2023 as one of the strongest tourism years worldwide ever – to be continued?

The worldwide tourism in 2023 was almost as strong as it was in its best year. That was in 2019, just before the Corona pandemic. This was so despite rising costs for traveling. And it is becoming apparent that this development will continue. It seems that especially the top income bracket wants to enjoy life in a way that is reminiscent of the post-war boom in the 20th century. My husband and I are no exception here. We did quite a lot of traveling in 2023. Yet this was due to a certain circumstance. As to 2024, there is already a big trip behind us. For the rest of the year, more travel is bound to come, however it will not go overseas. Find in the following all the details to the “special circumstance” as well as the latest travel news about Swiss Traveler for 2023 and 2024.

I start with the distinct situation my husband and I are in before coming to past and future journeys.

What is new in our life?

Our (travel) year 2023 was a special one. This because it was the last (complete) one where my husband was still employed. In mid 2024, he took early retirement. So, we are now both pensioners – I already gave up my employment some time ago. Will this development have any impact on our way of traveling? This is what we ask ourselves again and again. And we still have no definite answer to it.

Of course, I have the one or other idea what is going to change as to the manner in which we travel. I would like to spend a longer time in one spot, for example. This in order to fully immerse in a place und truly get to know its people and culture. That would entail only booking a hotel for the first few days and renting an apartment for the rest of the stay. While I cannot imagine proceeding like this for all our trips, it might be a good thing to do now and then. Having said that, I do not know whether such a way of traveling would suit us. So far, we have never rented an apartment before.

Another important issue is the loss of gainful employment that will certainly have its implications. As I have repeatedly mentioned on my blog, my husband and I have always made sure that we do not pay excessive prices for hotels or flights. And it is to be expected that the new situation we are faced with will result in an even higher cost-awareness.

We will see how our travel behavior will change in the time to come, given the new circumstances. Hopefully, I will be wiser in this respect on my next travel update.

Travel year 2023

As I already went into the first quarter of 2023 in my last update, I come right to the first of two big trips we did in 2023.

Bhutan: 9-day private guided tour

We made sure that we had some once in a lifetime trips on our travel program for 2023. You never know what the future has in store for you. Especially if you have a significant transition to another life situation ahead of you in the following year. First of all, we finally managed to do the Bhutan trip we originally had booked for 2020. After lots of postponing because of COVID-19, we were able to tour this Himalayan kingdom in spring 2023.

We did this on the occasion of a 9-day journey arranged by the COMO hotel group. This allowed us to get to know three valleys and both COMO hotels in this country plus a third partner hotel. And we did this with our own private guide, which was great. In case you should be interested in this topic, I have published five posts about Bhutan: travel guide, 9-day itinerary, considerations which luxury hotel brand to choose for a private guided tour, how it is doing this with COMO luxury hotels as well as ideas where to go for a pre- or post-Bhutan stay.

Some short trips in Switzerland and Germany in summer

In summer 2023, we traveled our own backyard. That means we visited some places in Switzerland and the nearby Germany. The start made a weekend trip to Hotel Vitznauerhof in Vitznau where we have stayed several times in the recent past (my blogpost). Again, we came here not only for the pleasant hotel experience by the lake but also for culinary delights. This time, we dined not with the two-star Michelin chef Jeroen Achtien – he left in the meantime. Instead, we tried out the pop-up at the time, Ibiza Food Studios by the Danish Boris Buono. And we liked it!

Our next destination was Germany, precisely Hotel Traube Tonbach in the northern Black Forest. Once more, this was not our first visit here but the third one. For the newest post about this fabulous accommodation, check it out here. My husband and I are great fans of this hotel. You encounter here not only immaculate facilities and an excellent hospitality but also high-end gastronomy (four Michelin stars in total) and beautiful nature surroundings.

