It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. 2025 was a travel blur, with some amazing adventures had (you can read the year in review here), and was a wonderful year for me personally despite the state of the world.
Well, 2026 doesn’t look to be much better from the world’s standpoint – although a good November in the US elections can change that – but it’s going to be an exciting one for me and for The Royal Tour. For those of you who read regularly – and a HUGE thank you for doing so! – here is what you can expect to see.
January through March – Europe!
In 2025 I didn’t set foot in Europe for the first time in quite a while. So this year, I’m headed there straightaway for basically three full months. One month each will be spent in Genoa, Italy, Nice, France, and Toulouse, France.
I’ve been to both Nice and Toulouse, though for less than a day each, and Genoa is a totally blank space for me. In addition, there will be some side trips and some day trips, so we can cover northern Italy and southern France on a more regional level.
April-May – New Zealand and Fiji
Family awaits in both Wellington and Auckland, so three weeks will be spent in total on New Zealand’s North Island. While sadly the South Island will have to wait for another day, there is still a lot to write about. This will be a return to New Zealand, although my last trip was less than a week and several years back.
With Fiji Air being the cheapest way to get between the US and New Zealand, an added week-long stop in this paradise on the way back will be a great way to end the trip, and bring you all a bit of Fijian Polynesian culture.
June – Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin and Alberta
I was lucky enough to work with Visit St. Maarten in September, and they apparently liked me well enough to invite me back. I’ll be staying on both the French and Dutch sides, as well as a couple days on nearby Sint Eustatius.
Then later in the month it is a quick trip to Calgary and Banff National Park with my nephew for his high school graduation present. Hiking and steak will follow.
August – British Colombia and Alaska
After a week visiting family in Victoria, it is time for my first cruise since before COVID, heading to Alaska from Vancouver, where I’ll then add a land tour that covers a couple national parks, and the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks. I’ve been twice before, both times on cruises, but there is always something new to discover. And I’ve never written from Alaska, since the most recent of those trips was in 2005.
October – Cincinnati and Surrounds
A fall trip to visit my father outside Cincinnati will take me on a yet-to-be-determined tour of yet-to-be-determined sights in the area. Maybe Lexington, KY? Maybe Dayton, OH? Maybe both or maybe neither. I’m open to suggestions if you all have any.
November – India
My annual trip with my aunt will take us to India this year! We have a bit over two weeks in the north of the country, visiting New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, and Varanasi among other cool-looking places. I’ve never been, and am getting pretty excited about it. There is so much history and culture that it seems like a destination just meant for me and The Royal Tour!
So yeah, a pretty exciting year, right? If I’m doing my math right, it means a bit over six months of travel, even if nothing else comes up in terms of quick visits to see friends and family domestically.
I will, of course, have specific itinerary articles about each trip that will give more details, not to mention the content produced from each of these. As stands, Genoa articles will begin in February after the rest of the 2025 stuff is done being published, so assume that the trips later in the year might be a bit backed up, with content not appearing until sometime in the first part of 2027, especially if I write some from Los Angeles between trips. (And hey, there’s a ton of cool stuff here I still haven’t done.)
It’s going to be a fun ride, and I’m so glad to have you all on board for it!
