Exploring foreign cities, lounging on a beach, drinking cocktails for breakfast, tasting exotic dishes, discovering new adventures, all of this sustains me by giving pleasure and meaning to my continued existence on this fiery hellish landscape. of a planet.

Yet the ease of travel has been curtailed by the ongoing global pandemic. It is certainly possible, but luck has twice conspired to cancel paid trips and I’m not sure I care about being disappointed a third time. I’m sure many of you reading this will be in the same boat.

Hope is all we can hold on to; that things will get better, stay better and allow us to book travel tickets without fear of disappointment. And what better way to dream of such future fantasies than several trips to Europe to see your team in action? Cheap mainland football, supporters and lager – there is nothing better.

This is the dream of Hearts and Hibs supporters in 2022. If the Omicron variant can calm down in a riot, and there isn’t a new one ready to take over that is more contagious or deadly, then we should be allowed to leave this island. -free and venture to the mainland when July and August arrive.

But the real aspiration is that these lights extend into the fall and even winter months. Because, unless this season’s Champions League is won by a team that doesn’t qualify for next season’s tournament through their home league (looking at you, EPL), then there’s an open spot. for a Scottish team to go directly to the Europa League -off round game. Even if this club fails in its attempt to qualify for the European secondary competition, it will then enter the group stages of the Europa Conference League.

Right now, that hanging carrot will ultimately belong to whoever wins the Scottish Cup. Given that the competition has only been won seven times by a non-Old Firm team since 2000 (and three of them were during the Rangers joke years), and these two will most likely finish first and second this campaign, we can make a pretty strong assumption that third place will get the prize.

Can you imagine You don’t have to worry about making a trip to Armenia, Malta or Kazakhstan in case it is the only day away from Europe that year. You can choose from four (FOUR!) Avenues available.

Right now, this scenario should make Hearts fans salivate. Tynecastle’s team currently hold a five-point third-place lead over Motherwell heading into the winter break. The Hibs, however, should not be counted by far. They have suffered a terrible long run this campaign, which has forced them to do without their former manager, but they are still only seven points behind. That’s not a big gap to fill in the grand scheme of things, especially since there will likely be three derbies left to play, including two at Easter Road.

With new manager Shaun Maloney already having an instant impact on the squad and renowned summer signing Chris Mueller ready to bow out in January, they just have to challenge Hearts until the end.

Even setting aside the ambition of the fans, it’s a tremendous opportunity for both halves of the Edinburgh division to help each other grow as clubs. There will be at least $ 2 million in prizes up for grabs, not to mention the increased exposure, home sales, and the persuasion of valuable assets to stay longer.

Faraway football trips abroad in 2022 may not be limited to domestic ones alone. Scotland are only two games away from qualifying for the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar at the end of the year. It might not be the most desirable venue, especially if you’re anything other than a straight man, but contentious host countries are always on their best behavior when it comes to international sporting events. Also, the Qatari weather will be much more appealing when you take a look out the window in mid-November.

Even if a trip to this corner of the Middle East isn’t worth it, it would still be great to stay in our hometown, venture out to our favorite waterholes, and feel the sense of community we have. all felt during our Euro 2020 doomed campaign.

It’s also a huge year for local league teams Bonnyrigg Rose, Tranent Juniors, Penicuik Athletic and Linlithgow Rose. The bottom three are facing off in the East of Scotland title fight with the winner having a chance to play in play-offs to reach the Lowland League.

This is where Bonnyrigg Rose currently resides. They have a ten-point gap over second-placed Rangers B (who cannot be promoted) and are 11 points ahead of the Spartans one game less. If they stay the course, they will face the winners of the Highland League (currently Fraserburgh) for the chance to meet Team 42 (likely Cowdenbeath) for a spot in the SPFL next season.

It might not be Spain, Italy or Croatia but having seen mostly the same opponents for several years it would be great for Rose fans to have the chance to visit Annan Athletic, Elgin City and Forfar Athletic next season.

There is more than enough to have hope and optimism for 2022. Let’s just hope we can get out there and experience it all.