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September 1 2016

It’s can seem like a daunting task – planning a Round the World journey. Though when Star Alliance and Marriott International recently asked us to put together our dream itinerary, we were amazed at how easy it was to customize a trip!

We are extremely excited to announce that we have been invited to embark on a ‪‎Round The World‬ journey this summer with Star Alliance‬ member airlines and Marriott International. Think 11 countries over 6 continents, 13 flights, 35,000 miles, one airline alliance!

We are one of 7 International Travel Bloggers Star Alliance has invited to embark on a set of Round The World journeys (they have recently added themed itineraries to their site meaning instead of having to create a journey from scratch, you can now choose from various themes and a proposed routing will be offered).

As Mike and I are traveling as a couple, we have used the Star Alliance Book & Fly tool to customize an itinerary that speaks to the romantic adventurer. Check out the trip & let us know in the comments if you have any tips – what should we not miss?!

Sydney

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Singapore

Singapore Gardens by the Bay Light Show

Cape Town

Cape Town Coast

Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey.

Venice

Venice

Vienna

Vienna

Barcelona

Bunkers del Carmel (Turó de la Rovira), a former bunker from the Spanish civil war, sits atop a hill between the central Gràcia/Eixample areas of Barcelona and the outer Carmel neighbourhood.

Cancun

Panama City

Panama City Skyline.

Buenos Aires

Tango

Auckland

Auckland, Piha

There is nothing more romantic than traveling to exotic locations with your significant other – though for couples like us who enjoy off-the-beaten-path experiences and adrenaline activities, we have given our next adventure romantic itinerary an adventurous spin.

The perfect balance of romance and adventure, this itinerary includes the thrill of cage diving with Great White Sharks in South Africa, swimming with Whale Sharks and exploring ancient civilizations in Cancun. We look forward to strolling the canals of Venice hand in hand, and getting lost in the exotic tastes of Istanbul. Imagine a three-day jungle adventure tracking exotic wildlife in Panama, and then passionately dancing the tango in the streets of Buenos Aires. Other destinations on the list include Singapore, Vienna, Barcelona, Auckland and Sydney.

We Have Now Returned

We have now returned from our trip. Check out highlights from our feature on Marriott International’s online magazine, Traveler. Don’t forget to choose a credit card that maximizes your travel reward points before you embark on your dream trip.

Hear about new posts on Facebook: Please click “like”!

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook, TwitterYouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

Photo credits: Sydney by paul bica. Istanbul by Moyan Brenn. Venice by Pedro Szekely. Vienna by Franz Jachim. Barcelona by Cris Geraldes. Cancun by by Dennis Jarvis. Auckland by Chris Gin.

    106 Comments

  1. Singapore?? Going to Singapore on your RTW??? Clearly you will need a guide, a translator, a taste-tester, and a driver. I volunteer!!!

    Seriously: Must try chili crab or pepper crab (or both)
    Fish foot therapy
    Night safari
    A walk one way down one side of Orchard Rd (pick a side!)
    Walk thru Little India stopping at a minimum of 8 jewelry stores
    And a silly posed photo in front of the Merlion fountain

    • Can’t wait! Thanks for the awesome tips – I’ve actually always wanted to try the fish foot therapy, so will have to start researching that one now I know that it’s there!!

      Thanks JR! Watch this space :D XX

  2. Super jealous Meg, have a blast!

    • Thanks Gemma! Can’t wait!

  3. Wow, this is exciting. Plus great airlines and hotels too. Congratulations. I am so looking forward to following you around the world.

    • Thanks Rhonda! Yes, very excited to promote both brands!

  4. How very exciting and i shall be sure to follow……..actually i leave on 8/28 for a min rtw (from the original 6 continents down to 3) Canada, Japan, OZ, and back to Rome for Home to Italy.
    sorry we wont cross paths!

    • Have a great time on your trip too Lee! Sounds very exciting!

  5. This sounds super fantastic! I cannot wait to follow your journey. We’ll be in Roatan, Honduras snorkeling at the beginning of your adventure but will try to keep up!

    • Honduras sounds amazing Angie! Can’t wait to see photos from your trip too! XX

  6. Such an amazing trip to be going on with two of my favorite travel brand! Swimming with the great white sharks has always been on my bucket list. I look forward to seeing more post on this amazing adventure!

    • Looking forward to promoting both brands throughout the trip – two of our favorites too :) Thanks for following our blog Eric!

