Now listen carefully, children, I am going to tell you the biggest secret I have learned about having vacations where the unexpected may be expected. In one sentence: travel with an intention, not an itinerary, if you want magic to happen.

Last week I counted the number of cities in the world I have visited more than once. There were 97 cities, covering America, Canada, Europe, China, most of Asia, Australia and one tiny country in South America.