Today, we embarked on the final three legs of 14 flights around the world. It's been quite an adventure, but we're both ready to be home. The day started at 5am London time, with a Tube and train ride to Gatwick Airport. It ended safely 22 hours later at 8pm Mountain time, with touchdown in Billings.

Over the last 24 days, we've flown over 26,000 miles, and notched another couple thousand or so by car, bus, train, subway, funicular, and ferry boat. We've experienced every imaginable type of traffic, including boats, rickshaws, and camels. We've each walked over a quarter million steps, and completely worn out a pair of shoes.

Along the way, we've also experienced every imaginable type of toilet fixture; we've inhaled a (shortened) lifetime supply of second-hand smoke; we've been misunderstood in eight different languages, including English and 54 dialects of Chinese; we been overcharged in seven different currencies; and we've gotten lost in a strange city no fewer than two dozen times.

We've climbed the Tokyo Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Spanish Steps, and the dome of St. Paul's Church. What an amazing experience!

With this experience, we feel qualified to put together a "Best, Worst, and Most Unusual" list (just our opinions, and based just on those things we experienced on this trip).

Best Airline: Air France

All of our airlines were members of the SkyTeam alliance, and Air France, Delta, and Korean Air Lines all did a great job of getting us where we were going in style. But it's hard to beat the full five-course meals served aboard Air France, complete with real silverware -- not the post-9-11 plastic used by Delta. Air France's cabin configurations offered the best privacy and room of any of the airlines. Plus, they even offered us pajamas!

Worst Airline: Alitalia

This state-owned airline is in sorry shape, and there are signs everywhere of cutting corners. Because we had several very long flights, we opted for first class tickets. Alitalia's idea of a first class cabin is to just not sell the center seat; you still get the same small uncomfortable Airbus seat and no extra legroom. They did have a nice lounge in Rome, though, complete with showers.

Best Airport: Incheon, Korea

This airport was one of the best for overnight transfers that we've seen. Staying overnight, we appreciated the roomy, safe lounges for transfer passengers. They accept just about any currency in the stores and restaurants, and the facility was easy to navigate -- nicely designed as an international hub.

Worst Airport: Charles DeGaulle, Paris

We already complained about this airport earlier, so we won't repeat the litany here. But next time we go to Europe, we'll go through Amsterdam instead.

Best Aircraft: Boeing 777

Okay, call us chauvinistic, but Boeing really outdid themselves with the 777. It's roomy, solid, and reasonably quiet. A close runner-up is the 747, probably because we were fortunate enough to have an almost completely private ride on the upper deck from Los Angeles to Tokyo.

Worst Aircraft: Airbus A321

Having flown mostly in the US, we thought there couldn't be a more uncomfortable aircraft than the Bombardier Regional Jets that have mushroomed domestically. We were wrong. The Airbus A321 is a noisy, rattling piece of junk, with uncomfortable seats and bad cabin configurations.

Best Hotel: Intercontinental Tokyo Bay

Even an earthquake couldn't shake our impression of this fine hotel. Like all our hotels, it had a good location. The staff was helpful and friendly, it was near the train station, and the high-tech toilet with the electric seat had more controls than a small airplane.

Worst Hotel: Albergo Romana

Okay, its location just across from Rome's Colosseum was outstanding. But the lack of an elevator, the outside traffic noise, and general indifference of the personnel, put this hotel at the bottom of our list. And what is with shoving two twin beds together and calling the result a double?!? As they'd say in London, "Mind the gap!" This was the case throughout Italy.

Best Internet Access: Korean Air Lines

Korean Air Lines had free wireless Internet access in their lounges (and surrounding areas). At least we assume it was free -- maybe I just accidentally hacked into their company network while we were camped out at the airport.

Worst Internet Access: Albergo Romano

High speed Internet was not very prevalent anywhere in Italy, but this hotel had advertised its availability in the "grand" lobby. As it turns out, the lobby was the size of a broom closet, and the only access was several blocks away at an Internet cafe.

Favorite City: Venice

We enjoyed most of the cities we visited, but Venice was just plain cool. Once you figure out the public transit system and the main canals, there's something interesting around every corner and down every "calle." Paris has a reputation as being the "city for lovers," but we found Venice much more romantic, and great place to spend Sandy's birthday.

Least Favorite City: Cairo

We're glad we visited, but now we've done it. It's dusty, hot, and windy. The city is not very tourist-friendly except near a select few attractions. On the day we left, there was a bombing in the marketplace we had visited the day before. And the constant pressure for "baksheesh" is annoying. It was cheap to visit, though.

Worst Traffic: Beijing

This city's traffic is pure chaos, mixing pedicabs, rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, car, buses, and trucks. The original street designers helpfully put up signs and lights to let people know what they had in mind, but the rules are studiously ignored.

Most Unusual Traffic: Cairo

It's a close decision between Beijing and Cairo, but Cairo wins by mixing donkeys and camels in with the cars, buses, and trucks.