Travelling Minions in 2022

2022 saw the return of travel for me and much of the world! With many countries loosening their COVID restrictions, the prospect of exploring is tempting again! Airlines begin to offer deals to win back business, and tourism ads start to pop up in YouTube Advertisements again.

Looking back, I realize a lot of my travel is concentrated in the back half of 2022. I suspect this is due to most restrictions being lifted in the early spring. Up until this point, there is still a little complexity to the restrictions so planning ahead is difficult. When the restrictions did lift, there is a mad scramble for travel which led to a very hectic summer for the travel industry.

So its actually funny that at the start of the year, things did feel pretty mellow on the travel front. However once September rolled around, it felt like I was travelling almost every other week! (Which isn’t something I’m complaining about mind you!)

With that being said  these are my travel memories and thoughts of 2022.

Maui, Hawaii

At the end of March, most restrictions between the US and Canada are dropped. And so, Lebron, Antetokounmpo, Cactoose and myself decide to head to Maui! Hawaii is always an “easy” trip to take and Maui facilitates a lot of relaxing, chilling and eating. Between the eating and relaxing we also found time to take some surfing lessons and even meet up with Gimpy and the Legend! If you’re interested in reading about this trip, click here. Or if you want to read a brief wrap up, you can click here.

Portland

During the summer, Antetokounmpo, Lebron and I did a small road trip to Portland for a few nights. We’ve all been to Portland many times and so this trip really is intended to just get away, hang out and eat. We would spend our days, exploring different parts of Portland, visiting unique spots for shopping and finding new places to eat. We would then load up on Trader Joe’s snacks and retire back to our AirBnB. Our evenings would be spent binging some show and snacking! As far as chill trips go, you can’t really go wrong with this one!

Ireland

In September, I travelled to Ireland and spent a week there on my own. Ireland has been near the top of my list for some time. Prior to the pandemic, I had started planning a Scotland/Ireland trip which sadly never came to fruition. However, with some flight incentives to get to Europe, the dream of Ireland became a possibility again! So spending a whirlwind week visiting different parts of Ireland ensued. While I don’t normally think of Ireland for its food, I am certainly a fan of the beverages produced in this country. So getting to visit the home a favorite beer and “Go To” Whisky is a great bonus! You can check this trip out here. Or if you just want the summary, click here.

Las Vegas

As part of a milestone birthday, Antetokounmpo invited a few friends to Las Vegas to celebrate with her! While I’ve been to Vegas before, we did get to experience a few new and unique things. This includes going to the Mob Museum with Gimpy and Legend. I also got to “experience” Omega Mart with Funky Cat which is a whole thing on its own! I debated blogging about this trip, but will likely skip it. Not only was this a trip to celebrate a friend’s birthday, but it’s also a case of what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas 😉

Caribbean cruise with the Parental Minions

My final trip in 2022 happened at the end of November. After a death in our family earlier in the year, a desire to spend more time together as an immediate family followed. While scheduling conflicts would arise, the Parental Minions and I did end up doing an impromptu Caribbean cruise. The ports of call were just ok, but it really wasn’t the point for us this trip. The cruise ship itself is pleasant and comfortable. But I think the time spent with the parents is what is most valuable. Watching evening movies by the pool while snacking on wings and fries with my Dad. Walking laps around the ship with my mom and showing her new areas of the ship. Being able to upgrade them both into Business class for the flight down.  These are all memories that I’m going to cherish for a long time. I’m still on the fence about blogging about this one, but if I do it will be in the new year.

2023

Sapporo Snow Festival

The main trip I have planned for 2023 will be to visit the Sapporo Snow Festival in early February. I will be spending a little over two weeks in Japan and about a week in the Northern regions. In addition to this, and with the Pandemic slowing down in early 2022. I made some speculative award bookings on a few aspirational flights. So on the way out, I will be flying from New York to Singapore on what is currently the longest flight in the world. To get home, I will be flying in ANA’s First Class Suites which is one of the newest first class products out there. So this upcoming winter trip to Asia has a lot for me to be excited for.

Morocco

Beyond Japan, Gimpy and I are talking about visiting Morocco. It’s a country that’s been on our list for a while and there’s a window in the fall of 2023 where we both may be free in order to visit. So we’re just in the early stages of planning it, but it is looking promising that It’ll be something we can check off our lists!

Between Japan and Morocco, I’m also going to need to renew my passport. It’s not something that you need to do too often, but it does put a bit of uncertainty for my spring and summer travel plans. I’m unsure how long it will take for me to get my new passport and that means I can’t plan too many other trips that leave the country. So perhaps during that time I’ll take it upon myself to take smaller trips within Canada! But only 2023 will tell!

For now, I am very thankful and grateful that the world of travel is returning to normal again. I again am feeling blessed and appreciative looking back and seeing how fortunate I have been to be able to explore this beautiful world we live in! So with that, we will close the chapter on 2022, I wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to what 2023 has in store!