Boy, looking at my “Activities” menu, we sure did a lot of cool stuff this year. From Guatemala to Europe and all sorts of places in between, we made a lot of memories. This list was absolutely the most difficult to narrow down to just five. We met cool people, saw amazing architecture, experienced beautiful landscapes, and did a few food tours. How do you pick just five? Well, it had to be done, and below are ChiLuxe Travel’s Top Five Activities for 2022!

5. Lake Atitlan Village Tour

We stayed on Lake Atitlan for five nights on our trip to Guatemala in February of 2022. Mainly, we did nothing but rest, relax, and enjoy the incredible views; but one of our favorite activities we did this year was taking a small boat around the lake, visiting two of the villages to check out their culture and wares. We stopped in the towns of Santiago Atitlan and San Juan La Laguna. Both of these towns are excellent for touring around and shopping for locally-made products like hand-woven goods, chocolate and coffee. Check out my overview of our trip to Guatemala here!

4. Disney World

Fair warning – any year that I make a trip to Disney World, or probably just about any other Disney property, it’s going to make it onto this list of Top Five Activities. WDW is truly one of the most magical places on earth. I have deep memories from coming here as a kid multiple years, and my brother and I have come here as adults, I think, five times together, and I got married here as well, which was a sixth trip with just me, Brian and the kiddos. While the rides are still a priority for us, we love coming for the food and the happy feeling you get being here. You can forget about real life, and just relax in this incredible fantasy-land. Read about our latest trip to WDW here!

3. Sailing around Malta

This was the first thing Anna and Brian came up with as one of our favorite things that we did in Malta. We chartered a sailboat for the day, and literally sailed across the entire northern coast of Malta to the islands of Gozo and Comino. The water was extraordinarily blue, and the Captain was fun and charming. The food provided was delicious, and the price was very reasonable. We had glorious weather, and we even managed to jump in the water for a few swims. Read all about our beautiful Maltese sailing adventure here!

2. Madrid Tapas Tour

It was really tough to put the top two activities in order, they really are interchangeable. Suffice it to say, though, that we absolutely loved our Madrid Tapas Tour! We booked the tour through Gourmet Madrid, and we went to at least four places and ate a TON of Tapas. We were so full at the end, and we definitely felt it was a great value. We had a lot of fun walking around Madrid, learning about the different food and wines, and a little history thrown in as well by our delightful young guide. My article on the tour is also one of my Top Five most popular articles on the site for 2022, and you can check out that list here. Seriously, do not miss doing a tapas tour in Madrid, and I highly recommend booking through Gourmet Madrid. Check out my full overview of every. single. thing. that we ate on the tour here!

1. La Sagrada Familia

Boy, this place was other-worldly, and far more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined. The photos do not do this incredible basilica justice. Our kids even agreed that this was the most incredible place (a church!) that we saw on our trip, and I think it’s really one of the most incredible man-made places I’ve been to in the world. Like I mention in my full overview, there are not enough superlatives and adjectives to describe the vastness of this massive church.

This church is still being constructed, and I honestly hope I will be able to come back at many points in the future to see the progress being made. Gaudi, its architect, was truly a visionary. You can really feel a spiritual presence here, even amongst the throngs of people visiting. Buy your ticket in advance, get a tour, and simply enjoy one of the most beautiful places in the world.