, staff, view, etc - in order

1. Renaissance Beijing

2. Conrad Hong Kong

3. Hilton Tokyo

4. Renaissance Ho Chi Minh City

5. Park Hyatt Ho Chi Minh City

6. Hilton Shanghai

7. Hilton Vienna

8. Westin Rome

Worst hotel - in order

1. Brugge - there was a huge spider that I had to kill!!

2. Buenos Aires B&B

3. Rio - 2nd B&B - near beach

Upgraded to a Suite - 9 hotels

Hotel Rooms with best view - in order

1. Hong Kong Conrad

2. Hilton Shanghai

3. Ho Chi Minh City - Renaissance

4. Bangkok Le Meriden

5. Hilton Tokyo

7. Honolulu Marriott

8. Wailea Marriott

9. Beijing Renaissance

10. Ho Chi Minh City - Park Hyatt

Best hotel bathrooms - in order

1. Hilton Vienna (I took so many pictures of this bathroom...it is going to be the basis for my next bathroom renovation)

2. Bangkok Le Meriden

3. Ho Chi Minh City - Park Hyatt

4. Hong Kong Conrad

5. Renaissance Beijing

6. Westin Berlin

Lost Items

- Comb - on a plane in South America

- Khaki pants - left in hotel room closet in Vietnam

Number of boxes shipped home

- By me: 5

- By vendors: 2 

Most useful items packed (besides obvious things)

- Anti-inch cream - numerous bug bites in Rio, Barcelona, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City.  Rio and Barcelona was all over my ankles from the beach. The Asian countries were mostly on my ankles and lower legs, but in Ho Chi Minh City also on my back and backside!

- Anti-Diarrhea pills - no explanation required.  Eating in 18 countries over 90 days, it was bound to happen.

- Roll of shipping tape - so much cheaper when shipping the various boxes home than having to buy tape each time.

- Individually-wrapped anti-bacterial wipes - was great to put in my day bag.  Soap and/or towels were rare in most bathrooms.

- Plastic cover for my day-by-day printed itinerary - made it easy to slide in/out of my bag...plus kept is protected.  Would then slip each city map into it, immediately upcoming hotel and airline confirmations and on-going reminder notes

- Extra ziplock bags - numerous uses throughout the trip from packing to shipping to outings during the day.

Least useful items packs

- 2nd Belt - I shipped it home in the 2nd or 3rd box, just used my one black belt everyday

- Binoculars - only used for a few hours one day - when visiting Sistine Chapel

- Candle - didn't use as much as I thought I would.  Had originally tried to pack 3, so glad I only took one.  Didn't spend as much time in the room as I do on work trips.

- One gray shirt - I didn't really love it when I packed it and I ended up wearing it only two or three times

- Long sleeve button-up shirt - only wore twice, to go out to dinner

- Armani Exchange Jeans - Something I purchased just before the trip.  Only wore them out at night twice...wore other two pairs of jeans much more frequently

- Workout timer - Given all of my daily walking, I didn't workout in a gym one time!

- Earplugs - took 3 pairs and never used even one pair.

- Small camera tripod - never used it!  Became very good at taking one-handed selfies.

Things I missed the most - besides the obvious of friends, family, my bed, comforts of home, etc

- Chipotle (I have already been 3 times since returning home)

- Good filet mignon steak

- Fall colors with the changing leaves

- Crisp, cool fall weather in Minnesota

- Street names and signs (obviously added during the Asia portion of the trip)

- In 'n Out Burger - admittedly I don't live near one, but craved that burger numerous times on the trip

- Putting up all of my Christmas trees in October

Number of pictures taken - 11,215

Cheapest day of the trip

- Oct 2 - spent only $6.25!

Most expensive day of the trip

- Aug 13 - no comment on how much, but will point out that it was a winery tour day in Mendoza.

Longest flights - time-wise

Amsterdam to Bangkok - 11 hours and 33 minutes

Rio de Janiero to Paris Charles de Gaug - 10 hours and 54 minutes

Shortest flight - time-wise

Kahului - Honolulu - 22 minutes

Honolulu - Kahului - 25 minutes

Number of blog posts - 50, including this one.  And one more to come...really!!

Number of page views on the blog - 8,658 and counting

Most interesting stats of the blog

- Over 100 views from Romania - I don't know anyone there

- Top 5 Blog posts with the most views:

     -  Day-by-Day Overview (This was the link that I sent via a mass e-mail, so I think many folks may have used this as their entry point to the blog many times.  It beat the second place post by almost double the number of views.)

     -  Shanghai

     -  First Day in Rio - 080714

     -  Beijing

     -  Departure Day

- Most visits to the blog were done via iPhones

So that's all the possible things I could think of.  I had originally included favorite meals, but the list got way too long!  Feel free to ask any other questions...I've had numerous friends, family and neighbors with inquiring minds and I love to recall the wonderful memories.