I was in the Air Force, and in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam "conflict." (It was never declared a war.) That was my first time away from home in Minnesota. First time away from snow, too, at Christmas and a temp of 93° instead of 0°. Just didn't seem like Christmas without the snow and cold.
We lived in the Bay Area, near SF, and was in Christchurch for the holidays. And in a park across from the hotel from where we were staying was the national celebration for the holidays on Christmas eve. And the next morning on Christmas, we had the best pancakes we’ve ever had.
In 1979, the oldest of the Nash brothers was fortunate to win a WHO Fellowship to OZ and NZ for two months to do research on their dental nurse programs. My 5 weeks in NZ was magical. The people there were so helpful, friendly, and welcoming. I traveled from the very top of the North Island to the very bottom of the South Island; did an RV with my family for 10 days; and even flew over the NZ Alps in a small pane - spectacular. My fave was Christchurch - what a beautiful city.
In 2014, the day after Thanksgiving, after getting laid off, not finding a job that paid a living wage, and then selling virtually all of my possessions, I took off from a foot of snow in my hometown in Michigan with just a backpack for 90 degrees in Australia, where I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, hiked around Uluru, checked out the holiday markets in Sydney, then took a bus to Canberra to couch surf with a family I’d never met for Christmas and New Years. It was one of my best Christmases ever! As much as I love my family, especially at the holidays, my daughters were grown and off on their own, and I discovered the kindest, warmest people around the world who opened their homes to me. In fact, I couch-surfed all over Australia and ended up there for 2 months and am still friends with these women 10 years later! To think we connected over Facebook :) New Zealand was my next stop - the most stunning scenery!! But that’s another story…
The last two years we’ve been the furthest from the United States. Last year we were in Singapore for the holidays and the year before we were in Chris’s “favorite “South American city Valparaiso, Chile. to me it’s always strange to see holiday decorations when it’s in the 80s and 90°. It was also strange to see Christmas decorations in a primarily Buddhist country which we saw in Bangkok Thailand, also last year.
Our first of three Christmas holidays in Cottesloe (outside of Perth) was strange and lonely. Perth is so far from our families in South Dakota and our home in Colorado. Santa wears swim trunks and flip-flops; Christmas dinner is on the beach, and you are uncomfortable if your AC isn't on full blast. I love Christmas in the mountains, with snow all around and Santa in a warm and furry suit with boots to keep his feet warm, and I love cold weather and snow on the pines, and we enjoy traditional holiday fare, hot apple cider and Tom and Jerry's. Christmas in the middle of summer was, well, just not "Christmas," and it made us very homesick.... every year!
The farthest I’ve been from home at Christmas is France and Morocco. It was my junior year abroad in Strasbourg. (I live in Idaho). I was so homesick! But then a group of us went on a car trip to Morocco with French male students that we met from a clipping on a note board. That turned into the adventure of my life because it turned out French students were trying to buy special gem crystals illegally in the Moroccan mountains and planned to smuggle them back to France. Ironically, the deserts in the interior of Morocco look very much like the deserts of the Intermountain Desert in Idaho. How did that turn out? Well, even at the tender age of 20 I had bought Travel Insurance for the trip for about the equivalent of five euros now. One of the cars got a cracked windshield and was deemed unsafe to drive. So I got to fly back to Paris and then take the train back to Strasbourg, without having to go through customs with the car.
We've spent many Christmases far from home. This Christmas we are in Abu Dhabi. We've spent Christmas in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Fiji... And once we had two Christmas Days, flying across the international dateline between Auckland and Rarotonga.
New Zealand - Queenstown at Christmas, and Te Anau for Boxing Day and New Year's Eve. Te Anau at Milford Sound fjords was like Norway upside down and a beautiful place to reflect on the year just passed and welcome the year ahead.
4 of us spent a Christmas in Ushuaia while on a motorcycle ride from Canada. We were on our way to Antartica. Very low key with a very spicy chicken soup sourced from La Anonima just down the street. Caught the Polar Star two days later for the 10 day trip to Antartica.
I can’t seem to open this podcast. Is it just me? I’m not sure which is farther, but Vietnam and Kenya are the two most far-away places i’ve been to. In March I go to Australia and New Zealand. I’m in my early 70s and trying to knock off the really long trips while I can still manage it.
Let's see how all of you would do in DaNang, Vietnam. 1970-71. There were hundreds of thousands of us over the years who spent the holidays halfway around the world. No cellphones, texting, FaceTime, internet and so on.
And, there are still thousands and thousands stationed as far away from home as they'll ever be for the holidays.
I can see where that would be easy to forget while coming up with a question like this.
I live in Alaska but I worked in McMurdo Station Antarctica for 10 austral summer seasons from 2004 to 2014 so spent many Christmas’s and other holidays down on The Ice, very far from home. It was great fun there!
It depends on which holidays you mean. We spent the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) in Beijing and Chang Mai, Thailand this year. There are no major Jewish holidays in December. Hanukkah is a minor holiday, hijacked by our consumer culture to sell things.
Our major celebrations this December were the 19th, our son's 37th birthday, and the 20th, our 44th wedding anniversary. We celebrated our 25th in Cuatla, Mexico.
I was in the Air Force, and in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam "conflict." (It was never declared a war.) That was my first time away from home in Minnesota. First time away from snow, too, at Christmas and a temp of 93° instead of 0°. Just didn't seem like Christmas without the snow and cold.
I hear you. It's very strange to be in NZ in the middle of summer -- I mean, winter.
We lived in the Bay Area, near SF, and was in Christchurch for the holidays. And in a park across from the hotel from where we were staying was the national celebration for the holidays on Christmas eve. And the next morning on Christmas, we had the best pancakes we’ve ever had.
