What and where next?

So here we go again.

After nearly four years with the same company (something of a record in my transient life and career), I find myself considering my next step in the world of employment. Even if we weren’t living through the upheaval of a global pandemic, it would be a challenging time to find work in my field.

The world has got even faster in those four years and the concept of someone still working on print publications seems remarkably quaint and old fashioned. What’s more, I am now four years older and, while wiser, I am not sure sagacity is all that important in this contemporary world of rolling news and constant demands for quick content hits and the lure of contrasting views.

Even if my Tik Tok and inflammatory opinions were more on-point, the fact is that Covid-19 has turned everything upside down and is dragging us towards an inevitable economic crisis.

So with the world so fractured and the job market so depressed, why the optimism? It’s probably foolhardy and this is definitely written in the first emotional fallout from retrenchment, where positivity seems essential to ensure the feelings of rejection (misplaced or not) don’t hurt too much. Regardless, I still feel a genuine sense of excitement about what the next adventure might be.

For now, I can ignore reality and embrace the belief that everything is possible. I can let my mind run wild and fantasise about all the potential adventures I could pursue - and trust me, those fantasy career moves are both wild and unlikely, ranging from explorer to zookeeper to award-winning photographer, to pick out three of the most far-fetched.

Of course, ask me this again six months down the line when the bank balance has disappeared and the ennui has set in, but for now I am just going to enjoy the moment and spend some time to dream of possibilities for a little while longer.

All about balance

What turned out to be my very last Editor's Letter before we really knew how bad the Pandemic would get. Yet as we face up to the perils of second waves and dealing long term with the impact of the virus a bit of balance seems to ring pretty true on a lot of fronts.

Town or country?

It’s an eternal debate, and one I am still not sure I can answer. I grew up in a pretty rural corner of England and have a huge love for the natural world. Yet, I have spent all my adult life happily living and working in big cities around the planet.

Sure, I often daydream of a simpler life, dwelling in some isolated bolthole, far from the people and pressures of city-living, but I’m also aware that I wouldn’t last a week before I started to clamour for a dose of cafés, company and culture.

Even more challenging would be my complete lack of any practical survival skills. Of course, the answer to the riddle – as with most things in life – is really a little bit of both. And that’s exactly what we have on offer in this month’s issue. We kick things off with the growing number of quirky accommodation options, from luxury tents to historic homesteads, tucked away in the striking Australian landscapes just a short drive away from Canberra (page 38). These are countryside escapes made easy, the perfect solution for the time-deprived among us – and for those who don’t want their nature too raw or remote!

From the Aussie countryside, we head back to the urban jungle, as we celebrate the upcoming launch of Singapore Airlines’ new route to Brussels this October with a tour through the beautiful but often overlooked cities of Flanders (page 48). Following in the footsteps of painter Jan van Eyck, we discover how his story is intertwined with the rich history, culture and architecture on offer in Ghent and Bruges.

From the old, we head to the new, ending this month’s globetrotting with a visit to Manila. The city has seen a recent proliferation of restaurants championing an exciting brand of modern Filipino cuisine (page 58) that still leans on regional traditions and ingredients.

Whether you crave cutting-edge cuisine, inspirational art and history or a quiet country retreat, we hope you find the perfect balance on your travels.

Nick Measures
Senior Managing Editor

You can read the April issue here.