I had a great year of travel in 2021 that reignited my Disney theme park addiction that 2 of my 3 trips in 2022 continued with Disney theme parks.  I also added 2 more countries to my list which now stands at 31 and in a continent that I have not visited too often.  With covid and the pandemic restrictions being almost lifted entirely made it easier for us to fly, we definitely took advantage of it.

I was hoping to do another trip at the end of the year but did not really have anyone that could have taken me.  My first trip of the year was in April to Pensacola and Anaheim, then it was to London and Paris in June, then finally back to Atlanta in September.  I also went on a mini trip to Edmonton, but here is a recap of my 3 trips of this year:

1.) Pensacola, USA

My first trip of this year was to Pensacola to attend Thunder Beats Music Festival.  It was cancelled just over a week before the event date, but my friend and I did not want to cancel our trip.  We have never visited this city before and wanted to see what this has to offer since we have more time now.

We still had a great time relaxing in the sun at the beach, watching a baseball game, exploring the city, and catching a movie during a lazy night.  Our hotel was a bit further away since I booked it in the middle of the music festival and the beach area, but we still managed to have a great visit to this city.

Anaheim, USA

Our connecting flight from Houston was so delayed, so the flight was rescheduled to the next morning.  That changed our plans a bit but we still had time to go to a baseball game and Knott’s Berry Farm theme park and more.  Knott’s Berry Farm did not have many wheelchair accessible rides but my friend did transfer me on a railroad train ride.

Our last 2 days were spent entirely at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.  Both parks have added a new land since I last visited in 2015 and both new lands were amazing.  With the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy Edge and Avengers Campus, I think it made the 2 parks even better.  Click on the green links to read my review about them.

2.) London, England

Flying to London was really important to me as I got to visit a bunch of my family members with some being the first time.  It started with my checked luggage and my commode being lost for almost my entire London visit but I stayed positive and enjoyed seeing things like the London Eye, Big Ben and everything in the surrounding area.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour was another highlight for visiting London.  It was really fascinating learning about what the process was in making the movies.  It was different than the theme park versions of Harry Potter but almost just as great.  I really enjoyed having another chance at drinking the Butter Beer!

Paris, France

I also booked Paris along with London because flights within Europe are really cheap and I wanted to visit another iconic city.  The other major reason was to visit Disneyland Paris for their 30th anniversary celebrations.  There were a few fun accessible rides that I went on and the Lion King show was just terrific.  The park was far from the city but definitely worth visiting.

Visiting both the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre were pretty impressive and so iconic.  I see these famous landmarks in movies and all of a sudden I am there makes it seem so surreal.  My friend and I even got up close to the Mona Lisa painting and got a selfie with it.  Both these cities make me want to travel to Europe more.

3.) Atlanta, USA

Since last year’s Imagine Music Festival was cancelled, I had to make sure to I did not miss the 2022 edition.  I loved my previous musical camping experience back in 2019 and wanted to review the accessibility at the new  bigger venue location.  It was a bit harder to get from stage to stage since the surface area was so large, but it was still a great time and should not be missed.

This was my 4th time visiting Atlanta in the past 3 years, so I went on all the major attractions at least once or twice already.  I did get to meet a local friend downtown for lunch and hang out a bit.  Otherwise this Atlanta trip was all about the music festival and accessible camping.

mini trip

I also went on a quick 1 night overnight to Edmonton to attend Scream music festival and to visit West Edmonton mall.  I haven’t been to this city since before my injury, so it has been a long time coming.  A friend drove us in his car and we met up with different friends at the festival.  I wish I could have stayed in the city a bit longer but will have to do that next time.

Final Thoughts

2022 was a great year of travel for me as I now surpassed 30 countries that I have travelled to.  I got to see family and visited 2 more countries in Europe, did more theme parks, and a great music festival.  I have already booked a Disney cruise in March 2023 and will be visiting the new Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood.  Follow along and look for reviews on them shortly after.