The holidays are one of my favorite times – between get-togethers with family and friends, holiday parties and celebrations, and, for the lucky ones, quick escapes to warmer climes, the season is bright and cheery. It gives us time to reflect on the year that has passed and dream for the year ahead.

And what a year 2015 has been! It marked my 50th year with Esplanade – and 60 years that Esplanade has been in business. Bill and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in August with lots of celebrations and a quick trip to Dubai – we love the desert as well as swimming in very warm water!

The Esplanade team has also been jet-setting around the world this year, exploring and re-discovering our favorite locales as well as up-and-coming hotspots. Kit fell in love with Turkey, followed by another visit to her true home – New Zealand. Ksusha traversed around Australia for the first time (and it was hard to get her to come home!). Jill and Rick took a small group to South Africa again with Leah joining them this year. They visited excellent camps and saw awesome animals as many of you will have seen on our Instagram and blog postings. Tess followed not far behind with a visit to Cape Town and MalaMala. Diane, our resident Parisienne, found herself bouncing between the City of Light and Costa Rica – two very different but equally exceptional destinations. Leah even joined Diane for a long weekend in Paris.

Every year we at Esplanade remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to share the world with our clients. Nothing brings us pleasure quite like hearing that someone’s trip has opened their eyes to a new culture, experience, or perspective. We thank you for letting us into the most precious part of your life – your travel and leisure time – and look forward to the adventures we will embark upon together in 2016.

Wishing you a wonderful 2016!

-Jacky Keith