  7. Meg — this is super exciting! I can’t wait to follow your adventure! Congrats and great job with all your hard work! :)

    • Thanks Natasha! Very excited for the trip! :)

  8. Congratulations Meg! Looking forward to reading all about your adventures.

    • Thanks Christina! Watch this space September 1! :D

  9. Congratulations-what an amazing trip! You will be visiting two of my favorite cities in the world (Singapore and Buenos Aires). Can’t wait to follow along your adventures and hopefully win that business class RTW trip!

    • Thanks Patti! Singapore and Buenos Aires will be new for both of us, so we’re very excited to explore!! Definitely check in September 1 to enter the draw for the business class tickets – what a sweet prize right!!

  10. Congrats Megan! This sounds like a fantastic trip. Any new spots for you? I know that you are so well traveled. Darrell has always wanted to go cage shark diving and I really want to dance tango in BA. Will be watching along :)

    • Thanks Chantell!! A lot of it will be new for us which is nice – we haven’t yet hit Singapore, Cape Town, Istanbul, Mike hasn’t been to Venice or Vienna, and Cancun, Auckland and BA are new cities too.

      We’re very grateful that the Star booking tool allows for creative freedom with the itinerary so we could customize it to what we haven’t yet seen. Looking forward to it! XX

  11. Wow that is amazing!!! Wish that was me too! =) Have fun and can’t wait to follow along!

    • Thanks Christine!! Will let you know if we get an extra baggage allowance lol maybe we can squeeze a few people in our suitcases :D

  12. What a great news! Congrats to you guys :)

    • Thanks guys! Looking forward to our trip! :)

  13. Damnnn, looks awesome! Few places on that list that we can’t wait to check out. We’ll be watching your blog and social with a keen eye :)

    • Can’t wait! We were so psyched that the book & fly tool allowed us total freedom over where we wanted to go … watch this space for updates! :)

  14. Wowza! What an amazing itinerary – certainly some of my all time favourite places there – you’re going to have such a great time!!!

    • Thanks Megsy!! We can’t wait! :)

  15. This looks like an incredible trip!! Wow! Getting lost in Venice is a trip in itself :) ENJOY!

    • Thanks Anna! Yes, we can’t wait to spend some time getting lost in Venice – it’s on our bucketlist! :)

  16. What a fabulous gig! Congrats! Your world tour looks super exciting… We look forward to reading about your adventures along the way!

    • Thanks guys!! Watch this space for updates starting September 1 :)

  17. I am also super jealous, but super excited for you! Congrats :) and maybe we will meet up in Venice! We are heading there Sept. 1st!

    Once again Congrats and have a blast! We will be following your trip !

    • Thanks Jazzy! You’ll have an amazing time in Venice! Might be there a little too early for our trip, but we’ll definitely have to catch up if we cross paths :)

  18. Wow! What a wonderful trip.

    • Thanks Lyn! Can’t wait! :)

  19. Congratulations on landing this incredible trip! You have some amazing destinations on in your upcoming travel plans! It looks like you are pretty much hitting all the corners of the world! (or at least every habited continent).

    • Thanks Erika!! We were very lucky to have creative freedom over the itinerary, and the Star Alliance book and fly tool gave us some inspiration for extra destinations as we were planning the trip :D

  20. You astound e again and agin, megan. So happy to see you on another epic trip! In Cape Town, make sure to get up on Table Mountain an hour before sunset to explore on top and then see the sun set (don’t forget about the last cable cr going down, though). Even and especially if there is a fog blanket over the city, you need to get up on the mountain (or even take a look from Lionshead). You will see the sun above the clouds! Also, dine out as much as you can It’s cheap and super delicious. Try the tea time at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel.
    Visit Waiheke Island in Auckland and watch the sunset over the skyline from Devonport up on the mountain!

    • Thanks Annemarie! And thanks for the tips for Cape Town and Auckland – two cities which have been on my bucketlist forever – can’t wait! X

  21. Wow! This kind of opportunities make me think how beautiful life can be as long as you are a dedicated person and you are doing exactly what you love with a lot of passion! Congratulations and I can’t wait for pictures, videos and so on. Of course, I will enter the contest :D Enjoy your awesome World Tour Journey! :D

    • Thanks Bella!! Watch this space come September 1 for updates from the trip and the opening of the comp! :)

  22. Wow Meg, that sounds like a really fantastic journey. I’d say you picked some pretty great places for your itinerary! I can’t wait to see your photos and read about your adventures. Have a great time!

