Every year, large media sites put together their top picks of places to visit or top destinations around the world. Some of these lists are made based on their user base and reviews/suggestions (with places like TripAdvisor). Others endeavor to find places that could and should be places to visit but that normally fall through the cracks. Time has added one place to their list for 2022 that is certainly a great place – but one that will cost anyone that wants to go $55 million.
World’s Greatest Places in 2022
Link: Time’s World’s Greatest Places in 2022
The Time’s list for 2022 has 50 different destinations that they encourage readers to explore. These are not places that are at the top of most people’s bucket lists – like Paris, Dubai, Sydney, New York City, etc. Instead, they are places that have a smattering of the exotic like Silk Road historic sites in Uzbekistan as well as the Galápagos Islands, Seoul, and many more.
The Galápagos Islands
Panorama of Bukhara, Uzbekistan
They have also included US cities like Detroit and Miami. Nothing against many of the fine people of Detroit, but I imagine that it has been a while since their city was featured on a list of greatest places so I am happy for them that they are on this one.
Beaches, jungles, cities, arctic, mountains – this list has the all. I like how they also listed the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. I know this city incredibly well and always feel bad that it doesn’t get as much tourist attention as it should since it is the second largest city in Greece and has some extraordinary beaches nearby and sunset views, not to mention the fantastic food!
Thessaloniki, Greece with the iconic White Tower on the edge of the Aegean
But, the one on the list that it seems Time really reached for is the International Space Station. This is one place that has actually gotten more expensive overtime for regular citizens (and, by “regular” I mean non-space agency people – but these people do have tens and hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, so not entirely “regular” 🙂 ). In the past, people would pay the Russian space agency $20 million to go up in one of their Soyuz rockets.
Now, in 2022, space tourists have gone up to the International Space Station, ISS, with Axiom Space (with SpaceX providing the vehicle). In April of this year, three civilians visited the ISS for two weeks at the cost of $55 million each. Due to this trip and its significance in space tourism, Time most likely thought that it deserved inclusion. I certainly would love to visit! Axiom plans to make more such trips in the future.
In addition, civilians are now heading into space with SpaceX (owned by Elon Musk) and (just barely into space) with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company. No question that it is going to become more commonplace for a space tourist industry but probably never something that will get out of the 7 figure cost for such a trip.
Yet, Time wants you to know that this is one of their Greatest Places for 2022! 🙂
After reading an article a few days ago about people swearing off air travel due to climate anxiety, I feel better about my <24hr MRs to Asia after looking up the carbon emissions footprint for a trip to space.