Roll out the welcome mat
Ineed a new suitcase. My big old Samsonite is falling apart after years of being bashed around in luggage holds and baggage belts, shoved into trains and dragged over gravelly pathways around the world. I’ve been putting off buying a replacement for the better part of two years, telling myself I’d eventually get around to it by the time international travel returns.
And, not so suddenly, here we are on the other side (hopefully) of Covid lockdowns and closed borders, and I’m realising I need to get my travel kit together.
Suitcases are such a personal item. In the same way that a handbag is basically an extension of a woman, so too is the perfect suitcase part of a frequent flyer. Hard case or soft? Extra compartments? Expandable? Two wheels or four? Patterned or plain? Our luggage can reflect our travel personalities.
I’ll be packing mine up soon for my first overseas trip, but before then it’s time to roll out the welcome mat.
From 11.59pm on Tuesday, our Australian neighbours will finally be able to arrive on Kiwi soil and we can’t wait to have them back to explore those beautiful places we’ve had mostly to ourselves over the past two years.
Let’s give them a great welcome – and show ’em how pavlova is made.
Of course, the hospitality is reciprocated across the Tasman. New South Wales has been busy glamming itself up and will be in need of some extra love from its Kiwi cousins after the devastating floods. You can read about the new boutique accommodations and eateries in regional NSW on pages 36-37.
Many of us are planning more intentional travel this year. Rather than the rushed bucket list-ticking travels of a bygone era, travellers in 2022 and beyond want to take the slower route and be more mindful of their footprints and the marks they leave on tourist attractions. Rail journeys are a gorgeous way of taking the slower route, and
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe will give you inspiration and practical tips for navigating the continent by rail. You can read an excerpt from the new book on pages 32-33.
For travellers who love to experience luxury New Zealand, be sure to read Brook Sabin’s review of the incredible Eichardt’s Private Hotel in Queenstown, where you can indulge in exquisite food, outstanding hospitality and, of course, those stunning lakefront views that tourists from around the world will be desperate to come and see. Find it on page 40.
While you enjoy another Sunday of travel dreams, I’m off to buy a new suitcase.