For the past two years, most of us have not been able to travel much at all. After visiting 17 cities in 14 countries in 2019 I was only able to visit three countries in all of 2020 and 2021. None of those countries were new, countries I've never been to before, even though two of them (Denmark & Spain) were countries I hadn't been to since I was a teenager and therefore not featured on this site.

In 2022 I was finally able to travel close to the level of 2019 again. Most of it was in Europe and the United States, and there were not so many new countries for me. But after two years of being stuck in Sweden, I felt that I wanted to revisit some of my favorites, especially in the United States.

San Francisco, California

My first trip of 2022 went to San Francisco. A place I have been to several times and always loved, but hadn't visited since 2015. This was also my first trip to the United States since March 2019, on almost the exactly same dates. My first trip outside of Europe since November 2019. You can imagine how happy I was to get on the aircraft for this vacation!

On my previous trips to San Francisco, I have always stayed in the Fisherman's Wharf area. At first, that was the plan this time again. Shortly before the trip, I decided to change and try Downtown this time. In the future, I will always try to stay Downtown when visiting San Francisco (and I plan on going back!).

Best: Being in the US again!

Los Angeles, California

I actually landed in Los Angeles, so technically that was my first trip outside of Europe, and the first destination in the United States post-Covid. But I stayed for about twelve hours before leaving on a road trip to San Francisco. A few days later we returned and have five full days to enjoy Los Angeles.

The neverending congestion on the highways, the fast food joints as far as the eyes can see, the visible inequality and fake glamour of Hollywood... What's not to love?

Best: The carefree feeling of a city I know very well and have learned to love the charm with.

Brussels, Belgium

In May I booked a short weekend trip to Belgium at short notice. I've been wanting to go to Brussels for many years. I remember all the way back in 2014 that I wished to see the Belgian Capital. But for different reasons it never happened, until this year.

Brussels has some sights, and it's a good weekend city. But it doesn't take a long time to go through the most interesting parts. There are also lots of day trips available from Brussels, you can even get to Paris in only two hours by train!

Best: Grand Place is a very magnificent square.

Antwerp, Belgium

I went on two day trips from Brussels. Two cities on the same day! That was hectic, but also fun and interesting. I just couldn't decide which one of Antwerp or Ghent I wanted to see, so I went and saw both! I started very early in the morning and wasn't back in Brussels until the evening.

Antwerp is a city that once was one of the most important cities in Europe. It was one of the largest centers of trade in Central Europe for many centuries. A heritage that I felt could be found while visiting, even though the city is more of an average, modern city today.

Best: The guild houses on Grote Markt are beautiful to look at!

Ghent, Belgium

Before I decided to do both cities in one day I was leaning slightly towards Antwerp. I'm happy that I decided to do both because I liked Ghent a little bit better. Ghent had a more traditional old town, which I like.

Ghent is very picturesque, so it's a perfect city for someone like me who travels with a camera. I could see myself going back to Ghent for more sightseeing, and more pictures, in the future. And I don't feel done with Belgium and the region. There are a lot more day trips from Brussels that I'm interested in doing.

Best: The medieval old town.

New York City, New York

I hadn't been to New York since 2017, and it wasn't the plan this year either. But a friend asked, and I'm not the one to say no to a trip to the United States. This was also just before the plane tickets started to skyrocket, so we got a decent deal too.

Hotel prices had gone up considerably already though. So we ended up staying outside of Manhattan. At first, I was skeptical. But now I will probably look for good deals near subway stops in future trips too.

New York had changed a little bit since the pandemic. The area around Times Square is much more rundown today than before. I hope that's just temporary.

Best: First time I went and saw a little bit of the areas outside of Midtown and Lower Manhattan. During my previous visits, I spent almost all my time in those areas. This time I spent just as much time in other areas of the city and went to all five boroughs.

Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is not a typical tourist city, and the only reason I wanted to visit was because of the many sights related to the only Swedish colony in North America - New Sweden - which was established in what is now Wilmington.

Apart from the sights related to New Sweden, there's not that much to do there. There's a main street with some architecture, and there's a Riverwalk.

Best: The Riverwalk.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I stopped in Philadelphia for a few hours on my trip back from Wilmington, and then I went back a few days later for a full day of exploring. Philadelphia is one of these cities that I always wanted to visit, but when traveling from across the Atlantic it was always something else that took priority on the trips to the region.

I was not fully impressed by Philadelphia. The Old Town was a letdown, unfortunately. There are lots of sights though in the city, so there's always more to do. But Philadelphia didn't give me that "Wow"-feeling.

