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Our Spring trip for 2026 is titled Crazy Crazy
Crazy II. We
are back to collecting countries. These
will primarily be countries in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean we couldn’t
visit due time constraints and logistical challenges in 2024 and prior
years. Hotels and activities will be
added when we start making airline reservations, generally 330 days before
traveling.
The following is our projected itinerary built 2 years in advance, based on each airlines schedule for Spring 2024. Hopefully the airlines keep the days the same year to year. Otherwise it will be back to the drawing board:
Day 1 Saturday, May
2
We leave
Washington, DC. I bet we change planes
in either San Francisco or Los Angeles
heading to Nadi, Fiji.
Day 2 Sunday, May 3
We will be
crossing the international date line during our flight, so this is a phantom
day.
Day 3 Monday, May 4
We arrive in Fiji,
most likely very early in the morning. I
bet we will stay at the Fiji Gateway Hotel a hotel we are very familiar with
and close to the airport.
Day 4 Tuesday, May 5
At breakfast time
we fly via Sava, Fiji to Funafuti. Funafuti is an atoll and the capital
of the island nation of Tuvalu. Our first new country this
trip.
Day 5, Wednesday,
May 6
A fun day on
Funafuti
Day 6 Thursday, May
7
We fly back to
Nadi, and spend two nights probably at the Fiji Gateway Hotel. Although we have spent many nights in Nadi,
we have to stay and extra night due to flight schedules to the various islands.
Some islands only have flights 2-3 times a week.
Day 7 Friday, May 8
Relaxing in Nadi
Day 8 Saturday, May
9
Today we fly to
Mata Utu the capital and largest city of Wallis and Futuna. The territory of the Wallis and Futuna is a
French island collectivity in the South Pacific,
situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the
southwest, Tonga to
the southeast, Samoa to
the east, and Tokelau to the northeast.
We will spend two nights here.
Day 9 Sunday,
May 10
A day of
exploration on Wallis island.
Day 10 Monday, May
11
Mid-afternoon we
fly back to Nadi for another overnight at the Fiji Gateway Hotel
Day 11 Tuesday,
May 12
Just before midnight we take an overnight flight to Christmas Island, part of the Line/Phoenix Islands. Of course a new country. If you are keeping score, #3 this trip
Day
12 Wednesday, May 13
We arrive very
early in the morning and have most of the day to explore before returning to
Nadi in the late afternoon, back at the Fiji Gateway Hotel.
Day 13
Thursday, May 14.
This morning we
say good bye to Fiji and fly to Tarawa.
Technically Tarawa and Christmas Islands are part the nation of
Kiribati, but they count as two separate countries, due to their distance
apart. We will spend two nights in
Tarawa
Day 14 Friday,
May 15
Exploring Tarawa
Day 15 Saturday, May
16
We fly to the
island nation of Nauru. One of the
world’s least visited countries. Number
5, this trip
Day 16 Sunday, May
17
We fly to
Brisbane, Australia.
Day 17 Monday, May
18
A perfect day to
visit numerous wineries
Day 18 Tuesday, May
19
Today we fly to
Norfolk Island. Part of Australia, but counts as a new country.
Day 19 Wednesday,
May 20
We enjoy the
island life
Day
20 Thursday, May 21
We return to
Brisbane late afternoon for one night.
Day 21 Friday, May 22
Today we fly to
the luxurious Lord Howe Island. Only
about 400 people a day can visit this island, so we will have to get our plane
and hotel reservations in early. Like
Norfolk Island, part of Australia, but counts as a country on my list. We’re up to 7 now.
Day 22
Saturday, May 23
Again we enjoy the island life.
Day 23 Sunday, May
24
Today is a long
day of flying from Lord Howe Island, to Sydney and across to Auckland, New Zealand.
Day 24 Monday May 25
We fly to the
Chatham Islands, eastward from the New Zealand Mainland. Our final new country
this trip, #8
Day 25 – Day 27
Tuesday – Thursday, May 26 through May 28
Three days of
touring this group of islands.
Day 28 Friday, May
29
We fly back to
Auckland in the morning and catch a late afternoon or evening flight home.
If all goes as
planned in 2024, 2025 and earlier in 2026 this trip will bring my total to 274. Only 56 to go.
Note: If our Windstar cruise in October/November
2025, going through the Suez Canal is cancelled or modified to not go through
the Suez Canal, we may pick up this entire itinerary and plop it into
September/October 2025, always leaving on a Saturday.