FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ifirst started with Vacations & Travel magazine in 1996. I was skinny and bright-eyed with the Sydney 2000 Olympics in our sights. Then, I was the Features Advertising Sales Manager and Africa was a strong destination to sell. With the success of a couple of African features, I was on my first trip with the magazine, a media familiarisation, better known as a junket.

Not only did I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be travelling on full wage, I was also in Africa on game drives seeing the big five, and staying in five-star luxury accommodation. Well, 21 years later I’m no longer skinny and several other junkets later, I’ve since travelled back to Africa twice and sent so many writers on our behalf. Africa’s had a rough trot in the last few years, yet recently travellers’ concerns have abated and it’s back on everyone’s hot lists. From the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, to the open plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya, we have had so much fun preparing this edition. I rate South Africa as the world’s best value-for-money five-star destination and its flora and fauna is unrivalled anywhere in the world.

As we are heading west, we also stop off in Western Australia and reveal its remote and isolated secrets. Firstly, we discover the Abrolhos Islands, the final resting place of the famed Dutch ship the Batavia. Inland, we go deep into the remote Pilbara’s Karijini National Park with a breathtaking photo feature, followed by highlights from the Kimberley down to Ningaloo Reef.

The Mumbai Indian food feature adds spice within our pages, and our quirky streets in Tokyo feature will leave you wanting to explore Japan’s most famous city. Currently, France has no crowds so what better time to visit and while you’re in Europe, battlefield tourism is popular and full of the history our forefathers fought for. For a modern twist we focus on Thailand’s art scene in Chiang Mai, revealing what makes this city so expressive.

I travelled to Jordan recently and although Petra was more incredible than the pictures suggested, my heart was stolen by the desert 'Martian' landscapes of Wadi Rum. Once again, the crowds are down, making this an ideal time to visit.

South America is also hot with Chile’s national carrier, LATAM, announcing 2017 daily direct flights from Melbourne to Santiago, its second daily Australian service. In this issue, we highlight some of Chile’s more unique hotels.

My next stop is Shanghai, a city

I’ve longed to return to for some time now, and as I write, 2016 concludes, and I look forward to sharing another year of inspiring content across our print and digital platforms.

With sincerity I thank all of our team, advertising partners and readers, while wishing all travellers health and happiness in 2017.

Safe travels,