Travelers of the Year!!

So this happened today:

We were first contacted about the award at the tail end of our trip but we weren’t allowed to share anything until today.  Now, we can yell it from the hilltops with the excitement we feel:

Ish, Ethan, Cameron and I are among National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s Travelers of the Year for 2012!

All of us. As a family. What an honour!

It’s a bunch of firsts:

1. The first time the awards have been handed out by National Geographic Traveler Magazine

2. We are the only family who made the list together

3. We are the only Canadians on the list

4. Cam and Ethan are the youngest recipients on the list.

To say that we are “thrilled” would be the understatement of the year.

We are also so honoured.

This trip was never about winning anything. What we wanted out of this trip, and what we found, was a better understanding of what is out there, a closer relationship to each other and the renewed belief in the possibility of living dreams to the fullest.

Do I want that for everyone? Yes, I do.

Do I think that everyone can do it as we did? No, I don’t.

What I hope people find in our story is the possibility that exists for all of us to make the most of what they have, whatever that is … and to dream big.

You don’t have to travel around the world. You just need to live your life to all of its glorious possibility.

Our story is  included in this issue on newsstands December 4.

Big thanks to National Geographic Traveler for the honour and for helping us share our message with a broader public. And huge thanks to all of the people who helped us along the way. From friends in tourism to strangers at train stations to all of you who sent messages of support and great advice along the way.

Thank You All.