Tips, ideas, inspiration – where can I travel in 2022?

Vacation 2022. It's now early February, Corona and the pandemic restrictions still have us in their grip and the weather is gray, dreary and cold. I'm probably not the only one sitting on the sofa at home wondering where to go in 2022.

The answer is: I don't know either. It all depends on how the Corona situation evolves and which countries decide to reopen for tourists. At the moment, a lot of things are still not working at all, but there seems to be a bit of movement in the last few days. Some European countries want to lift their measures soon, resp. have already done so: Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain and Spain to name but a few. My hope, of course, is that as many other countries as possible will follow this example as soon as possible.

Travel ideas for 2022

Regardless of the opening status, I once collected a few ideas of where to travel in 2022. Whether it can really work out this year with all that went through my head I do not know of course, but let's hope for the best.

At the moment the Chinese New Year is celebrated in the Asian countries – it starts the 'Year of the Tiger'.I have to admit, I would love to be there and see it happen somewhere in Asia.

In 2019, I spent a week in Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year celebration. At that time the 'Year of the Pig' started, and that was a really unforgettable experience, which partly also overwhelmed me quite a bit, because of the crowds that were always on the road there. Even though this destination is out of the question for us this year – maybe you feel like reading the article I wrote back then – someday that will be possible again too.

Where to travel in the spring of 2022?

Of course, it depends on whether you want to go to the warmth or to the snow. If you are drawn to the snow, how about Switzerland, Zermatt to be precise?

The village is located at an altitude of 1608 meters at the foot of the Matterhorn in the canton of Valais. Zermatt is a decidedly cute little mountain village, there are plenty of winter sports options, a huge selection of hotels in different price ranges, and there's also plenty to do in terms of hiking, wellness, shopping and apres-ski. Arrival is great by train, car drivers have to leave their vehicles at the entrance of the town and continue by cab or shuttle bus. But it's all no problem and super organized, I did it years ago in the summer so and definitely want to go again in winter to Zermatt..

If you would rather feel the spring: also in Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino you can do it already in March and April. How about a stay in beautiful Lugano on Lake Lugano, for example, when the camellias and magnolias are in bloom?

Speaking of blooming – almond blossom on Mallorca would also be a possibility to get into spring mood. The almond blossom starts very early, in some years as early as mid-January and then drags on until about mid-March. Actually, this is still rather winter, but spring feelings come up for sure anyway.

At this time of year, and especially during Corona, not many hotels are open in Mallorca. I suspect that you are most likely to find something in Palma. Unfortunately, I do not have a good tip for you, I was often in the area around Cala Millor, and there is not really much open at the moment.

By the way, my tip for Mallorca is in the north of the island, directly on the long sandy beach of Alcudia. But as I said: I strongly suspect that they will open only in May. If you want to go to Mallorca later anyway, have a look at the article about the hotel.

More guaranteed sun and warmth there is in the early spring of course on the Canary Islands. I'm mostly drawn to Fuerteventura, because I find the beaches there simply incomparably beautiful.

Unfortunately, I find the hotel situation on Fuerteventura overall not so great, especially compared to the other two large Canary Islands Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

While there are many new or newly renovated beautiful hotels of all classes on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the hotel stock on Fuerteventura is largely old and often in need of renovation.

But I know one exception, which I recommend one hundred percent: the Playa Esmeralda in Costa Calma. I even wrote two articles about this hotel, and there is also something about Costa Calma and Jandia, which is located at the southern tip of Fuerteventura.

The following links will take you to the articles:

If you want it more luxurious: in February 2020 I was in a very nice hotel on Tenerife, the Jardin Tropical. The hotel is located on the bustling Costa Adeje in the sunny south of the island and is only about 22 km from Tenerife South Airport.

Long distance travel in spring 2022

Apart from South Africa, many countries in Central and South America are good to travel to at the moment. The hottest destination in this region at the moment is probably Mexico. I know a lot of people who have been there, are there at the moment, or are already on their way there. Accordingly, I have seen a lot about Mexico on the social media channels of other bloggers and found it all so appealing that the destination is now at the top of my bucket list. Especially the area around Tulum with the Mayan pyramids is very appealing to me. But what keeps me away is the long flight time. Sitting in a plane with a mask for 8 hours or more is something I really don't want to do to myself, but if you don't mind that, Mexico is highly recommended.

Where to travel in summer 2022?

Let's start with early summer. May and June are perfect for city trips, especially in Germany. Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Leipzig? For German cities there are a lot of hotel tips on Annalisa's Hotelworld. Some of my favorite hotels I have put together for you.

If you want to go to the sea in summer, we are in a very lucky situation here in Germany: we have the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and usually don't have to go very far to get to the water. Ok, from southern Germany it's a bit further, but otherwise it's fine. I live in Berlin and am in approx. 3 hours by train in what I think is the closest Baltic Sea resort – that is Rostock-Warnemunde. To Rugen or Usedom it is a bit further, as well as to the Lubeck Bay. I am more Team North Sea and my favorite island is Sylt. With a through train you are on the island in about 6 hours from here.

