Good morning everyone, I am bringing on one more writer (for now) and her name is Shelli.  In case you didn’t know, I have added a few new writers over the last few weeks, including Whitney, Tonei, and Will The Tactical Traveler.  I’ve known Shelli for the last few years and we met while I was living in Orange County (she lives down the coast in San Diego).  She has her own health and fitness blog (Joy in Movement), but her other great passion is travel.  She travels often and embodies the healthy traveler and solo traveler mindsets.  I am sure you will enjoy reading her blog posts here as well as on her own site.  Shelli has decided to break the rules and instead of answering my standard Q&A, she has decided to share her top 5 fun travel memories from 2016.  Take it away Shelli!

1. Emirates pajama party……..on Royal Jordanian Airlines. On a RJ flight from JFK to Amman, we traveled in business class. It was us and mostly Jordanian businessmen. Before we took off, I changed into my Emirates pajamas and settled into my seat. One by one, the Jordanian businessmen went into the bathroom in full business suit attire, but came out in their Emirates pajamas! Gave me a good laugh and of course, I didn’t snap any photos!
2. Grand Hyatt, Vancouver, BC, lounge party. Being able to share travels with family is always special. My cousin had never been to Canada, so we went for a long weekend to Vancouver. Having Hyatt Diamond status allowed us to enjoy a suite. She loved that, but the real excitement was the lounge access. It’s a wonderful well-stocked lounge and she had so much fun. It was a thrill for me to see her enjoy herself, and of course she loves my Hyatt Diamond status!
3. Do you have a coffee angel? I do! On a trip to Dublin, I found my favorite coffee house EVER. It’s called Coffee Angel. It’s not just that the flat white rocks, but the staff is exceptional, and the ambiance is perfect. I had so much fun talking with the staff. I was there everyday, and if I’m being honest, sometimes twice a day. On my last day in Dublin, I went in to say goodbye. They were stunned! They thought of me as a local who was moving to Dublin! They ran into the back room and came out with a bag of beans, which they gifted me, but not before they signed it with a sweet message. Coffee Angel…….I miss you!
4. Surprising cousins in Florida. One of the best advantages we miles and points enthusiasts have are our options for traveling on such short notice. Recently, there was a death in my family and I had to get from the West Coast to Florida. I’ll write more in another blog post about how I booked this trip, but for now, I’ll say that it would have been otherwise very expensive and complicated for me to get to Florida. The look on my cousin’s face when she saw me at the memorial was priceless! Creating family memories like this is the best use of my stash of miles.
5. Have you ever co-piloted a small plane? In Botswana? Over the delta? Neither have I, really. But as part of my safari experience last year when we went from safari camp to camp, the pilot of our small six-seater airplane let me sit in the co-pilot seat right beside him. WOW, what fun, especially those take-offs and landings on what was barely more than a strip of dirt.

So there you have it. Five of the most memorable travel experiences of my travel-filled year.

What were your top five travel memories from 2016?  If you have any questions about any of my travel experiences, please let me know by leaving a comment below.