I decided to set out on a solo trip in January 2018 following a particularly dreary Christmas Day.  After our wonderful annual Christmas Eve party, and a nice morning opening presents and breakfast, I suddenly found myself all alone.  

I love Christmas, but here I was with just me and the dogs in the house.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.  As I watched A Christmas Story and scrolled through FaceBook, an email appeared in my inbox that would forever change my life.  

Scott’s Cheap Flights: Denver to Morocco, mistake fare, $800 business class, round-trip. Oh…yes.  I’ve always always always wanted to go to Morocco!  I’ve had the ideal trip mapped out in my head for years.  There was something about the country that called to me, and now I was going to answer.  

I clicked the link to Google Flights and quickly saw there were only 3 dates from which to choose, and one one of those would fit into my busy work travel schedule.  I selected my flights, bought the ticket through United Airlines, and voila.  

It turned into a trip that a month away.  We were still on Christmas Break at my work, and I was headed to Hanover, Pennsylvania the following day for the end-of-year lure coursing with one of my dogs, Cayman.  I couldn’t help but feel excitement and a bit nervous.  Despite having 6.5 weeks vacation, my job always gave me a hard time with taking it.  This time I was going to take it AND go by myself.  I’ve been working myself silly… it was time to make time for me.  Little did I know this trip would not only reset my soul, but spur a new career adventure as well.  

Thailand has long been on my bucket list, and my passion for helping animals came full-circle with our volunteer day at The Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  

After a great few days in Cambodia touring Angkor Wat, we flew from Siam Reap to Chiang Mai.  We found an incredibly chic boutique hotel for our 2 nights in Chiang Mai – Na Nirand, which sits on the bank of the Ping River.  The hotel has this stunningly massive tree that adds to the picturesque setting.  It’s centrally located, so we could walk around town and check out various markets, temples, and restaurants.

The next morning, a van from The Elephant Sanctuary picked us up, and drove us 1.5 hours, along with 6 other people also from the US.  

Seeing all the rescued elephants, dogs, and water buffalo was simply awesome.  The compassion shown to these animals that have lived a truly awful life before they were rescued – is second to none.  

Please do NOT ride elephants.  They are broken of their spirit in order to be around people, and the methods used are horrifying.  

We spent the day walking with the elephants: hiking, swimming in the river, feeding them.  An experience we will never forget.  

Quite possibly the best way to end 10 days of driving the North and South Islands of New Zealand: a respite in Fiji at Tokoriki Island Resort.  

Only a short 3 hours flight from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji – so it seemed natural to add this stop onto our adventure.

After driving and hotel hopping, staying in one place, just chilling, sounded heavenly.  As much as I crave the next adventure, downtime is appreciated.

I found this gem of a resort, and about died when I saw the cost per night – no way was that affordable.  But, a girl can dream and hope for a deal.  The deal came over Labor Day weekend, a short two months before our trip.  And, I booked it.  We had a private bungalow, on the beach, with a plunge pool.  We enjoyed the all-inclusive meals, and the incredible sunrise/sunsets.  The chef was well-versed in my dietary restrictions and made each meal delightful.  

One day, I look forward to returned to Tokoriki.  

Our first full day in New Zealand entailed a harrowing, yet fun, ferry from Auckland to Rangitoto Island.  

Once on the island, we found sun and went on a several hour hike to the summit.