For someone who travels a lot, I’m not the best flyer. Those clammy-palmed moments of take-off and landing, and the inevitable air-pocket lumps and bumps that make your stomach sink and pulse race, are the panicky start to any trip that involves flying anywhere. In some ways, though, I’m grateful for this momentary hardship en route to the joy to be found at the end of a journey, as it means I never take any of it for granted.
Being able to expand our horizons and visit different destinations, to experience other cultures and environments, is a true privilege and a source of endless inspiration. This being our summer issue, which many will pick up in airports or railway stations before heading off on a much-needed break, we’ve chosen to explore the benefits of travel in all its forms. Our architecture columnist Richard Parr discusses the impact an inquisitive mindset has on his work and that of others, we look to the interior designers behind some of the world’s newest hotel openings and what we can learn from them about creating brilliant bedrooms and bathrooms, and then writer Eva Wiseman champions holidaying from the comfort of your own home.
There are also some of the most splendidly sunny and positive houses from around the globe to add to a sense of escapism wherever you find yourself during the summer months.
Speaking of moments of positivity, I often rather cling on to the wider metaphor of unexpected turbulence that you might endure on a flight. In spite of feeling as though you might drop out of the sky, you buckle up, endure the mid-air jolts and come out on the other side. As we’re all aware, current times are also turbulent. Whether that’s wider forces on a global geopolitical level or unrest that’s closer to home, it’s unsettling to say the least. And – call me naive – but I think that if we can focus on the idea that this will all pass, and that we’ll end up somewhere more pleasant in the future, perhaps a little shaken and nauseous but still surviving, then that’s surely a good mantra to live by this summer.
