Favorites, 2009 (Part 4, With Friends)

As I’ve said before, one of the least favorite things about being a travel writer (if there is such a thing) is having to travel with people that you would never—ever—want to travel with. On the flip side, however, I consider myself to have been very lucky. Last year, I traveled with some of my dearest friends—and even made some new ones along the way.

In the midst of the H1N1 scare, my brother, Matthew, and I embarked on our first cruise ever, sailing from Long Beach, Calif. to Victoria, B.C., on the Carnival Splendor. We still had fun anyway, even if it was a lot rainier and cloudier than it would have been in Puerto Vallarta. (May 2009)

My friend, Jennifer, whom I’ve known since the second grade, was my travel buddy on my first-ever river cruise, sailing down the Rhine with Avalon Waterways. We snapped this photo in Heidelberg, Germany. (Photo (c) Jennifer Eriguel; August 2009)

Cindy and I cast a shadow on the shores of Achsiv Beach in Israel. (September 2009)

And, on the first night of our trip to Japan and Korea, my boyfriend, Eliot, and I enjoyed a feast at The Peninsula Tokyo’s Peter restaurant—just one of many great meals we savored throughout both countries. (December 2009)