FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

We apologise in advance. We know that when you see beautiful images of sun-drenched islands fringed with palm trees with that tantalising turquoise water cuddling up to the shore, it will make you want to be there … now.

Our theme this issue is Island Escapes, and we aim to whet your appetite for some island time. We visit New Caledonia during the 10th anniversary of the World Heritage listing of its magnificent lagoons. We explore Efate in Vanuatu and head to Espiritu Santo to ride horses in more of that aquamarine water.

Fiji is always on the menu when we think of an island holiday and we have some great suggestions on where to stay. And we can’t talk about islands without covering Hawaii, where we go on a Hawaiian food crawl around the islands.

It’s not all sun and sand. We let the pictures tell the story in our lead piece on Patagonia, and hang out with ghouls and ghosts during the

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico. New Orleans turns 300 this year so we see what’s happening in the city they call the Big Easy and in Rwanda, we go gorilla trekking.

In Asia, we head to Hong

Kong and explore some of the neighbourhoods on the iconic

‘ding ding’ trams that chug and rattle around the streets, before heading across to Macau.

An award-winning author writes all about his appearance at the Ubud Writers’ Festival in Bali and in Japan, we discover the region around Nikko and the snowy delights around Tohoku. V&T also heads out to the rugged Flinders Ranges in South Australia and we check in on Perth, with its new hotels, new stadiums and happening vibe. Europe is not forgotten, with excellent stories on Salzburg and the ever-so-beautiful

Lake Como, as well as a river cruise around Venice with Uniworld.

In this issue, we have a five-day vacation to Hawaii up for grabs including flights and accommodation at The Kahala Hotel & Resort and a US$1000 shopping spree from Simon Shopping Destinations to be spent at Waikele Premium Outlets. You have to be a subscriber to go in the draw so if you don’t already subscribe to our magazine, you can do that easily on page 35.

To keep your travel appetite sated between issues, sign up to our newsletter, Vacations & Travel Sunday

Traveller. And if there is a destination you would love us to cover, send me an email at vteditor@morrismedia.com.au

In the meantime, prepare to be inspired to travel and, if you are caught dreaming about your next holiday at work, we apologise.

Safe travels,