This last year has seen a lot of travel for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. As always, I’ve made a lot of observations along the way and here are a few of them that immediately come to mind:

• Airports and customer service are like chalk and cheese.
• Receive a smile in an airport, other than from a duty-free salesperson, and it stands out and is always remembered.
• The inhabitants of countries who have less economic power, less inward investment, and less opportunity in their own lives are generally much happier than those than those from other perceivably ‘better off’ countries.
• Simplicity trumps complexity every time and leads to better results.
• Turn off your tv and see what is out there on your doorstep. You’re likely to be very surprised.
• Try to take every opportunity to meet local people in whatever place you find yourself. (I missed out on this a couple of times and I should have made more of an effort.)
• Make a plan for any trip before you travel, but don’t get too hung up on it. Keep some excitement in there.
• There is so much of our own countries that we haven’t yet seen, and, for me, taking a look at this would be a good thing.