I took a trip with my family to Walt Disney World, and in the airport, myself and a lady travelling alone struck up a conversation. She was sitting peacefully, coffee in hand, with the resolute of someone who had recently chosen to be exactly where she was.
We got talking, as women do when their children have briefly been absorbed by something shiny nearby. She had two kids – two and five years old – and she told me she was travelling solo for 4 days and does this regularly – just takes herself away. Solo. No agenda, no one to negotiate with, no one to need anything from her. Just her. Not as a reaction to burnout. Not as a last resort. Just because. I found myself nodding along in the way you do when someone says something that sounds radical but is actually just obvious, and you can’t believe it took hearing it from a stranger to realise it. Why not? Not as a question, but as an answer.
This month’s theme is connections. And the older I get, the more I believe that the most important connection you can tend to is the one you have with yourself. Sometimes that means a solo weekend. Sometimes it means an evening that belongs only to you. Sometimes it’s just a moment at a breakfast table. (Side note: Walt Disney World was the kind of magic that dreams and Magic Kingdoms are made of, and a connection I found quite incredible with my kids).
Connection in other forms arrived unexpectedly this month too. I was fortunate enough to attend the Olivier Awards with Cunard at the Royal Albert Hall, and if you want a reminder of what human beings are capable of when they pour everything they have into something, I cannot think of a better place to find it. The Royal Albert Hall was electric. Paddington the Musical swept seven awards, Rachel Zegler stopped the room as Evita, Rosamund Pike reminded everyone why she is one of the finest actresses today, and the 50th anniversary of the Oliviers was marked with performances from Wicked to Phantom of the Opera, and so much more, all of them reminding you remember why London’s theatre scene is, quite simply, the best in the world. What struck me most though wasn’t the spectacle. It was the support in that room, the genuine, unguarded joy that people took in each other’s wins over the common thread of brilliant storytelling, on and off stage. A reminder that connection doesn’t always require quiet, sometimes it fills the Royal Albert Hall.
So here we are in May. And what a month we’ve put together for you. We’re connecting with ourselves and those that mean so much to us. We’re exploring India with children in tow, properly, and with all the chaos and wonder that comes with it. We’re talking country-appropriate dressing, because looking good and being respectful are not mutually exclusive, and in fact the two go beautifully together. We’re going inside Ibiza’s legendary vintage boutique, because the island has always been about more than the obvious. We’re exploring the power of cruise. We’ve gathered the best of Europe’s creative breaks for those of you who travel to feel something. We’re looking at siblings on holiday, the dynamics, the diplomacy, the surprising moments of grace. We have a very exciting competition with Welcome Beyond to the Cyclades, and so much more!
Whether you’re going somewhere with everyone you love, or somewhere entirely alone, this one’s for you.
With love,
