After two years of staying home, I started traveling again in 2022. Over the course of the year, I went to roughly 12 states, 11 national parks, eight countries, and five state parks.

Here’s a round-up of my favorite spots in the United States and abroad that I visited in 2022:

Favorite International Cities

My favorite city abroad was definitively Sarajevo in the Balkan country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It had incredible, accessible natural areas, a sobering, resilient history, and some of the best Turkish pastries I’ve eaten outside of Istanbul. A close runner-up was Toronto with its steady public transport, urban green spaces, and delicious dumplings in Chinatown. The city I would consider living in for at least a year is Tirana, the capital of Albania, a surprising spot that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did.

1. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. Toronto, Canada
3. Tirana, Albania
4. Skopje, North Macedonia
5. Sevilla, Spain
6. Split, Croatia

Favorite Small Cities, Towns, and Villages Abroad

I absolutely fell in love with Ohrid, a town in the Republic of Macedonia located on the banks of the oldest, deepest lake in Europe. Mostar was also exceptional, and the train ride between Mostar and Sarajevo became one of my favorite trips on public transport, perhaps of all time.

Notable mentions included Paramonas in Corfu, Greece, an isolated but spectacular coastal village right off of the Corfu Trail, and Kotor and Perast in Montenegro.

Kotor felt like a smaller, less chaotic version of Dubrovnik and had suberb hikes up to a fortress overlooking the Bay of Kotor. Perast featured two little islands known for their spooky and spiritual legends and a restaurant with the best seafood I’ve tasted in the Balkans.

1. Ohrid, North Macedonia
2. Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3. Paramonas, Corfu, Greece
4. Kotor, Montenegro
5. Perast, Montenegro

Favorite US Cities

I finally got to fulfill my childhood dream of visiting Boston in the fall and the East Coast city did not disappoint. I took the famous duck boat tour, visited the Commons, and wandered around the harbor and Little Italy while watching the leaves change.

Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico offered amazing artwork and great memories from a spring road trip, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Las Vegas and Reno. I’m not a gambler, but I overall had a fantastic experience in Nevada.

Tulsa, Oklahoma is always a good time, and I especially enjoyed visiting the area dedicated to Black Wall Street and the Woody Guthrie Museum as well as checking out local bookshops like Magic City Books.

1. Boston, Massachusetts 
2. Santa Fe, New Mexico
3. Taos, New Mexico
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Reno, Nevada
6. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Favorite US Towns

Small towns in Massachusetts took the cake in 2022 as I wandered around Salem, Cambridge, and Somerville, along with an excellent hike near Medford. Colorado also had lots to offer in Ouray, known as the Switzerland of America, and Silverton, a tiny mountain town not far from Durango and Telluride.

1. Salem, Massachusetts
2. Cambridge, Massachusetts
3. Somerville, Massachusetts
4. Ouray, Colorado
5. Silverton, Colorado 

Favorite Countries

It was hard to choose one favorite country in 2022 so I picked five. However, Albania, Bosnia, and North Macedonia were definitely the top contenders. I also finally visited Canada, met my pen pals, and reconnected with old friends while trying poutine and hiking around grottoes.

One of my favorite experiences was a kayaking tour I took with my cousins to three sea caves in Montenegro. We were lucky to go early in the morning before cruise ships and tourist boats arrived.

Although not listed, Croatia’s architecture and hiking areas took my breath away, and I want to visit in the off-season and see more of its islands and national parks.

1. Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. Albania
3. North Macedonia
4. Canada
5. Montenegro 

Favorite US National Parks

I went to 11 national parks last year, and Redwood was my favorite of any national park I’ve ever visited. There’s something about being in an old growth temperate rain forest surrounded by massive, ancient trees that makes me feel at home and helps put life into perspective. Rocky Mountain was another park that I couldn’t get enough of in 2022. I went back multiple weekends in a row while I lived in Denver.

1. Redwood National Park in California
2. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
3. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado
4. Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado
5. Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas
6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee

Favorite National Parks Abroad

International national parks cannot be matched. I loved spending time in Mavrovo and Butrint in the Balkans and Ontario’s top park in Canada with its lighthouses, crystal blue water, and rocky grottoes.

1. Mavrovo National Park in North Macedonia
2. Butrint National Park in Albania
3. Bruce Peninsula National Park in Canada

Favorite Texas State Parks

I didn’t get to visit so many state parks in 2022, but the ones I did were certainly memorable. Standouts included Atlanta and Choke Canyon, which was perfect for a Halloween camping trip as it’s located next to a ghost town and federal prison, and the park is full of javelinas and alligators.

1. Atlanta State Park
2. Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
3. Daingerfield State Park
4. Choke Canyon State Park

Favorite Historic Sites and Museums

I had a fantastic time visiting museums and historic sites in 2022. My favorite museum was the linguistics museum in Washington, D.C. It brought to life everything I’d learned in university and had a secret room in a massive library. Other standouts were the small historic city of Gjirokastër, the House of Leaves in Tirana, and the National Museum of Photography in Shkodër where I saw more of the fascinating history of Albania.

Impactful spots in Bosnia included Gazi Husrev-beg’s Library in Sarajevo as well as the magnificent views of the Mostar Bridge from Hadzi-Kurtova dzamija in Mostar. The museums I was most surprised to find and love were the National Workshop for Handmade Paper in Macedonia and the Venice Art Mask Factory in Albania.

Finally, the Historic Salem Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts and Our Lady of the Rocks and Island of the Dead in Persast, Montenegro offered haunting history and myths that were enchanting to explore.

1. Planet Word in Washington, D.C.
2. Gjirokastër, Albania
3. Mostar Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia
4. House of Leaves in Tirana, Albania
5. Venice Art Mask Factory in Shkodër, Albania
6. National Museum of Photography in Shkodër, Albania
7. Gazi Husrev-beg’s Library in Sarajevo, Bosnia
8. Historic Salem Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts 
9. National Workshop for Handmade Paper in Ohrid, North Macedonia
10. Hadzi-Kurtova dzamija in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
11.  Our Lady of the Rocks and Island of the Dead in Persast, Montenegro

After a couple years of not leaving home, I’m glad people were able to get back out in the world and start traveling again in 2022. I’m looking forward to visiting more places in 2023 starting with Patagonia in South America.

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