Why do we really travel?
I’ve asked myself that question too many times, not least due to my fear of flying, and that dreaded cycle of delayed flights, long security lines, and baggage claim roulette(horrors that would make anyone question why they’d ever want to set foot on a plane again).
Despair in the departure lounge aside, it has kept me wondering what we go looking for when we venture out into the world. Our Shortlist issue is a response to those questions, or at the very least, an effort to inspire and renew your wanderlust with the best travel experiences today.
For some, it's in the distance – getting far away from home to a barren steppe in Kyrgyzstan (p 53) or the chocolate-box cutesiness of small-town Switzerland (p 20). Where unfamiliarity and hospitality meet, memories are made, and places are fallen in love with for life. What better feeling is there than to sit down at the table in a new country, in a room full of chattering voices, to a plate of what they make best?
Or, you could say, to travel is to luxuriate, to sweep into your suite at The Emory in Knightsbridge (p 76) with shopping bags from stores nearby, then saunter downstairs to the spa for a full-scale restoration. But perhaps there’s a simpler objective to travel and a simpler approach, too: a chance to marvel at human achievements, be it those of 7,000 years ago, carved into the intricate landscapes of AlUla (p 15), or the visionaries transforming Saudi today (p 34).
By that definition – of every trip, home or abroad, being a moment for inspiration –you may never need to board a plane again, if you’re so inclined. But travel, near or far, inspires us, and perhaps that’s all we need for now – the promise of discovery, wherever we may find it.
Read through our latest edition:
Our cover art was designed by Lindsey Spinks.
Lindsey is an illustrator whose work has been featured in theNew York Times, Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph'sStella Magazine, Food and Travel, and the Independent, among others. Her intricately detailed work is created traditionally, then digitally coloured and layered with handmade textures to create beautifully expressive compositions with a contemporary edge. Lindsey is the artist behind our autumn edition's illustrated cover depicting Sindalah, The Red Sea, and Riyadh Season.
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