The Burnett family, Duncan (44), Ruth (39), Erin (11) and Ailsa (9), are about to depart on an overland adventure (as far as possible) across Europe to the Near East. Starting in Belfast we plan to travel to a number of capital cities including London, Paris, Budapest, Belgrade, Ankara, Jerusalem and Amman. We hope to travel at least 3,000 miles by rail, taking us from Northern Ireland to the Turkish/Armenian border region. We look forward to visiting the sites associated with the ministry of Jesus in Israel. I have also promised the children to look out for a theme park to supplement our normal holiday diet of castles, churches and museums!

The Burnett family, Duncan (43), Ruth (38), Erin (10) and Ailsa (8), are about to depart for Jamestown, St Helena, via Cape Town, South Africa, and Walvis Bay, Namibia. The Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena is the only regular passenger/freight service to this British Overseas Territory. Unfortunately last year we were unable to travel to St Helena as the RMS was in dry dock for repairs after sustaining damage at sea. We pray there will be no mishaps on our journey this year. It would be so much easier if the British Government would honour their commitment to build an airport on St Helena, however the journey would not be so much of an adventure. We are looking forward to our ocean voyage - now where did I leave the sea sickness tablets?

The Burnett family, Duncan (42), Ruth (37), Erin (9) and Ailsa (7), are off to France for a few days. The children have been told they are going to a forest park for a picnic lunch, however we are off to Disneyland Paris Resort followed by Paris itself. Some child centred family fun with an educational part at the end. This will be our last trip of the year.

The Burnett family, Duncan (42), Ruth (37), Erin (9) and Ailsa (7), are about to embark upon a six week journey across Southern Africa. We were supposed to take the Royal Mail Ship to St Helena but this is no longer possible due to unforeseen schedule changes. My normal carefully planned itinerary is rather up in the air! But we have been here before and will stoically face uncertainty with fortitude. After all in 1999 we set out for China and ended up in Zimbabwe! This year we shall do our best to explore South Africa, before travelling across Namibia and Botswana to the Zambian border. We shall once more gaze upon Victoria Falls. With a bit of luck we might even catch a train or two on our travels.

Today is the 23rd of June 2007, the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey. During this engagement Robert Clive led 3,000 East India Company troops to victory against the 50,000 strong army of Sirag-ud Daula, Nawab of Bengal. This battle marked a turning point in British/Indian history and became the foundation stone of the British Empire in India. The Burnett family, Duncan (41), Ruth (36), Erin (8) and Ailsa (6), are about to embark on a six week journey across the Indian sub-continent. We briefly visited India during a world tour in 2004 and were captivated by the vivacious encounters we had en route from Calcutta to Simla. India is not a restful place by any means but during our peregrination we will travel the length and breadth of this great land by rail. From Bombay in the West to Calcutta in the East; from Lahore (Pakistan) in the North to Trivandrum in the South.

After an extended period of careful planning and preparation, the Burnett family, Duncan (41), Ruth (35), Erin (7) and Ailsa (5), are about to depart on a rail adventure across Europe and Asia. We plan to fly from Dublin, Ireland to Riga, Latvia. Then onward to St.Peterburg in the Russian Federation. Leaving St.Petersburg we shall travel by train to Moscow and Irkutsk (visiting Lake Baikal). From there to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and then to Beijing in China. Our last rail journey will take us from Beijing to Hong Kong. This will be an educational and challenging trip, set in the depth of winter.

In order to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and my 40th birthday we decided to leave our usual travelling companions (the children) with their grandparents and make a special trip to Spain. We combined the above celebrations with an introduction to the history and heritage of Spain. Eight flights over an eight day period did not make for the most relaxing break but we did enjoy staying at the government run Parador Hotels.

The Burnett family holiday 2005 - Duncan, Ruth, Erin & Ailsa. This year we decided upon a less hectic trip than in 2004. Australia and back via Malaysia, visiting Penang, Butterworth, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra. We managed to combine historical sites, museums and public buildings, with playgrounds, funfairs and traditional eating (McDonalds).

After months of careful planning the Burnett family, Duncan (38), Ruth (33), Erin (5) and Ailsa (3), are about to depart on a round the world trip. Using a 29,000 mile Great Escapade ticket we plan to travel to the east coast of the United States, travel across the US by train and travel the west coast from British Columbia (Canada) to California. After North America we travel to New Zealand and Australia, followed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and finally across India by train. I hope this journal may encourage young families to travel. This will be our second journey around the world with our children.

