The World A to Z

When you get to the end of your vacation, your only thought should be, “That was incredible! How can we top it next time?”

Judy Romano

       Hi. I’m Judy Romano, an award-winning, former journalist and broadcaster who loves to travel, write and tell stories. As I approached my 40th birthday, I was feeling a little low. I was approaching that milestone and felt like I didn’t have much of a plan for the rest of my life. In short, I was in a boring rut!

I decided the best way to get out of that rut was to come up with a plan. It needed to be forward-thinking. It needed to bring excitement into my life. It really needed to remind me how thrilling life could be if I just gave it the chance.

I decided to combine my lifelong curiosity with my love of travel. I thought, “There are 26 letters in the alphabet. If I just use the ABCs as my guide, I can see the entire world before I retire.”

That clicked! I knew I’d need to adjust my priorities to afford it. I also knew I could cut corners on my travels with good research and off-season travel. It worked! I kicked off my plan in 2002. “A” was for Alps. (I’d already planned a trip to Switzerland, so I made the “A” work.)

I have only two simple rules: The annual trip must be outside the 48 continental US states and each trip should take me somewhere I’ve never been before.

Then along came 2020. As everyone in the entire world knows, the year wreaked havoc on the best of plans. Mine plan was no exception. With international travel basically out of the question, I made an adjustment. I have always believed that no matter what your plans are, you can expect something to mess with them, so I rolled with it. “S” is for “Sip, Savor and Sightsee” became my first trip to break the “outside the 48 continental US States.”

The plan is to get back to international travel as soon as possible. In the meantime, I am continuing my 26-year plan to see the world alphabetically. The completion of this year’s adventure means I am more than 2/3 of the way through the alphabet.

You can read about my “ABC” trips here. Of course, I also write about other places I’ve been, things I’ve done and a few random thoughts and tips about travel and life.

I hope you enjoy what you find here. Follow me for updates on when a new blog is posted. Send me a note if there’s something you’d like me to explore and write about. 

Most of all … there’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored. Get out there and see it.