We always said that when we moved back to the States we would make a stopover somewhere along the way. We figured it would be a good way to end our expat experience and logistically, it made sense because it takes 2-3 weeks for an air shipment to reach Dallas anyway.
The good news about living on the exact opposite side of the world is that we can travel either way around the globe to reach Texas. So, we had quite a few options. It's popular for expats here to stop somewhere in Europe on their way back to the US and when I mentioned that possibility to my husband, his response was, "Europe is easy to get to from Dallas and we can make that trip any time. Let's find a place that won't be quite so simple from there." This conversation reflects the change in perspective that occurs after living here. Suddenly a 9-hour flight to Europe sounds like no big deal. And I agreed with him that we should try to go somewhere new to us.
Thankfully Brian's company didn't care if our flight itinerary to move home made logical sense. They just told us the tickets needed to cost no more than our regular business class flight through LAX. So, the Deans will fly home via South Africa and Dubai this summer.
We will spend 6 nights in South Africa, splitting our time between a safari experience and Cape Town. And after determining that we could fly from South Africa through Dubai, we're going to spend a couple nights there as well. I'll need to seriously consider the packing strategy when we leave the tropics, travel to Africa during their winter and then pass through Dubai in the heat of the summer. I may have subconsciously planned this trip to ensure I am burned out on international travel for awhile.
Despite the logistical challenges, I'm incredibly excited we get to visit South Africa and I hope the trip proves to be the perfect final touch on our amazing expat adventure. See y'all soon!
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