Best: Eastern State Penitentiary was an interesting tour.

Gdańsk, Poland

I actually had tickets to Gdańsk in May too but never went. Instead I went in July. The best part about Ryanair moving to Stockholm-Arlanda Airport instead of a minor airport in the South of Stockholm. The ticket I didn't use cost only $10 for a round trip.

Gdańsk is a city rich with history and which before the Second World War was one of the most important cities in Central Europe. It was also an important city during the Cold War, and it played an important part in the dissolution of the Soviet Union (through the Solidarity Worker's Union).

Since it's so close to Stockholm and so easy to get there I can see myself going there for a short weekend again in the future.

Best: I liked what they've done with the Old Town, which was destroyed entirely in WWII, and still in ruins in the 1990s.

Sopot, Poland

During my time in Northern Poland, I stayed in Sopot, just outside of Gdańsk. They're both parts of the same metropolitan area, but still separate and unique. There's not as much to see and do in Sopot, but it's a great destination for relaxation.

Best: Sopot is quieter than Gdańsk.

Szczecin, Poland

Szczecin was not a city I'd been eyeing for years. It did however fit perfectly into my travel path on this trip so I decided to take a few days there and check it out. Normally it is a good day trip option from Berlin, so if you're interested in visiting Szczecin, try to combine it with the German capital.

I was pleasantly surprised and had a good time in the city. The weather was perfect, which is probably an important factor in a city like this. It was however the only day that had good weather during my whole Poland trip. In general, I had abysmal weather during the trip.

I don't think I will ever visit again though. It's one of these typical cities that you visit once and then never again, regardless of how interesting it was.

Best: Wały Chrobrego, the riverside embankment, is a nice feature.

Warsaw, Poland

On my way home from Gdańsk & Szczcecin I had a layover in Warsaw for ten hours. It's not enough to fully experience the Polish capital, but it is enough to get a taste of it. I will definitely be back in Warsaw sometime in the future.

Best: I am fascinated by the Palace of Culture and Science. There's something about that building.

Hamburg, Germany

I had airline points with Scandinavian that were due to expire so I used them to book a trip to Hamburg over a weekend. Hamburg is a city that I often overlooked, but still sort of wanted to visit as it is the second-largest city in Germany.

However, it was not a city for me. I did not fall in love with Hamburg and felt it to be quite boring. There are some sights, but of all the cities I've been to in Germany, it is the one I've liked the least.

Best: The Jungfernstieg is pretty and cozy on summer evenings.

Lüneburg, Germany

One thing that Hamburg is great for is being a base for day trips. There are a lot of day trips within 1-2 hours from Hamburg. I've done a few of those on previous trips (such as Bremen and Lübeck). After careful research, I decided to visit Lüneburg on this trip.

Lüneburg was a pleasant city. Good size and distance for a day trip and have a decent amount of sights. It's one of the largest cities in Germany that survived the World Wars almost unscathed.

Best: The Stintmarkt, the old harbor with beautiful views during the summer.

Marrakech, Morocco

It was not supposed to be Morocco. But I'm happy it ended up as my destination. I was once again trying to visit Mexico, just as last year, but once again I couldn't find tickets for a decent price.

Marrakech is a typical tourist city. Despite that, it does have a lot of soul. Which is not common for the typical mass-tourism destination. I was in Morocco during their impressive World Cup spell, which was an experience. It was cool to watch the game against Portugal at Jamaa el Fna in Marrakech, and then watch the celebrations that took place afterward. It didn't stop until the next morning!

Best: The markets and street life. One of the best cities I've visited for street photography.

Casablanca, Morocco

Most people visiting Morocco do not go to Casablanca. Most travel guides I read said that there are many more interesting destinations to visit in Morocco, and that might be true. I can't say for sure since I didn't visit most of them. But I did like Casablanca and I am happy with the choice to go there.

It fit very well with Marrakech also since they are nearby. To go to Fés or Chefchaouen I would have to spend a lot more time on a train. Casablanca also offered a sense of modernity compared to the traditional Marrakech.

Best: Being there during Morocco's victory over Spain in World Cup 2022. The celebrations were an experience.

Rabat, Morocco

Rabat was only a day trip from Casablanca. On a cloudy day. The capital of Morocco does have some sights and is worth checking out. But a day trip is definitely enough.

I did some errors in the planning of this day trip, which is not usual for me, so I wasted quite a lot of time. Despite that, I was able to see most of what is worth seeing here.

Best: Getting lost in the alleyways of the Medina. Compared to Marrakech and Casablanca it was possible to find almost empty parts of the Medina to explore.