Nathan's Insights

World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas

Pages:
About | Countries | Tours | Trips | Bucket List – Done | Bucket List – To Do | Airport Lounges | Flight History

Travel Categories:
Flight Reviews | Lounge Reviews | Destinations | Short Breaks | World Trip 1986 | World Trip 1998 | World Trip 1999-2000 | World Trip 2006 | World Trip 2009 | World Trip 2009-10 | World Trip 2010 | World Trip 2011 | World Trip 2012-13 | World Trip 2015 | World Trip 2016 | World Trip 2017 | World Trip 2017-18 | World Trip 2018 | World Trip 2019 | Australia 2022 | World Trip 2023 | World Trip 2024 | World Trip 2024-25 | World Trip 2026-27

  • Health Progress

    One of the major goals of my transition to retirement was to improve my health.  Last week I completed stage 1 of the weight challenge moving my body mass index from 45.1 (obese) to 29.9 (overweight).

    This represented a 32 kilo loss over 150 days which is way ahead of schedule.  The next goal is to get to a BMI of 24.9 (healthy) which is another 15.2 kilo lose.  I expect this to be much more difficult.  I know BMI is only an indicator and isn’t perfect but I’m a numbers person so this helps focus me.

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  • Transition to Retirement

    Transition to Retirement

    With the start of 2026 I’m started thinking about retirement and in particular transiting to retirement over the next 3 years.  I’ll be eligible to take early retirement in January 2029, but my tentative aim is May 2029. 

    To have a meaningful retirement I feel I need to work out what I want across the following categories:

    • Your finances
    • Your health
    • Your goals

    I don’t feel you can just figure out these areas when you retire, instead you need to have plans and goals.  You then adjust as circumstance change.

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  • World Trip 2026: Flights and Tours locked in

    So my 2026 world trip with my nephew Harry is now locked in with all flights and tours booked.

    We will be visiting six countries over 41 days; Qatar, Jordan, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Morocco. All but Spain will be first time visits, which I can’t wait to explore.

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  • 2026 World Trip – Most Flights Booked

    Doha Night Safari is in my future

    The last few weeks of 2025 have been major weeks for my world trip in 2026 with my nephew as I’ve managed to book the first four flights of this trip.

    So far I’ve booked:

    • Melbourne to Doha (Business Class 14 hour 15 minute flight)
    • Doha to Amman (Regional First Class 3 Hour 10 minute flight)
    • Amman to Athens (Regional Business Class 3 Hour 25 minute flight)
    • Athens to Madrid (Economy 3 Hour 55 minute flight)
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  • Australia and World Trip 2026 Update

    I am now one year out from the commencement of my world trip with my nephew, Harry, which starts with a flight from Melbourne to Doha on Saturday 21 November 2026. For the world component we will be visiting Qatar, Jordan, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Morocco over 45 days.

    I’ll be starting my trip on Wednesday 11 November 2026, with Harry’s sister, Darby, for a nine-day Australian adventure. We’ll travel from Sydney to Perth on the Indian Pacific, a 4-day train trip across the great continent of Australia.

    This will be followed by 5 days of exploring Perth and the surrounding area.

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