As the chapter for 2022 closes we’ve taken a moment to reflect on our reinstated freedoms to travel. For most of the travelling world the last two and a half years has been a period of Covid-induced inaction and frustration. But with borders starting to open and after taking all the necessary precautions Julie and I finally hit the trail again in mid 2022. With a box of masks, a slew of test kits, multiple vaccination certificates and outrageously expensive travel insurance we headed off for a four month jaunt covering five countries and five western US states.

In doing so we reunited with our favourite travel partner, the ever-reliable Tramp who had been waiting patiently in storage in the UK. We finally visited Iceland after only 41 years of talking about it. And as a special treat we had stints travelling with friends in Scotland and family members in the US. It doesn’t get any better than that!

In 2017 we embarked on our around-the-world journey with Tramp which we called Follow the Sun. You can read more about how that idea was born and what we’ve done so far here. And we were definitely hungry for more.

Our travels in 2022 covered the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and the western states of the US. Was this officially part of our Follow the Sun journey, even if it wasn’t all with Tramp and revisited many places we had been before. Absolutely it was, we say, and why not? Follow the Sun has already taken many turns and had many different versions – our travels in 2022 is just another example of that.

We started by flying to London, releasing Tramp from his warehouse storage and travelling through England, Ireland and Scotland. Here’s a snapshot of where we went but you can follow it in more detail here.

We then flew to Reykjavik Iceland to fulfil a lifelong dream of visiting this magical island nation. You can drill down to see more details of this trip of a lifetime here.

We then flew to San Francisco and spent the next two months visiting family and friends while also exploring California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. Our foray into the wilds of northern California looked like this. The mapped details of that trip are found here.

Finally, we toured the Pacific Northwest for a few weeks, visiting family and exploring some of the beautiful places that this part of the world has to offer. You can drill down here for more details.

What will 2023 have to offer? We are absolutely determined to continue our Follow the Sun travels by completing the last of our five continents. That last leg is following the famed Silk Road from Europe to the gates of China…and maybe beyond. We know Covid, war, civil unrest and the world’s economic challenges will all impact us but we’re up for the challenge!