    • Thanks Laura!! We’re really excited about the itinerary and each of the destinations – a lot of new cities for both of us :)

  23. Some of my favorite cities and some I still have on my bucket list, what a fabulous trip. Sounds amazing and a lot of ground to cover in a very short timeframe.

    • Going to be a fast paced trip for sure, but can’t wait! Watch this space for updates starting Sept 1 :)

  24. Congrats guys. Sounds like a fabulous adventure. You’ll be visiting some of my favourite cities – I especially love Istanbul and Venice. While in Buenos Aires, I suggest spending a bit of time learning to tango. Hope you get to fly Business Class (or First Class) all the way! :-)

    • Thanks Christina! We’re going to be flying Premium Economy – some of the airlines have really decked out their eco premium seats so can’t wait!! (Espec NZ Air – premium economy looks amazing there!).

      Thanks for the tip re Buenos Aires, we’re planning on joining a dance class while there, should be fun!

  25. That is super exciting Megan! Congrats on getting this amazing partnership. Looks like you will have a real adventure ahead. I will certainly keep an eye out for the contest: I could use a biz class RTW ticket!

    • Thanks Drew!! Keep watch starting Sept 1 for the comp … and remember that we’re starting our trip in Singapore ;)

  26. What a wonderful adventure that will be!! We will be in Venice in a couple weeks for the first time, I can’t wait! When we were looking at RTW tickets a couple years ago there wasn’t anything like this. I think it will definitely be a great tool for people looking to purchase RTW tickets and not really having set plans on where they want to go.

    • You’ll have a wonderful time in Venice Valerie! I’ve been once before, though it was 10 years ago now, and have wonderful memories, so really looking forward to getting back :)

      Happy travels! Definitely have a look into the Star Alliance book & fly tool if you’re considering a RTW trip in the future – it was super straightforward and easy to use for planning our trip :)

      Happy travels!

  27. Pretty special! Congratulations. I’d pick the dive adventure itinerary in a heartbeat although they all look wonderful. Enjoy!

    • Thanks Elaine! If you’re interested specifically in the Dive itinerary make sure you’re following Justin from “True Nomads” travel blog – he’s on that trip and sharing updates from the road right now :)

  28. This is so exciting. Talk about a dream assignment. I hope you’ll have time to relax a bit on your travels, especially at a nice Marriott. Whoot!

    • Thanks Carol! We have 3-4 days in each destination, so have a couple of relax days there inbetween. We have quite beautiful hotels and resorts along the way, so it would be a shame to not spend any time exploring each Marriott!!

  29. Sounds fantastic!! Some of those cities have been on my list for a long time (Buenos Aires, Aukland and Vienna!). Enjoy your trip, can’t wait to follow along :)

    • Thanks Dariece! Watch this space Sept 1 and make sure you enter the Star Alliance comp – you could be on a business class RTW trip to hit some of the same cities too :D

  30. Hi megan. We’ll be following you journey closely. We’ll be hitting Aukland, Singapore and Sydney on our RTW adventure so we’ll keep an eye out for you.
    Happy travels.
    Martin

    • Hi Martin, sounds like we have similar itineraries!! Hope you have a wonderful trip too! :)

  31. Totally amazing- I’m so excited for you! Well deserved :-) I’m heading to Cancun tomorrow so will be sure to share my tips with you!

    • Thanks Tamara!! Enjoy Cancun! Definitely let me know how it goes – we’re going to rent a car to take in the ruins and cenotes, if you have any tips I’m all ears! X

  32. How cool. What a fantastic adventure. Looking forward to following your journey. Can’t wait to see what you will be up to. I’m especially curious about Panama. Have fun and congratulations for being selected!!

    • Thanks Rosemary! Weve been to Panama City once before and absolutely loved it – looking forward to spending more time this trip in the rainforest as opposed to the city :) Feel free to shoot through an email if you would like any Panama tips :)

  33. Ahh, you guys are going to so many amazing places! What an unbelievable opportunity. I can’t believe you’re going to cage dive with sharks!! Please tell me you’ll be recording some videos!

    • We will be recording video indeed! Have the GoPro already set :D!

  34. Congratulations!! Its going to be incredible. Make sure you stop by vibrant Singapore! Explore the neighbourhoods and eat delicious food at our hawker centres. (If you need any help, drop by my site on Singapore, http://www.singaporenbeyond.com for my favourite picks!) :)

    • Thanks Mar!! Jumping over to your site on Singapore now – we haven’t yet been, so any and all tips are helpful! Thanks! X

  35. Sounds like an awesome journey!!!!!

    • Can’t wait! We were psyched to have been able to incorporate so many cities within the Star Alliance RTW fare rules :)

  36. Wow!! That’s a really incredible opportunity. I’m definitely going to follow along, I want to win a RTW trip too lol!

