The New Year’s Post: My Top 5 Travel Experiences of 2022
Another year has come and gone. With that, it’s time to wrap things up with my top five travel moments from 2022!
Our travels this year took us from Alaska to Italy and along some of the oldest mountains in the world. Needless to say, there were many great experiences during our travels to choose from in making this list. Unfortunately, one of the things I looked forward to most in 2022 is yet to come in the next couple weeks. More on that in a bit, though.
Without further ado, here are my top five travel experiences of 2022!
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Top Five #1 – Explored Venice’s Streets in the Early Morning
While it was a little difficult to narrow everything down to five items, this first experience was never in question. Exploring the lonely, labyrinthine alleyways in Venice was easily my favorite thing from 2022.
It was the perfect introduction to this romantic city on the water. There was a slight mist in the air, the sky was overcast, no other tourists were out and locals were just starting to go about their day. I walked past some of Venice’s greatest monuments almost completely alone.
I was absolutely smitten by the decaying buildings from the canals that sustain the city and the grandeur of the architecture. Walking through Venice at this time of day with no one else around was captivating. It still holds a spell over me, filling me with emotion I have a hard time describing.
The morning was so special to me that I wrote an entire post about it shortly after returning from Italy. It was the best souvenir I brought home with us.
Top Five #2 – Cruised Through Southeast Alaska
Traveling to Alaska had long been a dream destination of mine. However, the logistics of getting to and then getting around Alaska are daunting. People often talk about cruising to Alaska being a good way to visit. Yet, for various reasons I was never too keen on this prospect.
After seeing several other people I know do this trip, I finally decided to give it a try. Despite my misgivings, it couldn’t have been a better experience! Our cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line took us through Juneau, Icy Point Strait, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan and a brief stop in Victoria B.C.
Each port of call offered a running highlight reel of sights. We saw the iconic Mendenhall Glacier, watched a pod of orcas eat a sea lion like something out of a nature documentary, kayaked next to a sea lion, and saw some of the most dramatic natural landscapes.
What particularly surprised me was how much I enjoyed the cruise itself! There was so much to do on the ship that we were never bored. We saw two world class musicals while enjoying fun entertainment from the crew and great food and drinks every day. Beyond that, it was just nice to have someone else ferry us around and not have to worry about any planning.
If that hasn’t convinced you yet to book an Alaska cruise, I dove deeper into the benefits of cruising earlier this year to help others who are sour on the idea like I was.
Top Five #3 – Strolled Through Siena’s il Campo at Night
If my early morning walk in Venice was the perfect introduction to Italy, my nighttime stroll through il Campo in Siena was a chance to just sit and take in the medieval sights while reflecting on the prior several days.
After walking around a bit, I settled for a seat on the wall of Fonte Gaia to take in the scene. Couples walked by hand-in-hand, children played football while their parents happily chatted among themselves and the occasional tourist stopped in the middle of the square to gape at the impressive buildings. I watched all this with the backdrop of a full moon slowly making its way over Palazzo Pubblico’s tower.
I couldn’t have asked for a more enchanting evening with my thoughts.
Top Five #4 – Walked Where Caesar Walked in the Roman Forum
A first-time trip to Rome had to include touring its ancient ruins. So, on our second day in the Eternal City, we found ourselves walking along the 2,000-year-old pathways of the Roman Forum.
Walking among the various temple and governmental ruins was an incredible experience. I’ve seen lots of ruins, but there was something so awe inspiring about the Forum with all these historically important buildings clustered together in one spot.
The buildings were impressive and learning about their functions was interesting. However, it wasn’t for those reasons that our visit here made this list.
More than any other place I’ve visited, I could feel the history here. At one point, I looked up at Michelle and made this simple exclamation, “This is just so cool.” Not the most profound statement all things considered, but I was left speechless at just how evocative an experience it was to be walking along the same stone paths that Roman emperors and senators walked on while creating the foundations of western civilization.
Top Five #5 – Visited the North Carolina Mountains
If everything else on this list was some profound or insightful moment, our trip to the mountains in western North Carolina was simply a lot of fun. After a busy holiday season, we visited Banner Elk and Boone looking for a few days of relaxation in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.
This long weekend included walks through the snow, sitting by the fireplace, lots of breweries, puzzles and gorgeous winter scenery.
The absolute highlight was our time at Sugar Mountain Resort in Banner Elk ice skating and tubing! Neither of us had been ice skating in years. It was a blast to do it again after so long with the panoramic Grandfather Mountain in the background.
For more tips on visiting this part of North Carolina, check out my post on a wintry weekend in the mountains!
2022 Postscript – German Christmas Markets
As I write this, we are a mere five days away from leaving for another bucket list trip: spending the holidays in Germany and Austria. We’ll be spending the days leading up to Christmas cheerily visiting Bavarian Christmas markets, perusing the traditional decorations and holiday gifts while sipping on warm mulled wine. After Christmas, it’s on to Austria to waltz away the night in Vienna for New Year’s Eve. It promises to be as close to a fairy tale holiday as it can get!
Perhaps we’ll even see Sankt Nikolaus if we’ve been good – or running in terror for Krampus if we’ve been bad!
Whether we’re impish or admirable (thank you for this line, Dwight Schrute), I have a sneaky suspicion this trip would crack this list if I were to write it upon getting back. That won’t be till 2023, though, rendering the whole wrap-up post out of date!
And with that, I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!
Update: The Christmas markets and Vienna’s New Year’s Eve Trail were a blast! You can read more about them by clicking the links.
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