2022 Wrap-Up
2022 proved to be a much better year for travel. Things have finally opened up. Also this year I have moved back home to Halifax and started a new job. While I have many wonderful memories from this year my top five would be; Iceland, Disneyland with my dad, Frenchy's road trip with my mom, Germany, and Cuba.
This trip was over two years in the making. I had initially booked my first flight back in January 2020 where it did not take long for it to be cancelled. This year I almost had the worst luck when hurricane Fiona nearly prevented my flight. Luckily I made it out and had an amazing time. Iceland is easily my favourite country I have visited. The waterfalls were stunningly beautiful and the landscapes fantastical. The whole time I either felt like I was on another planet or visiting some fantasy world (like Middle Earth or Skyrim). On my way around the ring road I got to see geysers, canyons, hiked a glacier, went snowmobiling on a glacier, and went snorkeling between tectonic plates. I would love to return again one day either in the winter or during the midnight sun. There is still so much I did not do!
One of my bucketlist items is to visit all of the Disney parks around the world. Before this year, Disney World is the only one I had visited. Many of my family had gone but I had yet to make the trip to the pacific coast. This time around my dad and I were able to visit Disneyland for May the 4th (aka: Stars Wars Day). As huge Star Wars fans we were both excited. We held off on the lightsabers as we had rebooked our 2020 Disney World trip to March 2023, and wanted to build them with family. Experiencing Galaxy's Edge with my dad was one of my favourite memories from 2022. We tried blue and green milk, experienced Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler's Run, and Hyperspace Mountain. For one day we also ventured in to L.A. My dad had been there before, but it was my first time.
Back when I used to play soccer, my mom and I had heard talk of going around the Western / South Shore of Nova Scotia and stopping at all the Frenchy's along the way (used clothing stores). 2022, my mom and I finally decided to try the road trip out for ourselves. We had a wonderful time stopping at the Frenchy's but we also stopped at bakery's, bookstores, went for a hike at the Balancing Rock, stayed at an old 1800's house, and stayed at a beachfront suite. We usually try to have roadtrips every year, and this one did not disappoint! I can not wait for the new adventures we will have in 2023.
This is probably one of the most ambitious solo trips I have done. No tours, completely on my own, and in a country where English is not the first language (though English is quite prevalent in Germany). I booked this trip fairly spontaneously at work one day. I knew Halifax had direct flights to Frankfurt and was wathcing the prices. When I switched a shift with a coworker to have six days rather than five days off, and saw that the flight was not too bad, I bought my ticket! I had about four days in Frankfurt and while I was a little nervous, I was also excited. Luckily the train systems were fairly easy to navigate. Aside from the city of Frankfurt I also took a train to the nearby medieval city of Heidelberg, and went to a castle: Burg Eltz. The castle was quite the journey as it took three trains and a little of a hike, but was so worth it! Incredible to see in person. I really wanted to see a Dortmund soccer/football game but the season was sadly over (one of my favourite players: Marco Reus, plays for them). Oh well, I would love to return to Germany (as there is so much more to see) when they host the Euro in 2024.
Cuba Nov 2022
Another somewhat spontanous trip. I knew I wanted to go somewhere in November, it just took forever to have my vacation confirmed. My initial thoughts were Jordan or Morocco, but the tour I wanted to do was for the time off I did not get. So, I tried something I never thought I would do, I booked an all-inclusive to Cuba. I did enjoy my time there, it was a beautiful country. I think I would have preferred a tour through G Adventures or Intrepid, but again as I found out my vacation so late, doing the flight and tour was so much more expensive than booking through Air Canada Vacations. I did manage to go off resort a bit on a couple tours to see some caves, visit the capital: Havana, and a snorkeling tour. I won't say I would never do an all-inclusive again, but I do think I would probably only go again if I had friends or family.
(No post to attach as I am still working on it)
So, after two years of not having much chance to travel, I did my best to make up for it in 2022 and visited three new countries, went to Disneyland for the first time, and went on another amazing road trip around Nova Scotia with my mom. I am excited to see what 2023 has in store for me. For now my only concrete plan is a trip to Disney World in March (that was supposed have been in April 2020). I am super excited to finally see Pandora, try the new Guardians ride at Epcot, and build a lightsaber. I only wish my brother could go. So many of my family is going but I refuse to call it a "family trip" without my brother. Otherwise some other countries on my mind of possibilities are: the UK, Peru, Jordan, and Morocco.
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