With a new year comes a whole host of wishes, dreams and possible travel plans. Here are the destinations the YourLifeChoices team want to head to this year.
From Fiji to Turkey, to multiple Australian states, these destinations are firmly on our wish list.
Ben
After missing out on a trip to Europe in 2020, thanks to the COVID pandemic, I’m really interested in a long-distance trip in 2022, and I think Turkey might fit the bill. I am still a little wary about big crowds, so I think I’ll give the major cities of Istanbul and Ankara a miss and aim for Izmir, which is the second-largest city on the Aegean Sea after Athens. The International Izmir Festival, which runs from mid-June to mid-July, seems like the perfect time to travel to escape a cold Melbourne winter and enjoy some fantastic summer weather while checking out the historic sites of one of the oldest settlements of the Mediterranean basin.
Dairne
COVID-19 has provided a great opportunity to explore our own backyard. Fingers crossed I’ll be sailing the Kimberley coast from Broome to Darwin in early June. And then in late winter, if my luck holds, I’ll be heading to southern Africa to catch up with family to celebrate several important milestones missed during the pandemic. On the itinerary are the majestic Victoria Falls and the Chobe floodplains, renowned for huge herds of elephant, buffalo and birdlife galore.
Read: Ten things we love about Broome
Brad
I’ve always dreamed of visiting New York City but so far, I haven’t had the chance. It was the setting for so many of the books, movies and television shows I grew up with that it feels as though I already know the place.
I love everything about large, bustling cities. The people, the sounds, the smells, the bright lights and even the traffic in a strange way. NYC is the finest example of a metropolitan area I can think of.
I’d love to visit New York in 2022, if the borders hold up and the pandemic doesn’t rear its ugly head again.
Janelle
Call me boring but I have no desire to leave Australia any time in the near future. In fact, I might never leave it again, though when the ‘new normal’ becomes more normal I may revive plans to walk the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan. Or head to Georgia. I never did like crowds.
So I’ll stay in Oz and hopefully visit places I haven’t been to, like the very top and very bottom of Western Australia, Queensland beyond Port Douglas, and through the middle. I might even go to Tassie – for the fourth or maybe it’s the fifth time. I love Tassie – especially when the cherries are in season.
We’ll hook up the camper trailer, find someone to look after the dog because I prefer national parks, spend the occasional night in a B&B or caravan park to do the laundry, and aim to avoid another long Melbourne winter.
Read: The must-have items for your next caravan trip
Leon
Honestly, I would love to explore much more of my home state, Victoria, and would be very happy to do that should we be shut in again. I’ve also been having North America cravings – both the US and Canada. I’ve had such good experiences there that I would go back in a heartbeat. San Francisco, New York, Boston, Nevada, Ontario (I really want to visit Montreal, too).
I’d love to do Route 66 with my dad, and also visit Chicago, New Orleans and Tennessee – all the birthplaces of great music.
I’ve got Italy on my mind but I think I’d like to take at least a month there. But the absolute tippy top of my hit list in 2022 is Fiji. I can’t wait to go back. I love the people, the islands, the food, the whole vibe really. My finger is literally hovering over the ‘book’ button (if I haven’t hit it already by the time this comes out, I will be very surprised).
Fiji should be at the top of everyone’s bucket list. Seriously. If you don’t come back from Fiji feeling like a million bucks, there’s something wrong with you. It’s a magically happy place.
Read: The Fiji you won’t see from a resort
Ellie
My goal is to get down to Tasmania in 2022. I’ve heard so many great things and I’m desperate to explore the state. I want to take in the stunning scenery and wild beauty while taking the time to fully relax and rejuvenate. I’d love to stay in a lodge somewhere away from the crowds and walk, run and read amongst nature. After that, I’d mix it up a bit and spend a weekend in Hobart, visiting MONA and spending a morning wandering through Salamanca Market.
Thinking further afield, I’d also love to visit Canada. I want to see grizzly bears, go whale watching, spot moose foraging and hear wolves howling at the moon. Snowboarding at Whistler is also high on my list, but maybe that’s for another year!
Now it’s your turn, where do you want to go in 2022? Do you have anything planned? Please let us know in the comments section below.
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