As I write this note,

Melbourne is in stage four lockdown. Sydneysiders await the daily tally. The numbers coming in from overseas are grim. Meanwhile, here we are creating a travel magazine…

And yet. There is power in hope. I’ve written before about the pleasure of expectation, which has been dubbed “anticipatory joy” by psychologists. Research tells us the lead-up to a holiday – the planning, the decisionmaking, the agonising over hotels and the swotting up on restaurants – is almost as pleasurable as the holiday itself. Why? Because it takes us out of the daily grind and gives us something to look forward to.

We know, too, that just the thought of something wonderful can reduce stress. A 2014 study, The Impact of Anticipating Positive Events on Responses to Stress, found contemplating things that make us happy… actually makes us happy, even in times of intense trial. “Having things to look forward to is a major coping strategy,” said one of the study’s authors, Christian Waugh, an associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, North Carolina. “It helps us recover and adapt to stressors.”

I can’t imagine life without anticipation. I want to dream of a stretch of sand, an alfresco dinner, a balmy night sky. I want to see something that lifts me up and something that makes me feel small.

So I imagine the Gold Coast in September and Longitude 131° at Uluru in October. I’m also researching a road trip on New Zealand’s South Island. Our features director, Akash Arora, tells me that the drive from Greymouth to Queenstown is out of this world. “The scenery constantly changes,” he says. “There are mountains and valleys and waterfalls and glaciers. And just when you think you’ve seen everything, you come across the most extraordinary lakes. I couldn’t believe it.”

I can believe it. It’s starting to piece together in my head, like a little movie. Giving me something to dream about. Giving me something to look forward to…