SO WHERE TO GO NEXT?

I'm getting old, with only a very few trips left in my life.  I've flown close to 3 million miles and taken more than a dozen cruises.  Took around the world trips at least ten times.  Been to every World Expo since 1962 (they occur every 5 years), except the one in Dubai, which was delayed a year.  We were on track to be there, but the pandemic and other factors got in the way.

I was perusing Condé Nast's Traveler 2024 Reader's Choice Awards, and saw that I had not stayed at most of the best hotels.

• This was their 27th edition of their globetrotting annual event.
• I learned that they uncoupled their voters and now only use the input from their UK readers, and maybe that is why I'm not familiar with some results.
• Never been to these best hotels.

• 
  #1 in Europe:  Paris, Hotel de Crillon, a Rosewood hotel.  But I don't stay there because I looked at their daily rates, which seem to average around $2200 this month and $1600 next month.  They have a room for $52,000/night.
• Africa:  LaMamounia in Marrakech...about $1000.
• South America:  Rio de Janeiro, Hotel Fasano, $849.

• 
  New York City:  The Whitby Hotel (right), $1260.  I spent five nights at the Marriott Marquis last year and paid around $3000, which was for five nights, or half the cost of the Whitby/night.
• In the Orient (all per night):
• China:  The Sukhothai Shanghai, $465.  I've stopped going to China.  Too risky and their visa is a pain to get.

• 
  Japan:  Park Hyatt Kyoto, $1458.  Can't imagine why so high.
• Singapore:  Shangri-La Singapore, $269.  Sounds  reasonable.  I stay at the Marriott Tang Plaza, which is conveniently over an underground shopping mall.  Plus, at this hotel I get free evening drinks and food, plus breakfast.  But pay from $300 to $500.
• 
  Southeast Asia:  The Sukhothai Bangkok, $466.  I traditionally stay at the Sheraton Grande Sukhamvit, which costs half that price, and provides free breakfast and evening drinks/snacks.  Also adjacent to the mass transit systems  Walk outside the hotel, and the streets are teeming with activity.
• India:  Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, $693.  I've stopped going to India.
• 
  The friendliest cities
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Europe:  Stockholm, Sweden.  Got to disagree, for the last time I was here, there were teams of Latin American pickpocket duos blatantly trying to get your money, and you need to be careful about which taxis to take.
• World:  Singapore (right).  My experience is that it is among the most unfriendly.  I've been there as a tourist, plus in my work, and noted that, confirmed by everyone I know, that Singaporeans are so fixed on success that they have no interest in you if you don't have something to offer.  They're okay to most travelers because tourism employees are told to be friendly.  It's comfortably warm in weather...but a personally cold city and country.  In their quest for profit, they've lost their humanitarian instincts.

• 
  The friendliest countries.
• Europe:  Austria.  Again, from what friends tell me, this is definitely not a friendly country.  I was just there, and did not notice anything special about it being friendly.  In fact, contrary to this lofty ranking from Condé Nast, the Quality of Life Index shows that Austria is last in Local Friendliness.  Reinforcing this embarrassment, is the World Crunch survey, which found Austria as only next to unfriendliest, losing the bottom rating to Kuwait.  How can Condé Nast travelers get it so wrong???

• 
  World:  Costa Rica.  Ditto, I never have noted that this country is particularly friendly.  Maybe the safest of Latin American countries, but that doesn't say anything, because most of them are actually dangerous. I can't imagine why UK readers picked Costa Rica as the friendliest country in the WORLD.  Friendliest country, maybe, in Latin America.   Read this.  And this.

• 
  Best airlines:  Air New Zealand.  Best I don't know, but okay and maybe even good.
• Best airline food:  Air New Zealand.  Been on several flights, usually business class.  I not only don't remember their food, but I've also been many times to the country, and can only remember sheep.

• 
  Best airport:  Singapore Changi.  More recently, the new airport in Turkey has been mentioned, and also Doha, Qatar, Tokyo Haneda and Seoul Incheon.  All are great compared to any U.S. airport.
• Best train journey:  British Pullman
• Best cruise lines:

Winner, mega ships (more than 4,000 passengers): MSC Cruises.

Winner, large ships (2,500 to 4,000 passengers): Virgin Voyages.

Winner, medium ships (500 to 2,500 passengers): Crystal Cruises.

Winner, small ships (fewer than 500 passengers): Seabourn.

Winner, river ships: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.

Winner, expedition ships: Seabourn.

We will be on the Seabourn Riviera on our next trip in the Spring.

• Best luggage brand:  Samsonite
• Best travel insurance:  Admiral

Trip Advisor just published their Traveler's Choice Awards for Best of the Best Destinations.

• #1  London, UK
• #2  Bali, Indonesia
• #3  Dubai, UAE
• #4  Sicily, Italy
• #5  Paris, France
• #6  Rome, Italy
• #7  Hanoi, Vietnam
• #8  Marrakech, Morocco
• #9  Crete, Greece
• #10  Bangkok, Thailand
• #11  Hoi An, Vietnam
• #12  Barcelona, Spain
• #13  Cusco, Peru
• #14  Sein Reap, Cambodia
• #15  Lisbon, Portugal
• #16  Phuket, Thailand
• #17  Istanbul, Turkey
• #18  New York City, U.S.
• #19  Majorca, Spain
• #20  Edinburgh, UK
• #21  Kathmandu, Nepal
• #22  New Delhi, India
• #23  Maldives
• #24  Cancun, Mexico
• #25  Mauritius

Scanning down that list:

• I only have not been to Marrakech, Majorca and Kathmandu.  
• I pretty much won't again return to Africa, and perhaps skip Europe in the future.  Just spent a month there, and have seen all the tulips and Christmas Markets for a lifetime.  I fear  places like Paris and Rome because of petty crimes.  Petty to most, but serious enough for me.  Mexico is also not safe.
• The elevation of Kathmandu is 4600 feet, so I'll also avoid high elevations.
• 
  I had Mauritius as a stop on my Winter 2025 trip, getting there on a cruise from Doha, Qatar.  However, I've decided that my global journeys have come to an end.  Too long, too expensive and too stressful.

• 
  So where do we go next?  My present attitude is that all the above pretty much only leaves Asia, plus Oceania, and maybe Canada, as our future destinations.  Safety.  Food.  Cherry Blossoms and Fall Colors.  

• 
  So in the Spring, we will spend a short while in Japan for cherry blossoms and the Osaka World Expo.  We then board the Oceania Riviera from Yokohama to Vancouver.  After a few days, we fly back home to Honolulu.

• 
  In the Fall/Winter of 2025, the Diamond Princess from Yokohama to Singapore.  Not sure how we will return to Honolulu.
• Some future highlights will thus include Tasmanian and Taiwanese whiskies (theirs have recently been named #1 in the world), a river cruise in Southeast Asia and some unknowns still to be discovered.

Life is unfair.  The rich too ofter get richer.  Japanese 23-year old, 6'4", Roki Sasaki, posted on Instagram that he would be signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  They won the recent World Series, and already have the best baseball player, maybe ever, Shohei Ohtani, also from Japan, plus another outstanding Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.  Add to this the best available pitcher that was available in the off season, Blake Snell, an injured pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who apparently will be okay, decent shortstop (which was a hole in the infield), Hyeseong Kim (who also steals bases), and you have a roster that insures for another World Series Championship.  There is a rabid Dodger fan who lives at 15 Craigside who will be insufferable.

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