THIS ISSUE WAS A trip down memory lane as I recounted some wonderful memories from 2017. In this month’s Spas article, I recalled a blissful spa visit at Sandpearl Resort while in Clearwater Beach, Fla., for a friend’s wedding. On page 67 I was transported back to Thailand, where I spent a few days in Chiang Mai, including a half-day experience at an elephant sanctuary. And lastly, I take you all along on a bucket-list trip to Chernobyl, Ukraine. You might be surprised to learn it’s a trending destination. I share my thoughts on page 74.
We also reflect on the 2017 GT Tested Reader Survey award winners and our celebration fete at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. On the following pages, see photos of some of the industry’s top movers and shakers as they collect the awards you, our readers, bestowed upon them. Don’t forget: Voting is on for 2018. Find the ballot in this issue or online. We also invite you to vote in The Trazees at trazeetravel.com, and the Wherever Awards at whereverfamily.com, awards from our two sister web publications.
Speaking of family, we explore the leading family travel destinations around the globe on page 48. As I was reading Steve Jermanok’s article, I recalled a two-week cross-country trek with my parents and grandmother when I was around 12 years old — another blast from the past. We went to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, among other places, and today, two decades later, national parks still top the list for family vacations. For daily updates on the world of family travel, visit whereverfamily.com; it’s your trusted travel source for the modern family.
We’re all over the map in this issue as we also journey to İstanbul, Tokyo, Cincinnati, Warsaw, Durban, Managua and the Philippines. Next month we travel from Singapore to the Azores, from Iceland to Oslo in our second annual Green Issue. Join us on that eco-friendly trip around the world.
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Come Face-to-Face with Mountain Gorillas on a Trek in Uganda
Not a word was spoken as I settled into a cozy spot on the outdoor terrace just outside the main lodge at Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge in Uganda. The air was so still the ice in my single malt seemed to echo off the forest in the distance as it clanked against the glass. I sat among a handful of fellow adventurers, each sitting silently beneath the night sky for one collective goal. Moments earlier, we learned a troop of mountain gorillas had made their way down the mountain near our lodge, and we left our meals to instead sit in eager anticipation of hearing the guttural grunts of the primates below. The chills on my arms never left me that night, even as I made my way up a stone pathway to my personal banda (guestroom). Thankfully, sleep came quickly for me that night as I drifted into dreams of what my next day would bring.
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