    • Watch this space! Competition opens Sept 1 – remember that we’re starting our trip in Singapore ;)

  37. I’m so excited for you guys!! It’s going to be such an awesome trip! I know you’re going to love South Africa. I can’t wait to see your cage diving pics!!

    • Thanks Vicky!! Hoping to get some amazing pics from cage diving – fingers crossed – can’t wait!!

  38. This is crazy Megan!!! Such an awesome trip AND opportunity. :D I’m so happy for you! And I surely wish all the best in this journey. I’ll definitely be tuning in to your updates ;)

    • Thanks Aileen!! Tune in Sept 1 :)

  39. OMG what an amazing trip! I am super jealous of you. Safe travels and hope to finally cross paths.

    • Thanks Hannah!!

  40. WOW!!! what an amazing trip. This is super exciting. Congrats Megan

    • Thanks Aditya! We just returned, and had an amazing trip!

  41. Planning to visit Vienna, any suggestions you want to share?

    • Hi Rahul, we loved Vienna! Hopefully you will too! We stayed at the Imperial Riding School Renaissance Vienna Hotel which is a Marriott, and it was super centrally located, we could reach all the main attractions by foot which was nice.

      It was a 10 minute walk into Stephansplatz where you’ll find St Stephens Cathedral and a little further up the road, the Imperial Crypt. You can climb the stairs of St Stephens for a great view over Vienna.

      Also very close (20 minute walk) to the Belvedere Palace which was absolutely stunning, and we spent a morning there walking through the gardens, and the botanic gardens behind it.

      Also really enjoyed the city park called Stadtpark – the locals hang out here, so it was great for people watching, there are some monuments to classical composers, and a theatre where you can buy tickets to a concert.

      Hope that helps! Have a wonderful time in Vienna :)

  42. What an amazing line up of wonderful places!

    • We had a wonderful trip! Can put together some amazing itineraries on their Round the World Planner … it was almost just as much fun putting the itinerary together as it was taking the trip … almost :D!

  43. Travelling the best adventure you can have. Its give me you a potential to discover new places, make new friends, enjoy the cuisines of different continents. I am also planning to visit Southeast Asia.

    • Absolutely agree :) Have an amazing trip through Southeast Asia! We haven’t discovered much of Asia yet, hoping to change that in 2017!

  44. Wow….Amazing……..i am also craved to visit this type of journey……..most beautiful pics. Thanks

    • Thanks Priyanka! We can highly recommend the Star Alliance itineraries on their site – we had an amazing time; booking a round the world ticket is a great way to see more and combine multiple countries in one trip :)

  45. Wow! Beautiful pictures!

    • Thanks Maria! We ended up having a wonderful trip :)

  46. Hi, its an amazing article. Pictures itself showing the beauty of that places. Wonderful explanation. Loved a lot.

    • Glad you enjoyed the post Narayanan – perhaps you can create a similar itinerary for your next trip!

  47. Wow, this looks so magical! I can’t wait to go someday soon!

    • We had a wonderful RTW trip, it was a great way to pack a lot of cities into the same plane ticket :)

  48. Wow!!! really amazing post

    • Thanks :) Glad you enjoyed it.

  49. Such a very nice images.

    • Thanks Roy – glad you enjoyed the post :)

  50. I’ve been to Istanbul before! Such an amazing beautiful place!
    Venice is next on my list.

    • Fabulous Chris! So glad you enjoyed your time – Venice is great too, we loved getting lost among the alleyways and canals – best tip for Venice; embrace getting lost! Lol we stopped fighting it and just wandered aimlessly, it’s the best way to explore!

  51. Wow!! That’s a really amazing. I’m definitely going to follow along

    • Thanks Bob! You can find our stories from the trips under the heading for “now returned”, we chronicled it for Marriott Traveler :)

      Happy travels!

  52. Sounds fantastic!! Some of those cities have been on my list for a long time. Enjoy your trip, can’t wait to follow along

    • Thanks Rhaul! We recently returned from our trip and had a fabulous time. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about planning something similar :)

  53. Great post it’s very helpful for traveller.

    • Thanks Satheesh, I hope you have a wonderful RTW trip too!

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