I am pleased to write the 7th edition of my blog’s 2022 year in review. Every year since 2016, I have written a month-by-month recap of all the adventures I’ve had. As usual, it brings me great joy to look back throughout the years and see all the wonderful places we have been.
2022 in particular was a great travel year for me and Mark. We explored new places together as a couple, travelled solo, successfully hiked Mount Kenya together and continued to explore more of Kenya.
It was also a good year for my blog as I got the opportunity to collaborate with a few media outlets and meet new people. This year, I worked on articles for Lonely Planet, Bush Barbeque, Risevest and Holiday Bazaar and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so.
My blog also benefitted from my commitment to post new articles weekly. I will also keep this schedule this year, so be sure to look out for new posts every Tuesday!
a note of thanks!
Finally, before getting into this 2022 year in review details, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people who worked with me this year and to everyone who has visited this blog over the past few years. Thank you for cheering me on! I have enjoyed reading and responding to each one of your comments and emails. Let’s do it again this year!
I also do hope that you have enjoyed the stories I have shared here and found some of the travel tips helpful! I look forward to sharing more adventures with you and hearing about yours too! Do you already have a travel wishlist? Please share it with me!
You can also check my list in this post. And now, let’s get into Travel with a Pen’s 2022 year in review!
The 2022 Year in Review: Month-by-Month Adventures on Travel with a Pen
January – Kuwait & Castle Forest Lodge, Kenya
What was supposed to be a month-long work trip to Kuwait in December, turned into 6 weeks and kickstarted the New Year for me. It was an exciting work opportunity that I am grateful I had. My work schedule involved getting up daily at about 4:30 am and commuting for an hour each way to the client’s office. When weekends came around, all I wanted to do was to catch up on sleep!
I did not get to explore Kuwait as much as I would have loved to but I did visit a few places like the Kuwait Towers, Egalia Beach and several malls within the city.
When I got back, Mark and I went on a camping trip to Castle Forest Lodge. This was an excellent weekend trip from Nairobi and we both enjoyed the short hikes to the waterfalls in the area.
February – Champagne Ridge, Elephant Orphanage, Kenya
In February, Mark and I spent a beautiful and relaxing weekend at a gorgeous Airbnb in Champagne Ridge. We enjoyed our morning and afternoon picnics, meals on the grill, trivia games and the beautiful views that surrounded us.
Later in the month, I set out to experience some new activities in Nairobi, visiting the Elephant Orphanage and Karen Blixen Museum. I included both stops in the first part series of my 24-hours in Nairobi guide.
March – Mombasa & Kilifi
March came around and I was ready for my first beach escape of the year. I chose to spend my time in Mombasa and Kilifi and travelled via the SGR Intercounty train from Nairobi.
In Mombasa, I visited Nguuni Nature Sanctuary, spent some on the beach and explored the old town a little.
And in Kilifi, I indulged in some fun water activities such as snorkelling, a dhow trip and kayaking. I also enjoyed some lazy days and great meals at the Mnarani Beach Club.
April – Seychelles (Mahe, La Digue & Praslin)
At the end of April (into May), I went on a solo trip to Seychelles. Apart from a discriminatory immigration experience, visiting Seychelles was terrific! I thought this would be a one-time destination for me but I often dream of returning to experience it again with Mark.
I spent my time in Seychelles between three islands – Mahe, La Digue and Praslin. La Digue is the island I dream about the most. It is so incredibly beautiful and I think it is a perfect combination of our travel preferences.
I love the beach, Mark loves to hike and simply vagabond in new places and in La Digue, all vagabonding and hiking lead to gorgeous beaches and stunning views!
I look forward to visiting this island nation again, sometime in the near future.
May – USA (Philadelphia and Delaware)
A week after returning from Seychelles, Mark and I headed off to the US and Mexico. We had a relaxing week visiting his parents in the US before hopping on a flight to Mexico. Mark also participated in the Delaware triathlon, with his brother, their first together and I was so happy to see both of them complete the course.
+ Mexico (Mexico City, Oaxaca, Bacalar, Valladolid & Tulum)
Our first stop in Mexico was Mexico City. We spent three days there, then travelled by road to Oaxaca, where we spent another three days.
After our time in Oaxaca, we flew down to the Yucatan Peninsula, visiting Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Cenote Ik Kil, Bacalar and finally Tulum.
June was a travel-free month for us but in July, we had the pleasure of hosting Mark’s brother for his return visit to Kenya.
July – Ngong Horse Racing Course & Crescent Island, Naivasha
We attended an event at the Ngong Racecourse together, then took a weekend trip to Crescent Island in Naivasha. This town is one of my favourite destinations to visit in Kenya and this trip to Crescent Island further solidified its spot in my heart.
The highlight of our stay here included spending some quality downtime together and taking early morning and evening walks with the resident wildlife. It felt incredible to be within meters of giraffes and to see massive hippos out of the water.
August – Kigali, Gisenyi & Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda
In August, we took a two-week trip to Rwanda. This is a country I have looked forward to visiting for a long time and it lived up to my expectations.
We spent our time in Rwanda in Kigali, Lake Kivu and Musanze – where we went trekking to see mountain gorillas in the wild! I am hoping to do this again sometime in the future – probably in Uganda.
