We traveled to spend time with my children for my 70th birthday, saw two different parts of the Amazon River Basin (in Peru and Ecuador) and traveled in other parts of both countries, including the Galapagos.

During our four weeks in Iceland, we drove over 3,000 miles, visited places that most international tourists rarely go, and enjoyed the varied beauty of the country.

We traveled first to Egypt, including an organized multiday riverboat trip on the Nile. We then spent time in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, my favorite.

We traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia, including to Siem Reap to visit Angor Wat. On the way home we stopped in Singapore to spend time in its fantastic botanical gardens.

We flew to Chile and flew over the Drake Passage before boarding a small ship to explore a small part of the Continent. We then visited the Chilean Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.

We traveled first to Maldives for a small island holiday, then went to Jordan to see Petra and Wadi Rum, the southern desert.

We traveled by car to Chefchouan, Fez, through the Atlas Mountains and into the Southern Sahara. We ended with a stay in a traditional riad in Marrakech.

I call it the Land of Tomorrow, though the South Island feels like the Land of Yesterday because you can imagine dinosaurs gallivanting across the landscape.