PHOTOGRAPH: STEVE RYAN
Dark clouds rolled in and warm blobs of rain were soon smacking against my face. On the shores of Lake Vembanad in Kerala, southern India, this was a joyous time. The coming of the monsoon signalled the arrival of great bounty for the people and wildlife of this tropical backwater. In the years since, I’ve tried to shed my British instinct to recoil from even the thought of rain, and open my mind to travelling at moments that don’t follow perceived wisdom. Embracing the off-season (p60) is among the themes in our Travel Goals coverage in this issue, a selection intended to deliver variety and quite a few surprises. We’ve been guided by the diverse backgrounds of our writers: such as Omo Osagiede, who challenges his own identity when mistaken for a Berber in the Moroccan Sahara (p72); and Diana Pappas, who retraces the path taken by her grandmother as a refugee in Kefallonia (p86). Keep an eye out for the many Travel Goals that can be achieved much closer to home, and also for a chance to receive our new Travel Goals book when you take up a subscription - or, perhaps, choose to share one as a gift (p62).
Clockwise from right: The quest to fulfil Travel Goals in this issue transports us from Kerala, India, to the Moroccan Sahara, the Greek island of Kefallonia, and Newquay in Cornwall