Last, we had a stay in the Swiss Alps, in Zermatt exactly. A friend of us celebrated a special birthday here. And we used this opportunity to give a hotel a try that was new to us. It is about The Omnia, which was a true find. Should you be interested, check out the details here. In the past, we also stayed repeated times at another high-end hotel in Zermatt, the Riffelalp Resort (my post). While the former is located in the town of Zermatt, the later is in the mountainside, a perfect choice in case you are looking for a ski-in/ski-out property. Allow me one more remark to Zermatt in summer. We found the resort’s center (Bahnhofstrasse) as much too crowded by tourists. And this was so every time we passed by on our four-day visit.

North Italy & west Switzerland journey: 14-day road trip

In late summer, we ventured to Italy’s north again – after doing so in 2021 already. This time it went to the South Tyrol (two stops) and the Lake Garda area. On the way home, we made a side trip to west Switzerland in order to celebrate a special birthday in our family in Montreux. I made six posts about this journey: a North-Italy & west Switzerland 14-day road trip itinerary, a report on our first hotel in Tirolo close to Merano, and another about our second in the Sarentino valley near Bolzano (both in the South Tyrol). Then I informed about staying at our luxury accommodation on Lake Garda before going into the Michelin fine dining options close by. Finally, I wrote about two Michelin starred dining spots in Montreux.

Chile & Buenos Aires/Argentina: 20-day journey

In November, we made the final big trip of my husband’s last year of employment. In some way, we wanted to mark the end of an era by doing a truly special journey. For this purpose, we chose Chile. And we combined it with Buenos Aires. We did this for the simple reason that it made our flight to Santiago de Chile less expensive! Originally, we found that it would be more desirable to see this awesome city on the occasion of a (later) journey across Argentina. Yet you definitely can visit Buenos Aires more than once!

In the context of pricing, it turned out that we had to spend a small fortune for our Chile trip. This was especially true for one of our hotels in Patagonia and the one we had picked for our Atacama Desert stay. While the latter offered nevertheless worth for money, this was not so at the former. At least we did not have to break the bank for the other lodging – apart from Buenos Aires we also stayed in Santiago de Chile and Valparaiso.

I did write six blogposts about this journey, a non-rushed 20-day itinerary and five reports on staying and dining in style at each of the places we were. This is about two hotels around Torres del Paine, Hotel Awasi in the Atacama Desert, Santiago de Chile, Valparaiso and Buenos Aires.

Madeira: 7-day stay between Christmas and New Year 

For the second time in a row we spent a week between Christmas and New Year in Madeira. My husband and I absolutely fell in love with this beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean with its mild climate all year round. And we enjoyed balmy days again at this time of the year!

Another plus point in Madeira is also the hotel we have chosen here, and this on three consecutive occasions. It is about Les Suites at the Cliff Bay (my post). It offers not only spacious suites and great hospitality but also value for money.

Travel year 2024

As far as 2024 is concerned, we ventured far in the first half, I already mentioned it. Regarding the second half, we have planned several trips, although we will stay in Europe all the time.

Done that

Sils Maria in Upper Engadine/Switzerland: 6-day winter vacation

This was another repeat trip to a favorite hotel destination of ours, Hotel Waldhaus in Sils Maria in the Upper Engadine near Saint Moritz (my post). Again, we were delighted by this accommodation’s location – towering high above the village of Sils Maria – and its understated luxury.

This time we also tried out a restaurant here that we have not dined at so far, Restaurant Arvenstube. And while we liked the food here it was far too much of it. Next time, we probably stick to the traditional Waldhaus Dining-Room, which might feel a bit old-fashioned, but beautifully old-fashioned.

Short stay in Luzern

And yet this is another repeat hotel destination for us! My mother celebrated a milestone birthday and to celebrate this event we headed to Luzern for a second stay at Montana Art Deco Hotel. This time, we opted for a room category that had received a refurbishment in the meantime, the Deluxe Room Lakeside one. And it did not disappoint with its modern appearance.

Our family also had the birthday lunch onsite, at Restaurant Scala, which has received a touch-up too. Again, we liked what we got food wise. And the service was good as well, a lot of fussing about my mother’s special day.

We used the opportunity to check out the recently opened Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern. And it is really a beauty! We had a fabulous afternoon tea, actually the best I ever had. In addition, we had a light meal at the MOzern Bar & Brasserie, which was also convincing.

