"We could have been any other European family headed to Thailand for our two weeks of Christmas vacation.
But we weren't.
We were Canadian, and we arrived in Bangkok via Qatar and Amman, Jordan.
We had left our cold northern home six weeks previous, and had, in that time, visited eight countries on three continents, and traveled half way around the world.
Minds tired, bodies exhausted, hungry, dirty and dusty with desert sand, covered with bites, and on edge from the last week of immediate threat to our personal security. Twitchy and nervous, scared for our four children.
We were very ready for a beach."