So if you want to go to Sylt or the Lubeck Bay (Travemunde, Timmendorfer Strand, Scharbeutz) in the summer of 2022, I have a few hotel tips for you. And because I'm asked this again and again: Sylt is there for everyone, not only for the rich and the beautiful. The suggested hotels are of course not cheap, especially in the high season, but there are also plenty of vacation rentals available. But here you have to book early – many people reserve their preferred accommodation already one year in advance. By the way, I also do that when I want to be on Sylt in the high season.

Long distance destination for summer 2022

I am currently very often dreaming of a trip to the USA and assume that entry will be possible again in the summer, at least for those who have recovered and been vaccinated.

I always spent half the year in the west coast state of Oregon for 9 years (between 2001 and 2010), and at that time traveled a lot through California, Hawaii and the many national parks in the western half of the US.

It's been 12 years since my last trip, and I'm really starting to be drawn back there again. San Francisco, Big Sur, Route 66, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon…….I get nostalgic when I hear these names and recommend everyone who has not yet been there to visit this part of the world.

Where to travel in autumn 2022?

As for city breaks, I find that autumn is a super time of year to visit southern European cities, so z.B. Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Naples or Florence. In summer I find it rather torturous – much too hot and I don't like museums in summer either, even if they are air-conditioned of course.

By the way, a visit to Barcelona can be wonderfully combined with a stay on the Balearic Islands in the fall. I always absolutely loved Ibiza in September and October because the party season was over then and the atmosphere became much quieter….and the prices are much lower.

Ibiza in early autumn is much more sunny and warmer than in spring, and also the sea has pleasant temperatures. Corona has of course changed this party hotspot fundamentally, and I really want to go there again to see how it is now. As one hears, one sets there now even more strongly on Chillen, meditation, yoga and the like…..I am curious.

My absolute favorite hotel on the island of Ibiza is the Nobu in Talamanca Bay, just outside Ibiza Town – pictured above is the view from my room balcony.

Long distance travel in autumn 2022

It is still so incredibly long until then, and I can't imagine at this point what will be going on then. But anyway, a really great long-haul destination for the fall is Japan, and I've been there in November 2019.

For Japan, spring and fall are ideal times to travel, but spring is the more popular season due to cherry blossom season. However, many Japan -knowledgeable people have advised me to definitely go in the fall, because of the fall foliage coloring. And I must say I did not regret it, I found it beautiful. But I would like to see the cherry blossom, even though I was told again and again that all the Japanese travel around and everything is very crowded.

Currently Japan is not open for tourism – but I think a round trip through the country is definitely a destination for the bucket list.

Where to go in winter 2022?

Well – where do we travel to in the winter of 2022? Two very popular sun destinations for the winter are the Maldives and Mauritius. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to experience both yet, my Mauritius trip was firmly booked for November 2020 and then cancelled due to the pandemic. Will definitely catch up though.

As far as I know, you could travel to the Maldives pretty much during the whole pandemic, and I suspect they will keep it that way even if there is another wave next winter. Also in South Africa quite relaxed travel is already possible at the moment and would also offer itself for next winter.

By the way, another great destination for winter is Israel. I did a round trip of the country in November 2018 and found the temperatures just perfect – both for sightseeing and swimming. Israel is an incredibly interesting country and worth seeing, but is also suitable for a purely beach vacation, z.B. in Eilat. Below you see the pool of my bathing hotel, on the picture below the view to Tel Aviv.

City trips in winter

Christmas shopping spontaneously comes to my mind, and the first thing that comes to my mind is New York. I was already several times in New York and find the city simply mega. I have never been there during the Christmas season, but I always wanted to see the big Christmas tree in front of Rockefeller Center. By the way, it is always erected in mid-November, and lit on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving in a solemn ceremony. That would be an event for the bucket list…at least it is written on mine.

And if it should not be so far: Christmas Shopping in London is also a good choice, and a real alternative to New York. By the way, the most beautiful and imaginative Christmas store windows can be found in the department store Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, you should not miss them under any circumstances.

If you generally like Christmas markets, Christmas atmosphere and Christmas decorated cities, an Advent trip to Alsace is highly recommended – there I became an absolute Christmas fan in 2018.

So, and last but not least – Sylt in winter. We already had Sylt in summer, but the island has a very different atmosphere in winter, which many people love very much – including me. In case you are wondering what to do in winter….there is also an article about this.

Where to travel in 2022 – my own plans

So there are not really many concrete plans at the moment, the situation is still too uncertain for that. Two stays on Sylt are booked, one at the end of April and one at the end of August.

I would like to do some city trips this year. On the one hand I want to go to Copenhagen and Stockholm, on the other hand to Prague and Budapest. And believe it or not, I haven't seen these four cities yet….except for Copenhagen. Many years ago, I spent a short night there on my way to Norway, and did a quick sightseeing tour, which didn't impress me very much. The only thing that really stuck in my mind was that the Little Mermaid is really VERY much smaller than I had thought. But Copenhagen definitely deserves a second chance.

And apart from that everything is still completely open. I'll let myself be surprised, sometimes the unplanned travel years are the best ones.