N to S - no, not north to south. Although...

Continuing my (plagiarised) travel connection journey through the alphabet, 4 years after I began it:

N: for Notebooks, which have been an essential part of my working travel trips, literally the start and the finish. It was (is? oh, how I still hope so) my smugly exciting ritual before departure to take a new 3B1 notebook from my drawer (bought in bundles at the beginning of the school year, when they are about 5c each), write the dates and destination on the front in bold black Sharpie, and inside the cover staple my business card, writing beneath it 'If lost, please return to...' But I never did, because it was even more valuable and irreplaceable than my photos. I scribbled notes in it every day of the trip, using abbreviations that, back home, foxed me completely, and referred to it constantly when writing up the stories. It's very satisfying to have an entire drawer full of them, even if they're far from being readable diaries.

O: for Orca, which have been a recurrent thread through so many of my trips. Not because they were always there, impressively big and powerful - but because they never were. Well, apart from a very distant sighting of a pod in Antarctica, which I could only see thanks to my telephoto lens. Not what anyone could call an encounter. No, though I have been to so many places where they hang out, from Friday and Vancouver Islands to the beach below this very house, despite spending often chilly hours scrunched up on various decks gazing out over the sea, I have never seen one. But I live in hope...

P: for People, because no matter how spectacular the scenery, impressive the architecture, enjoyable the activities, delicious the food, it's the people I've met who stick best in my memory. The lovely Suri in Thailand, who was SO keen to share the delights of her country, the cheerful ease with which Duke wafted us through Vietnam, friendly Miriam who popped up on three of our Silversea cruises, and ditto MC Moss who made Trivial Pursuit such fun. Barcin, in Turkey, effortlessly filled long hours on the coach with interesting and entertaining commentary, including details of his traditional circumcision, aged 9. Of course, guides are obliged to be charming, but it's easy to pick out the genuine ones, and these really were. Plus, of course, there are the random strangers I've met, who were uniformly friendly and helpful, and great ambassadors for their countries. All very reassuring.

Q: for Quadrupeds. Ok, it's a stretch, but bear with me. Actually, bears are one of the many animals that have given me pleasure, excitement and, yes, occasionally a bit of fear, on my travels. Besides that bear coming to stare at me in Yosemite, I've been up close and personal with rhinos, a dingo, a wombat, elephants, iguanas, monkeys, giraffes, koalas, a capybara, a tiger and a reindeer. Horses have given me huge amounts of pleasure; crocodiles have kept me from having refreshing swims; gorillas have amazed me; and harnessed dogs have whizzed me along at remarkable speeds. Animals are right up there with people, for me. (Sometimes, even higher.)

R: for Roads. I simply couldn't guess how far I've driven/been driven on travel trips. In coaches, cars and a couple of rugged trucks, I've done umpteen miles and rarely fallen asleep, simply because the life passing outside the window was so entertaining, the scenery so spectacular. Africa was best for the former, a literal roadshow with a cast of thousands; but following Australia's endlessly empty stretches of tarmac through red and blue scenery was mesmerising. England's A40 links bits of its best; winding through Portugal's ancient Alentejo was a visual (and edible) treat; and getting off the main roads in Vietnam was a delightful education. True, it's all fleetingly glimpsed through glass - but it's still worth it. That self-drive, though, from Lafayette to Avery Island and back again, on the wrong side of the road? Just terrifying.

S: for Sumptuous.  Despite being frugal by birth and upbringing, I can still enjoy a bit of luxury, and on many of my hosted famils, I sure have been treated. Cruises with Silversea jump into focus first - friendly opulence with butlers, bottomless champagne in the suite, rose petals floating in the bath, all staff knowing my name, fancy food, every need met... I was never a cruise fan, but Silversea won me over. My first cruise also included an introduction to Peninsula Hotels, and that was a revelation, too. Multi-room accommodation with a TV over the bath, everything super-elegant, plus being met airside at the airport and driven to the hotel in a Rolls-Royce - yeah, I can handle that. There have been plenty of other fancy hotels and lodges too, and flash restaurants. All good fun. I couldn't, for one moment, countenance actually coughing up my own money for such indulgence - but I hope my reviews have encouraged readers to do exactly that.