The Burnett family, Duncan (37), Ruth (32), Erin (4) and Ailsa (2) spend a week travelling across Germany and Poland by train. Starting in Berlin with its famous Reichstag building we visit Gdansk (Danzig), Westerplatte, Gdynia, and Warsaw. This week was designed to introduce the children to railway accommodation (sleepy trains) and provide an insight into the beginning of WW2 and the importance of Berlin during the Cold War (with McDonalds, playgrounds and ice-cream along the way).

The Burnett family, Duncan , Ruth, Erin & Ailsa, are off to Venice, Italy for a short break. Erin starts primary school in September so we are trying to pack in a few trips this year before we are tied to school holidays (until 2019)!

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth, Erin & Ailsa are about to embark on a whistlestop tour of the United States and the Bahamas. We will visit family and friends en route. Our main stops will be Las Vegas, San Francisco and Freeport (Grand Bahama Island); with changes in Chicago, Miami and Washington DC. It's not an extensive tour by any means, but we have covered 40 of the 50 US states over the past 12 years. This short trip will have the children at heart.

We are about to embark on a two-week trip to South Africa, whilst the children spend time with their grandparents in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It will be strange travelling without them, as they have been our constant travelling companions since 1999. However we trust they will enjoy their time with family, while we explore the Western Cape (Cape Colony) by steam train.

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth, Erin & Ailsa, are off to Bergen, Norway, for a short break (by sea). Whilst en route from Belfast to Newcastle to meet our ship, we plan to visit a number of Historic Scotland, English Heritage and National Trust properties.

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth, Erin & Ailsa, are off to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, for a short break.

It is time to start longhaul travel again with the latest edition to the Burnett family. Duncan, Ruth, Erin and baby Ailsa are off to Sri Lanka, with additional support from 'Grandad' McKibbin. We plan to travel across Sri Lanka by private minibus visiting Colombo, Habarana, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Galle.

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth, Erin and baby Ailsa, are off to Ieper (Ypres), Belgium, for a short break. This will be Ailsa's first overseas trip.

The Burnett family, Duncan (34), Ruth (29) and Erin (1), have been invited to a wedding in California. However instead of travelling direct we have purchased round the world tickets and plan to circle the globe heading east. We will start in South Africa followed by Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and finally the United States. Long distance travel with a toddler is not impossible.

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth & Erin, are off to Rome on a short break. We have always wanted to visit the ancient sites and the Vatican. British Midland recently introduced a new route from London to Rome and we were fortunate to snap up some cut price business class tickets. An unexpected trip at short notice but we plan to make the most of it.

The Burnett family, Duncan, Ruth and Erin are off to Spain for a St.Patrick's weekend break, taking in Madrid and Santiago de Compostela.

The Burnett family, Duncan (34), Ruth (28) and Baby Erin (aged 11 months), are about to embark upon an unexpected trip to Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia). We were supposed to fly to Beijing, China, and then travel overland on the Red Arrow Express to Hong Kong. The highlight of this trip was to be a visit to Macau on the last day of Portuguese colonial rule. Unfortunately unforeseen visa complications left us stranded at Belfast International Airport yesterday. Instead of visiting the Great Wall of China in the depth of winter we shall instead view the magnificent Victoria Falls at the height of summer! We might even find time to travel across into Zambia.

After four years of studying with the Open University I finally completed a Master of Business Administration degree course at the end of last year. The Open University holds its graduation ceremonies at a number of locations both within the UK and abroad; therefore I have opted to travel as far away from home as possible and turn this special occasion into a well-earned European break. My wife Ruth and my baby daughter Erin will accompany me. We also plan to meet up with some old friends in Brussels.

The Burnett family, Duncan (33), Ruth (28) and Baby Erin (aged 5 months), are off on a short break to Greece. We have booked budget airline flights to Athens via London. Our itinerary will be made up as we go along. On the way home we will spend some time in England.

Duncan, Ruth and Baby Erin (aged 14 weeks), are about to embark on their first overseas trip as a 'family'. We will be flying from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Orlando, Florida, and later onto Freeport, Grand Bahama Island to introduce Erin to Grandad Burnett. Hopefully we will also have time to visit some places of interest in this corner of the world.