Wednesday 13 February 2013
Highlights: 16 hour flight (Dallas to Brisbane), my bed back home.

Because of the international date line Tuesday basically didn’t exist for me as I undertook the worlds longest plane trip back to Australia at 16 hour 15 minute and 13,363 kilometres, but luckily for me I had a business class seat 🙂

My flight attendant seemed very surprised when I turned down various alcohol offers and desert options for dinner. Eating in the lounge beforehand meant less food on the plane and more time to sleep.

My seat was basically by itself on the Upper Deck of the B747 with lots of room and few other travellers.  I could easily get up and stretch and not worry about anyone. One of the great things with QANTAS international business class is the pyjamas which I changed into ASAP. The next positive is the lie flat bed which helps considerably on such a long trip.

To help with jet-lag I stayed up to 4 am local Dallas time on the plane which was around 9 pm Melbourne time, watching movies and TV shows. Before I knew it 13 hours had passed and it was breakfast time and a few hours later we touched down in Brisbane.

Border control and customs was amazingly fast and that was after getting extra questions about Central America and vaccinations and what I must report to Doctors if I feel unwell. The Brisbane international terminal is separate from domestic terminal but QANTAS passengers get a free bus ride between terminals.

I didn’t book my next flight home to Melbourne until 11 am just in case I got held up on the International flight but as I was in the QANTAS Lounge at 6.45 am I actually faced a long wait. Using the shower however was a great way get feel refreshed.

Unfortunately my Telstra SIM card was only working for Internet and phone calls but not text messages. Looks like I’ll have to visit Telstra to change something in the replacement iPhone I bought in the USA.

During my 2.5 hour flight back to Melbourne on my last flight I was half asleep. On arrival I noticed the heat and while Central America was hot Dallas wasn’t and my jeans were probably not the best choice.

My mum had taken off the day to pick me up from the airport and drive me home. We chatted most of the way but I was very tired. Back at home my housemate Jonathan and my nephew Andrew (who stayed in my room while I was away) got me a really good desk chair as a welcome back home gift! A very much appreciated gift.

The rest of the day I tried to stay awake as long as possible, failing at 10 pm I just had to sleep. Unfortunately my body woke up at 4 am thinking it was late morning, it is going to take a while to readjust.

It was hard to realise that after 139 days I was back home. Post holiday depression will surely follow at some point, probably when I leave for work next Monday morning.

After 19 countries, 25 flights, 139 days, 8 tours (meeting over 100 different travellers in these tours), some independent travel, some basic stays, home stays, some luxury hotels and meeting some exceptional people it is hard to comprehend the enormous adventure I have been on.

The countries I visited in order were; Singapore; Malaysia; Thailand; Germany; England; Spain; Iceland; Chile; Argentina; Antarctica; USA; Mexico; Cuba; Belize; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Costa Rica; and Panama.

I will have to consider what I learned and enjoyed the most out of this trip. In 11 months I turn 40 which is a time of reflection on my life and what is next. After visiting 50 countries I can definitely say I like travelling the world,

I wonder what is next?