When I wrote my review of our travels in 2024, I mentioned that we traveled less than we had in 2022 and 2023. Aside from my quick stay in Las Vegas in May, our trips were brief visits to Texas, Georgia, and New York. The reason for this was my father’s health—early in the year, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He didn’t want his situation to keep us from traveling, and at first, we tried to balance our plans. But as time passed, we decided to put any other trips on hold so we could stay close to home in case anything unexpected happened.
My dad passed away in mid-January, and we recently held his life celebration. Seeing his friends come together to share memories of him was a comforting reminder of the incredible man I had the privilege of calling my father.
Looking Back on a Lifetime of Travel
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going through pictures from our past vacations. Many of our vacations were road trips, during which we’d book a hotel from the Entertainment Book—unless we were towing a pop-up Coleman camper behind the car.
My father shaped many of my travel habits. Because of him, I’m not afraid to ask for a different hotel room—he never accepted the first one he was given. He also taught me the best travel question I have ever heard, and I still use it today.
A Devoted Caregiver and a New Chapter
After he retired, my dad dedicated himself to caring for my mother as her health declined. He was by her side through everything until she passed away in 2011. A few years later, he met JoAnn, and they quickly bonded over their shared love of travel. Eventually, they married and began exploring the world together.
This new chapter in his life allowed me to start repaying him for all those years of family vacations.
Encouraging New Adventures
As my dad and JoAnn’s travels became more adventurous, I was able to help make their experiences even more memorable. His trip to Southeast Asia sparked my own desire to visit Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Of course, his new globetrotting didn’t stop me from bringing him to New York to meet the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show we both loved.
But it was their trip to Indonesia where I truly treated him. Using ANA miles, I booked them an incredible itinerary: Seattle to Bali on EVA Air and the return from Bangkok to Seattle on Thai Airways and ANA.
Of course, I didn’t tell them that they were booked on the Hello Kitty plane from Taipei to Bali 🙂 That trip also took them to Java, where they visited Mt. Bromo.
A Love for Travel, Even from Afar
I love looking back at these photos—he truly enjoyed his retirement and time with JoAnn. Unfortunately, health issues prevented him from traveling in the past five years. But that didn’t stop him from enjoying our travels. He loved reading our website, following our adventures, and even offering suggestions on how we could improve our posts.
There’s no way I could possibly say what an incredible person my father was. Even at the end of his life, he still made everyone around him happy with his sense of humor. Our trips together were only a small part of what connected us but are an example of how he spent his life trying to make others happy.
I already miss telling him about our upcoming trips and sending him pictures while we’re away. But a part of me will always be that kid sitting in the back seat on our road trips from New Jersey to Florida.
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