Taiwan: 17-day road trip

A trip to Taiwan had been our our travel bucket list for some time. Friends of us had visited this island twice and had been raving about its vibrant cities and its stunning natural beauties. So, we headed there end of March, beginning of April. And I would say that it was quite a memorable undertaking.

What I only fully realized after the trip was how densely populated Taiwan is (especially on its west side). It was astonishing to witness how so many people live together in such a small space. Of a consequence of that, we and the ones or other Westerner travelers were “in competition” with lots of Taiwanese tourists. Generally, it worked out well – an exception was the mountain village of Jiufen on a weekend – , and we had a great time in Formosa, as this Asian Island was formerly known.

My reporting on Taiwan includes following topics: Some considerations when planning a (luxury) Taiwan trip, two itineraries of different lengths – one week and two weeks – , my personal luxury hotel highlight in Taiwan and my favorite fine-dining restaurants here.

North Italy & west Switzerland: 11-day road trip

Our first travel undertaking as an early retired couple lead lead us to Italy once more – after 2023 and 2021. We followed a bit in our footsteps of 2021, but not too much so. Variety is what makes traveling fun for us! The northern Italian region of Piedmont was on our itinerary one more time, yet with different places. It was actually the main focus of this trip. On our return home, we made a side tour to the Vallée de Joux. It is a rugged and unspoiled valley between Swiss Jura Mountain ranges, not far from Lake Geneva. My coverage of this voyage is still in progress – unfortunately not yet so advanced as I would have liked.

Sils Maria in Upper Engadine/Switzerland: 4-night short trip in summer

To celebrate our son’s 30th birthday we headed to Hotel Waldhaus in Sils Maria (see above) one more time, and this in summer. As we spent quite some vacations here when our son was a child – especially in summer – we found that it would be nice to repeat this experience. And after this recent stay, we can confirm that the Waldhaus is not only a perfect winter destination but still more than suitable going to in summer as well.

Ahead of us 

France: 20-day road trip Champagne-Normandy-Brittany-Cognac-Dordogne-Cantal

In our twenties, my husband and I did voyage in France very often. Our western neighboring country was actually our preferred destination for traveling around. When we became parents we stopped doing so. We thought that exploring sights, changing hotels all the time and dining at gourmet restaurants might not be the right thing for a small child. Now seems to be great timing to resume this kind of traveling. However, we want to stay longer at certain places, frequently three nights or so. And instead of seeing various attractions we prefer now walking the area.

We start our journey in the Champagne, which we do not know very well yet. Next is France’s northwest that is no new land for us. After two nights in Honfleur (Normandy) we proceed to Brittany where we lodge at three spots, each for three nights. This is actually the major focus of our trip. We continue towards south to Cognac, where we have never been before. The way back home goes via the Dordogne respectively the Perigord. We voyaged here on an earlier occasion and liked the lovely countryside. As final stop before home we chose the Département Cantal. This region, somewhere halfway between Toulouse and Lyon, is unfamiliar to us.

Short stay in Geneva

As we have dear friends who live partly in Geneva, we have arranged a short stay here. We did so already in the past. It was great fun to visit it with someones at their place of residence who know all the best spots to go.

Greece: 17-day road trip Athens & Peleponnes

Greece is new territory to my husband and me. So far we have avoided it because it appeared too touristy to us. Now we thought it might be the time to reconsider, especially as overseas flights has become very expensive. We visit off-season, end of October, beginning of November. Let us see what comes out of this.

That was it to the latest travel news about Swiss Traveler for 2023 and 2024! We have already made a booking for early 2025. And this is for a destination that occurs quite often in my reporting lately. It is about Madeira.

Madeira again in 2025, a 10-day stay

In contrast to the last two times, we go there not around New Year, but at the beginning of January. As a retired couple, we are more flexible. We do not have to travel when all the others do. And I am excited to learn how this island feels in this season.

The post What was going on in my travel year 2023? And what is about 2024? first appeared on Swiss Traveler