September – Mount Kenya
In September, we committed to hiking Mount Kenya and after four days, we reached Point Lenana!
So, I’m writing this in hindsight and my brain is telling me that this was a most wonderful experience. But I can tell you that it did not always feel that way.
Nevertheless, in a year full of many travel highlights, this one stands out. And you know, after this climb, I said I was going to sell off all my hiking gear but maybe, just maybe… I have room for another epic hike this year. We’ll see 🙂
October – Seoul, Jeonju, Boseong, Namwon & Busan, South Korea
In October, after months of daydreaming and binge-watching some of my favourite K-dramas, I visited South Korea!
It’s been a few months after the trip and I still have a severe case of the travel blues. During my stay, I got to spend time in charming hanok villages in Jeonju and Seoul, visit a beautiful tea garden in Boseong, and spend a night in a hanok in Namwon.
South Korea Travel Resources
Getting a visa to South Korea
Solo Tripping in South Korea – The Beginning
A simple travel checklist for first-time visitors
Buy a SIM card online and pick it up at the airport or get an eSIM here.
Rent your Hanbok online
Hanok Stay Experience in Namwon
In addition to visiting the smaller cities, I spent time in Busan and Seoul and fell in love with the country’s extensive transportation network, culture, food, and architecture. It is a destination I would love to revisit in the future.
December – Christmas + A Lagos Wedding
With Mark in the US in November, I spent some parts of the month hanging out with friends from Nigeria and Kenya and attending a Christmas play at the Kenya National Theatre. Then after a work trip to Abu Dhabi fell through, I headed to Lagos to spend some time with my family and celebrate with my friends on their wedding day.
I returned to Nairobi in time to spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with Mark. And with that, the 2022 season came to an end! 🙂
Thank you once again for following my 2022 adventures! I hope 2023 only brings us wonderful adventures in every aspect of our lives. Please feel free to share your 2022 highlights and 2023 travel wishlist with me in the comment section below! I always love reading your comments and I wish you a happy new year!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Amarachi! I don’t know if I have mentioned it to you before, but I plan on naming my first daughter Amarachi.
Your recap was wonderful as usual. My favorite trip of yours was South Korea and my favorite moment was when you hiked Mount Kenya. I was so so so proud of you, knowing how far you’ve come with your best friend hiking!
My 2022 in travel was a mix of local and international trips which I will recap for you below.
Jan – Lisbon, Cotswolds
Feb – Berlin, Stockholm
Mar – Madrid
Apr – Stoke-on-Trent
May – Bournemouth
June – Wales, Berlin (again)
July – Florence, Milan, Rome, Pisa,
August – Cornwall
September – Paris
October – Birmingham
November – Amsterdam, Berlin (yet again)
December – Manchester
My 2023 wish list
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Japan
Switzerland
Those are the countries I must visit by fire by force.
Happy New Year again and I hope I bump into you this year. My best wishes to Mark and Blue.
Happy New Year, Fifi of Oxford! I will pass your greetings to Mark and Blue as well! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave this comment (I saw you had some issues doing so), so I appreciate that you tried again 🙂
It’s also giving me so much joy to see your month-by-month recap! Happy to see you had a great year of travel and are making the best memories in Europe! If you come to Kenya this year, let me know! Would love to catch up with you in person, otherwise, maybe we’ll meet in Japan, since that’s on my list too! haha
@Amarachi: you’re a good Nigerian! 😂 Tribe is a social construct! It’s a great name, so go right ahead!
What amazing photos and travel destinations, Amarachi. Seeing the gorillas in Rwanda and the elephant orphanage in Nairobi represent absolute dream experiences for me. You are certainly showcasing all that Kenya has to offer and I can easily imagine what a wonderful time we would have exploring the country. I wish you a happy and healthy 2023, with lots of travel and new opportunities for collaboration.
Thanks, Leighton! I hope to read about you and Sladja’s adventures around this part of the world soon! 🙂 I wish you a happy and healthy year too and I am excited to read more of your stories this year!
What a lovely year you’ve had, Amarachi! I wish you an even more well-traveled 2023 and loads more partnership/collab opportunities. Looking forward to your adventures.
Thank you, Elle! I wish you a wonderful year ahead as well!
Happy New Year! It’s been such a delight keeping up with your travels in the past year. Cheers to more adventures this year!
Happy New Year, Tiesé! Thanks for following along! I have also enjoyed following your adventures as well and look forward to reading more of your posts this year!
Thank you for 2022, Amarachi. I’m glad I had you in my corner, you inspired me greatly last year. I wish you the very best travel experiences this year!
I graduate by the first half of this year and I can’t wait to start traveling properly. I have a few Nigerian states on my wishlist before or after my graduation; they are Enugu, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Delta. During my NYSC, I would also use the opportunity to visit some states in western or northern Nigerian depending on where I get posted.
I also hope to travel internationally this year. I have Benin Republic, Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda on my wishlist.
And I also wish I get to meet you this year!
From my mouth to God’s ears.😅
Congratulations in advance on your graduation, Favour! I hope you get to visit all the places you have mentioned and take those international trips! If you make it down to Kenya, do let me know 🙂
I appreciate all your comments and time spent on my blog and I wish you a wonderful 2023!