Around the World in 18 Days

View Larger Map

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China.

Matt Borrello had dreamed of visiting one or two of the world's great wonders at some point. Now, he's going to see all four over the next three weeks. He embarks Sunday on an around-the-world trip, traveling to Cairo, Egypt; New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, India; Cairns, Australia; and Beijing, China.

Matt, a regional sales manager with EF Educational Tours, was the lucky winner of an internal EF contest to travel around the world in 18 days.

"I am beyond ecstatic. This is a trip of a lifetime," said Matt, who started at EF as a tour consultant two years ago. "In total, there were more than 200 people eligible for the opportunity, and with thousands of raffle tickets, I was the lucky one."

But he wasn't the only lucky one. The grand prize was a trip around the world for two, and Matt got to choose his travel companion. Despite the desperate pleas of friends and colleagues, Matt chose his mother, Lucille.

"When I found out that I had won, I immediately called her on my cell phone," Matt said. "She was more excited than I was. We were both in a state of euphoria."

At first, his mom thought he was joking. Once it sank in, she had a different reaction. "Well, after 28 years of nurturing, my efforts were finally being rewarded," she joked.

Kidding aside, Lucille said, "I was naturally very excited and proud when he told me. Matthew puts a great deal of effort in everything he does."

Matt and his mom found out in December and have spent the past six months preparing for their once-in-a-lifetime trip. They've researched their destinations, bought clothes, watched movies and read books. In fact, Lucille's book club decided to read books on Australia and China.

Hopefully, they'll be fully rested for their whirlwind journey ahead. In case you're keeping score, the trip will take them to five continents, eight countries, 11 airports (12 flights) and 12 cities over 18 days—and 29,740 flight miles.

Although both Matt and Lucille have traveled to Europe before, they've never visited Africa, Asia nor Australia. It's impossible to pin them down on what they're most looking forward to on the trip. They both name all of the wonders they'll be seeing.

"You spend most of your life reading the history of these sights," Matt said, "but to actually visit them is an opportunity of a lifetime."

The best part about this around-the-world journey—for us, at least—is that we'll be able to follow along. Matt will be checking in during his trip, and we will be posting his reports here at Following the Equator.

For more details about Matt's around-the-world trip, check out the interactive map above and the day-by-day itinerary below:

AROUND THE WORLD IN 18 DAYS

DAY 1 — Depart Boston and fly overnight to Frankfurt
DAY 2 — Arrive in Frankfurt and fly to Cairo
DAY 3 — Guided excursion to Memphis, Sakkara and Giza
(including a visit to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx)
DAY 4 — Free day in Cairo
DAY 5 — Depart Cairo and fly to Istanbul, then fly overnight
to New Delhi
DAY 6 — Arrive in New Delhi; free time in New Delhi, then travel
to Agra and visit the Taj Mahal in the evening
DAY 7 — Visit the Taj Mahal in the morning, then travel to Jaipur
DAY 8 — Guided sightseeing of Jaipur, then return to New Delhi
DAY 9 — Depart New Delhi and fly to Singapore, then fly overnight to Brisbane, Australia
DAY 10 — Arrive in Brisbane and fly to Cairns
DAY 11 — Excursion to the Great Barrier Reef
DAY 12 — Free day in Cairns
DAY 13 — Free day in Cairns
DAY 14 — Depart Cairns and fly to Brisbane, then Hong Kong and arrive in Beijing
DAY 15 — Excursion to the Great Wall of China in Badaling
DAY 16 — Free day in Beijing
DAY 17 — Free day in Beijing
DAY 18 — Depart Beijing and fly to Newark, then fly home to Boston

Comments

[Jealous]

Wow! What an amazing trip; what a great opportunity! I can't wait to follow along with Matt's updates!

[justin]

This is really the trip of a lifetime — I'm looking forward to following along!

[Eric from EF]

Thanks for the comments. Everybody who has heard about this trip is jealous. Stay tuned for the updates.

[Nick Borrello]

I'll be following this blog eagerly. Good luck to Matt and his mom Lucille
Uncle Nick

[mikes]

totally jealous - that is really cool

[Sacco]

Cant wait to see some pics B! Best of luck on your travels!

[Macala]

Matt, I am totally upset you chose your mom over me! But I am looking forward to hearing all about it...hope you post soon!