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2016 was a great year of travel for me, and hopefully for you too.

The year started on the tarmac in Nagoya, Japan, about to take off in Thai Business Class on a Dreamliner to Bangkok.

The year will end, for me, in a few hours in sleepy Puerto Natales, Chile where I arrived by hitchhiking yesterday, and where I’m prepping for my Torres del Paine eight day hike that kicks off in a few days.

COUNTRIES VISITED (16)

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In chronological order (new countries in bold):

  • Japan (45 minutes)
  • Thailand (10 days)
  • Singapore (2 days)
  • Vietnam (10 days)
  • India (2 days)
  • United States (3 weeks)
  • Chile (2 weeks)
  • Argentina (5 months)
  • Brazil (10 days)
  • Spain (2 weeks)
  • Germany (3 days)
  • Czech Republic (1 week)
  • Serbia (5 weeks)
  • Montenegro (2 days)
  • Croatia (2 months)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (10 days)

Five of these countries were new. My total is now 74 (counting England, Wales, Macau, Hong Kong, and China separately):

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PREMIUM AIRLINE CABINS FLOWN (9)

In chronological order (with links to trip reports):

My favorite flight was definitely the First Class flight on the Etihad A380.

Number two was Lufthansa First Class. All the other flights, I enjoyed getting some rest, but I was ready to get off at the end.

MILES FLOWN (59,578)

  • 59,578 miles flown over 37 segments
  • If I had flown all these as paid flights on one airline like United or Delta, I wouldn’t even have the highest mid-tier status!
  • Longest flight: Abu Dhabi to New York in Etihad First Class on an A380 (6,867 miles)
  • Shortest flight: Sarajevo to Zagreb (173 miles) to avoid 9 hours on a bus or train
  • Favorite flight: Abu Dhabi to New York in Etihad First Class on an A380 (6,867 miles). Fourteen hours wasn’t long enough
  • Least favorite flight: Honolulu to Chicago in United economy wins because it was my longest economy flight, and the flight time was 3:50 PM to midnight Hawaii time, meaning I showed up in Chicago at 5 AM local time on no sleep.
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My 2016 Flights

FAVORITE MOMENTS OF TRAVEL

  • Overnighting with a local hill tribe family near Chiang Rai, Thailand and playing frisbee with the kids in the village
  • Watching the sunset in Railey, Thailand with a bottle of Flyin Hawaiian (the cocktail I invented)
  • Spelunking in Phong Nha-Khe Bang National Park with two of my best friends
  • Auditioning for a Quilmes beer commercial in Argentina
  • Spelunking and snorkeling in Bonito, Brazil
  • Watching five UVA basketball games over the summer in Spain
  • Getting on Spanish TV
  • Visiting friends in Leipzig, Germany who I met eight years earlier in Nicaragua
  • Four months of intense study of Serbo-Croat
  • Oktoberfest with my sister
  • Playing soccer-golf with my niece, brother, and sister in Hawaii
  • Hitchhiking for the first time in my life from Rio Gallegos airport in Argentina to Puerto Natales in Chile

What were your travel stats for 2016? More importantly, what were your best travel memories from this year?

See also: