Seeing the world in alphabetical order

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — When I hit 40, I experienced that typical midlife crisis. I re-evaluated my life and realized that most, maybe even all of the things I'd always wanted to do, I had done. I found myself wondering, "What's next?"

Then it came to me. There's a whole wide world out there just waiting to be explored. So I came up with a plan — a nice, long 26-year plan to see the world. I'd start with "A" and go through the alphabet, one letter a year. I only have one rule. My destination must be outside the continental 48 states.

I also gave myself the flexibility to pick a region rather than a precise destination. For instance, the first year, "A" was for "Alps." I really wanted to go to Australia, but that was a little (OK, a lot) out of my budget. So we ended up in the small town of Kandersteg, Switzerland. It's a quiet place and a well-kept secret. But in April, the flowers are blooming and the weather is sunny and cool.

I spent almost eight months trying to decide what to do for "B." My husband tried to talk me into Berlin, but since we had both lived there as teenagers, I wasn't too intrigued by that choice. Besides, I reasoned, with a whole world to choose from, why go somewhere you've already been?

"B" ended up being for Belize. I found a great resort on the Internet and cheap round-trip tickets. We went in November. It turned out to be the perfect time of year. Being the slow tourist season, we were the only guests of the resort for half the week. We canoed through a cave, climbed on Mayan ruins and rode horseback through a tropical jungle. The sun was blazing at times, but the pool at the resort was the perfect place to cool off.

"C" was a little easier. I picked the Czech Republic. Eastern Europe has always fascinated me. Once again, I turned to the Internet for cheap airfare. We flew round-trip from Washington's Dulles International Airport to Prague for just $563.50 each. Of course, we had a three-hour layover each way in Amsterdam, but it was worth the savings.

Besides, Holland's Schipol Airport is not a bad place to spend a layover. We wandered through the international terminal checking out the art sculptures, stopped at the high-speed Internet access computers set up on the concourse to check our e-mail and send notes home, and enjoyed one of the best cups of airport coffee I've ever had — with fresh pastries.