I’m a strong believer in limited exclamation point usage, which is why the above exclamation point appears in parentheses. (I underuse exclamation points but I overuse parentheses, as you can see from this sentence. Go figure. Every blogger has her own punctuation quirks.)

Anyway. I’m more excited about this upcoming trip than I have been about any other trip in a long time, so I couldn’t resist the exclamation-point-parentheses combo. I’m going to Reunion (!) and it’s freaking exciting.

Reunion Island, or Île de Réunion en français, is a tiny, volcanic island in the Indian Ocean, quite close to Mauritius. Although Reunion is close to mainland Africa (a four-hour flight from Joburg), the island is actually part of France. I have several friends who have been to Reunion, and I’ve yet to encounter anyone who hasn’t said it’s one of the most amazing places they’ve ever been.

Reunion Island has become a popular holiday destination for South Africans, as it’s a relatively short flight and South Africans no longer need a visa to go there. Hence, my upcoming trip. I’ll be going to Reunion for a week with six South African blogger/photographers — Natalie, Andy, Daréll, Tony, Mike, and Carlinn — courtesy of Reunion Island Tourism and Air Austral, to show the world some of the best experiences that Reunion Island has to offer.

When I saw the itinerary for our trip, it blew my mind. We leave on Sunday and I cannot wait to get there.

I don’t want to give away too much about what we’ll be doing on Reunion. But my outfit in the photo below provides a hint.

You can’t see it very well but I put a real exclamation point on my sign, not even with parentheses around it. (Photo: Michelle Schenck)

You’ll be seeing a lot of Reunion blog posts after I get back, and maybe even during the trip if I get a free moment. But in the meantime, follow the hashtag #GoToReunion on Instagram and Twitter to see what we’re doing in real time. I think your mind will be blown too.

(PS: I’m going to Reunion!)