From the Editor

Travel gives you permission to Do Something Different. Think back. I’d wager you’ve done things on holidays that you probably wouldn’t have dreamt of doing in “normal life”. I’m not talking about behaving irresponsibly – although, of course, that can happen when people throw caution to the wind. (And here I wince at the memory of jumping on the back of a stranger’s motorbike in Bali some 20 years ago.)

We’re more likely to try something different when we’re away from home. What makes us more open to new experiences, whether it’s as daring as swimming with sharks or as simple as trying a new food? I think it’s because we want to create lasting memories and we want to feel different. Let’s face it, when we’re on holiday, we’re more likely to say “Why not?” instead of “Why?”.

There are enormous benefits to leaping out of our comfort zones. According to American psychologist Rich Walker, people who try a lot of different experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions (and minimise negative emotions) than people who stick with what they know.

And the beauty of it is that you don’t have to travel for 20 hours to live anew. In this issue, we’re encouraging you to experience life on a cattle station in the Northern Territory, dive deep into the Great Barrier Reef and discover a new city in New Zealand. Or if you’ve never been skiing before, this is surely the year to try...

As for me, I took a short break in Darwin at the start of the dry season. The streets were heaving with backpackers, who were in town for Carl Cox and Eric Powell’s Mobile Disco. It’s true that, as one local wag put it, it was “like Love Island out there”. But after the year we’ve just endured, who could blame them for wanting to cut loose a little?

So I joined them in scootering around the city and I danced with them at The Tap, one of Darwin’s great beer gardens, where the music was live and raucous. Do Something Different? Why not?