What began on Halloween as a long-haul flight turned into a month-long journey across Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Taiwan—packed with family moments, stunning landscapes, and a few surprises along the way.
We started with a stop in Irvine to visit Alex and Van and see Jeanne in her Halloween costume before catching our overnight flight out of LAX, our first time on the massive double-deck Airbus A380. Fifteen hours later, we touched down in Sydney at sunrise, shaking off jet lag by hitting the streets until our Airbnb opened. From there, the trip opened up into a series of vivid contrasts: iconic harbors and coastal walks, wildlife encounters, and the freedom of having a rental car to explore the Blue Mountains and Featherdale.
New Zealand offered an entirely different rhythm—dramatic fjords, quiet drives, and big, cinematic landscapes. Some of the most memorable days came on the Doubtful Sound cruise, where mountains, clouds, and ocean blurred into one serene experience.
After the cool air of Oceania, we stepped into the warmth and energy of Thailand, with its night markets and street-food aromas, and then traveled on to Taiwan, where modern city life, temples, and local flavors rounded out the journey.
The full blog captures the real texture of the trip—photos, daily notes, unexpected moments, and the small discoveries that made each stop unique. If this quick taste sparks your curiosity, dive into the posts and enjoy the full story as it unfolded day by day.