Wow, that must’ve been a really nice vacation
In 1979, the oldest of the Nash brothers was fortunate to win a WHO Fellowship to OZ and NZ for two months to do research on their dental nurse programs. My 5 weeks in NZ was magical. The people there were so helpful, friendly, and welcoming. I traveled from the very top of the North Island to the very bottom of the South Island; did an RV with my family for 10 days; and even flew over the NZ Alps in a small pane - spectacular. My fave was Christchurch - what a beautiful city.
In 2014, the day after Thanksgiving, after getting laid off, not finding a job that paid a living wage, and then selling virtually all of my possessions, I took off from a foot of snow in my hometown in Michigan with just a backpack for 90 degrees in Australia, where I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, hiked around Uluru, checked out the holiday markets in Sydney, then took a bus to Canberra to couch surf with a family I’d never met for Christmas and New Years. It was one of my best Christmases ever! As much as I love my family, especially at the holidays, my daughters were grown and off on their own, and I discovered the kindest, warmest people around the world who opened their homes to me. In fact, I couch-surfed all over Australia and ended up there for 2 months and am still friends with these women 10 years later! To think we connected over Facebook :) New Zealand was my next stop - the most stunning scenery!! But that’s another story…
Hey, I remember you! ;-)
The last two years we’ve been the furthest from the United States. Last year we were in Singapore for the holidays and the year before we were in Chris’s “favorite “South American city Valparaiso, Chile. to me it’s always strange to see holiday decorations when it’s in the 80s and 90°. It was also strange to see Christmas decorations in a primarily Buddhist country which we saw in Bangkok Thailand, also last year.
I liked Valparaiso, but I think it was probably nicer there about 100 years ago before the canal. Headed to Singapore soon.
There is another Nash that lives in Singapore!!
Our first of three Christmas holidays in Cottesloe (outside of Perth) was strange and lonely. Perth is so far from our families in South Dakota and our home in Colorado. Santa wears swim trunks and flip-flops; Christmas dinner is on the beach, and you are uncomfortable if your AC isn't on full blast. I love Christmas in the mountains, with snow all around and Santa in a warm and furry suit with boots to keep his feet warm, and I love cold weather and snow on the pines, and we enjoy traditional holiday fare, hot apple cider and Tom and Jerry's. Christmas in the middle of summer was, well, just not "Christmas," and it made us very homesick.... every year!
The farthest I’ve been from home at Christmas is France and Morocco. It was my junior year abroad in Strasbourg. (I live in Idaho). I was so homesick! But then a group of us went on a car trip to Morocco with French male students that we met from a clipping on a note board. That turned into the adventure of my life because it turned out French students were trying to buy special gem crystals illegally in the Moroccan mountains and planned to smuggle them back to France. Ironically, the deserts in the interior of Morocco look very much like the deserts of the Intermountain Desert in Idaho. How did that turn out? Well, even at the tender age of 20 I had bought Travel Insurance for the trip for about the equivalent of five euros now. One of the cars got a cracked windshield and was deemed unsafe to drive. So I got to fly back to Paris and then take the train back to Strasbourg, without having to go through customs with the car.
A rental house along the Great Ocean Road near the Twelve Apostles in Australia.
Love that place. It's far away from home!
We've spent many Christmases far from home. This Christmas we are in Abu Dhabi. We've spent Christmas in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Fiji... And once we had two Christmas Days, flying across the international dateline between Auckland and Rarotonga.
New Zealand - Queenstown at Christmas, and Te Anau for Boxing Day and New Year's Eve. Te Anau at Milford Sound fjords was like Norway upside down and a beautiful place to reflect on the year just passed and welcome the year ahead.
4 of us spent a Christmas in Ushuaia while on a motorcycle ride from Canada. We were on our way to Antartica. Very low key with a very spicy chicken soup sourced from La Anonima just down the street. Caught the Polar Star two days later for the 10 day trip to Antartica.
Fun place. We were there two years ago.
I’ve lived in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines and spent most holidays there.
I can’t seem to open this podcast. Is it just me? I’m not sure which is farther, but Vietnam and Kenya are the two most far-away places i’ve been to. In March I go to Australia and New Zealand. I’m in my early 70s and trying to knock off the really long trips while I can still manage it.
Sorry. Could you try a different browser?
I have always been home for Christmas Day. “Home” is wherever we lived. We were military.
Once, we flew from Switzerland to home on Dec 24.
Let's see how all of you would do in DaNang, Vietnam. 1970-71. There were hundreds of thousands of us over the years who spent the holidays halfway around the world. No cellphones, texting, FaceTime, internet and so on.
And, there are still thousands and thousands stationed as far away from home as they'll ever be for the holidays.
I can see where that would be easy to forget while coming up with a question like this.
I live in Alaska but I worked in McMurdo Station Antarctica for 10 austral summer seasons from 2004 to 2014 so spent many Christmas’s and other holidays down on The Ice, very far from home. It was great fun there!
Wow!
I am reading the book, THE SHIP BENEATH THE ICE. Excellent. Now you were in THE cold. I admire anyone who could stand that weather.
I have a hard time in hot climates so I guess we are even 😉
It depends on which holidays you mean. We spent the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) in Beijing and Chang Mai, Thailand this year. There are no major Jewish holidays in December. Hanukkah is a minor holiday, hijacked by our consumer culture to sell things.
Our major celebrations this December were the 19th, our son's 37th birthday, and the 20th, our 44th wedding anniversary. We celebrated our 25th in Cuatla, Mexico.