Round the world for the first time

I've just published a series of posts about the first round-the-world (RTW) flight I ever took in 1996. At the time, I was heading to my brother's wedding in Austria. I'd never heard of this kind of air ticket until a travel agent suggested it. In the decades since, I've booked at least eight of these tickets, including six that Garry and I booked annually while living in London.

Back in 1996, I remember visiting the agent during my lunch break. This was the good old days when you booked tickets with an agent who issued them as hardcopy quadruple-carbon-copy documents. There was no Internet. I told him I was keen to visit Africa on the way to Europe. He proposed this ticket. By the time I left his office, I'd booked a three-week extravaganza through Africa, Europe and the USA. My boss was mortified upon learning I was taking three weeks off, but graciously approved my request for extended annual leave.

My mother took the image that opens this post in Berlin. You can learn more about my blonde look in my African safari post. The image shown above was taken in Salzburg shortly before my parents and I headed to Prague. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

DAY	DATE	LOCATION	NOTES
MON	7 Oct	Overnight flight Sydney to Joburg via Perth
TUE	8 Oct	Victoria Falls	Makasa Sun Hotel
WED	9 Oct	Zambia	Day trip across the border
THU	10 Oct	Zimbabwe	Transfer to Hwange. Safari camp.
FRI	11 Oct	Zimbabwe	Hwange. Safari camp.
SAT	12 Oct	Zimbabwe	Hwange. Safari camp.
SUN	13 Oct	South Africa	Flight to Joburg via Lake Karbi
MON	14 Oct	South Africa	Day tour of Joburg
TUE	15 Oct	Austria	Overnight flight to Frankfurt
WED	16 Oct	Austria	Kitzbühel Wedding
THU	17 Oct	Austria	Kitzbühel walking tour
FRI	18 Oct	Czech Republic	Salzburg. Train to Prague.
SAT	19 Oct	Czech Republic	Exploring Prague
SUN	20 Oct	Germany	Train to Berlin
MON	21 Oct	Germany	Berlin with my parents
TUE	22 Oct	USA	Overnight flight to LA
WED	23 Oct	USA	LA bus tour
THU	24 Oct	USA	Flight to Hawaii
FRI	24 Oct	USA	Party time in Hawaii
SAT	26 Oct	USA	Party time in Hawaii
SUN	27 Oct	USA	Night flight to Sydney
MON	28 Oct	Crossing the dateline
TUE	29 Oct	Australia	Arrival in Sydney

One curious point to note: I flew out on Monday because it was a public holiday. These days I'd fly on a Saturday to make the most of the public holiday. Back then I didn't want to miss out on a wild weekend with my friends. In fact, I recall talking to a friend at the pub about four hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. I sagely noted that it was probably time to go home and get ready for the airport.