Sri Lanka in the list of ‘Where to travel 2022: The best destinations to visit’ by CNN Travel

CNN Travel listed Sri Lanka in it’s ‘Where to travel 2022: The best destinations to visit’ recently. This listing, as an island destination in the Indian Ocean, is a terrific way to encourage people to take risks and explore the island which has something to offer everyone’s tastes and preferences.

Travel is more challenging now than it has been in a long time. Borders tentatively reopen only to slam shut again. A once-simple visa on entry is replaced with piles of paperwork. And the whole world is brushing up on the Greek alphabet whenever a new variant makes headlines.

Still, though, amid all the darkness that has defined the pandemic, there are some glimmers of hope.

Perhaps the lesson travelers can take into 2022 is that exploring the world is a privilege, not a right. This year’s crop of dream places to visit reflect that mindset — from national parks to remote islands to lesser visited spots, mindfulness and respect for the Earth are part of the journey.

When Orville and Wilbur Wright first got their small plane aloft in 1903, it seems unlikely they would have imagined a world of scores of jetliners a day connecting the world’s great cities or an eyeball scan replacing a paper passport.

When we look back on how far we’ve come, it makes us more grateful for where we are.

Let’s all try to channel a sense of wonder if and when we’re able to travel in 2022 and beyond.

COLOMBO

Colombo is usually misunderstood from the beginning.

But in 2022 it’s time to pay attention to the city’s underrated design destinations, including late architect Geoffrey Bawa’s home, which is now a mini museum and guest house called Number Eleven. The next year is bringing a spate of promising new hotels to the city, including properties by Amari, Grand Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton and ITC.

Sri Lanka does have its share of delicious curries, but don’t assume that the food is the same as in neighboring India.

Start the day by filling up on egg hoppers heaped with coconut sambal at the Palmyrah’s lush breakfast banquet, head to the Pettah Floating Market to stock up on bananas in nearly every color of the rainbow, and end the day watching the beach sunset at the Galle Face Hotel sipping a grapefruit-infused take on a Negroni at the aptly named Traveller’s Bar. Everything tastes better paired with the island’s own ceylon teas.