Foreword
To travel around the world was a dream I had as a child. I was always captivated by adventure books and popular science literature. Geography was one of my favorite subjects.
Then came 2017 — a very unusual year for me, in many ways.
By the end of May, it became clear that my children would be spending the summer with their other parent, which meant I would have almost two months of complete freedom.
I had spoken to my beloved many times about the idea of going around the world. He told me about the different options offered by Emirates, including a route that went through America, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. Or another one through Africa. I would literally drool listening to these stories.
There was even a chance to take a round-the-world trip in autumn 2016… but instead, for some reason, I ended up going to Cabo Verde. Ah, what a silly decision that was! But it happened the way it happened.
The beginning of June 2017 was all about exploring possibilities. Which places?
As always, I sat at my favorite spot at home — at the table with my laptop, a world map hanging to my right, and beneath it, a handwritten list of places I felt drawn to.
Looking at the map: not here, not there. Pages were filled with route ideas. One thing was clear — I definitely didn’t want to fly to hot places in the middle of summer.
In fact, I noticed it’s not in my nature to head to warm beaches during summer. I prefer colder regions that become slightly less wild in summer, and in winter, I seek the sun. That rhythm suits me perfectly.
One of the routes I wrote down was stunning, but somehow it didn’t quite land in my heart. Mongolia is too hot in mid-summer. Still, maybe someone will find inspiration in this route: Europe — Armenia — Kyrgyzstan — Mongolia — China — Kamchatka — Alaska — Greenland — Iceland — Europe.
But two places became absolutely clear to me: Kamchatka and Alaska. This clarity came after seeing Sebastião Salgado’s GENESIS exhibition in Prague. His aerial photographs of Denali and the Kamchatka volcanoes gave me chills. I just knew: I want to go there!
Then came the question: is there a direct flight from Kamchatka to Alaska?
I began digging. Tons of reading. Fast-scrolling through websites, searching for flights. A friend of mine always wondered how I could read so quickly and absorb so much, like a black hole of information.
Ha! In moments like that, it really feels like something is being born from nothing.
I love preparing for trips just as much as the journeys themselves.
So yes, I discovered that there is indeed a direct flight: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka) — Anchorage (Alaska). Operated by Yakutia Airlines (the name alone sounds thrilling and exotic!), it only runs during a couple of summer months. And it turned out my dates aligned! Even more magical: I would cross the International Date Line, meaning I would live the same day twice. How mysterious and alluring!
More days of flight research followed. Hundreds of screenshots, seven notebook pages filled with handwritten notes…
And finally, a portion of the journey took shape! From Prague and back — exactly 50 days! Beautiful!
Kyiv, Ukraine — Yerevan, Armenia — Moscow — Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — Anchorage (Alaska, USA).
Later, I bought tickets: Oslo — Svalbard (Spitsbergen) — Oslo — Prague.
How would I get from the US to Oslo? By plane, of course, but at that moment, I hadn’t found tickets that felt right.
Still, I felt calm. I knew that the right answer would come when it was time.
Joy was overflowing!
A little spoiler: Here is the final route of my round-the-world trip: Prague — Kyiv — Yerevan — Moscow — Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — Anchorage (Alaska) — Ketchikan — Seattle — Las Vegas — San Francisco — Oslo — Svalbard — Oslo — Prague.