2018-09-01_TravelLeisureIndiaSouthAsia

have often contemplated

the reason why most of

us love to travel. Is it an

instinct to discover the

unknown, or just a way to escape

the mundane? Over the years,

I’ve spent time and savings

experiencing new places, trying

to learn a thing or two about

people and cultures. There’s a

leitmotif in all my travels. It was

best described by the French

novelist Gustave Flaubert when

he said, “Travel makes one

modest, you see what a tiny place

you occupy in the world.”

Some trips are more special than others. And for this very special

12 th Anniversary Issue, I journeyed to the Maldives with Bollywood

actor par excellence Huma Qureshi, whose passion for travel is

infectious (p. 86). This momentous issue also happens to be our

biggest yet, and one of the most comprehensive, covering a wide

range of holidays—from conservation travel to winter escapes, and

the ultimate tropical getaway. I have a soft spot for the sun, sea, and

sand, and the massive expanse of the Indian Ocean is a delight to

witness. Our edit segment on the Maldives tells you everything you

need to know about the world’s lowest country (p. 81).

Talking about people who make trips more interesting solely by

virtue of being who they are, we have 12 personalities—designers

Raghavendra Rathore and Anita Dongre, funny man Sorabh Pant,

glam goddess Malaika Arora, Chef Thomas Zacharias, among

others—stalwarts of their own crafts, sharing their most memorable

travel tales from destinations in India and around the globe (p. 55).

Elsewhere, we have a seasoned traveller taking us for a hike

on a miraculous glacier in Argentina that’s beating all odds and

pushing against climate change (p. 34), and one of our own flies to

Finland for a tryst with the Northern Lights (p. 130). While you’re

at it, don’t miss out on voting (and winning fabulous holidays!)

for your favourites in the Indian travel and hospitality segments

withIndia’s Best Awards 2018(iba2018.travelandleisureindia.in).

Bon voyage!

HEMANT KHENDILWAL; RIGHT ROW, FROM TOP: ROHAN SHRESTHA; IMAGE DIARIES C

OLLECTION/ALAMY; COURTESY OF SERAI CHIKMAGALUR

1. Huma Qureshi
   in the Maldives.


2. Penguins on
   Boulders Beach,
   South Africa.


3. A walk in a
   coffee estate,
   Chikmagalur.

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Aindrila Mitra

[email protected]

I

EDITOR’S NOTE

#TNLTRAVELS ON

@TRAVELANDLEISUREINDIA

@TNLINDIA

12 INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS