Editor's Note

WHILE working on this, the first issue of the IOL Travel magazine for 2022, these words by Paula Bendfeldt, a writer and social media consultant, kept ringing in my head:

“Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind and fills your life with stories to tell.”

And it’s so true. Now working on a magazine that is all about celebrating love and the love of travel tested me because I had to dig deep to once again find the joy that travel brings. One of the joys was remembering walking around the Dubai Miracle Garden and seeing loved-up couples fully in the moment. There was an old Israeli couple who saw me take selfies near the moat and approached to ask if I could take pictures of them and offered to do the same in return. I obliged. We spoke for about 15 minutes after that and I found out they were celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary and the Miracle Garden was the only bucket list item on their trip.

It was a beautiful moment of just how amazing it is to travel with your partner, whether it’s to celebrate an anniversary, honeymoon or it’s your first bae-cation. And that’s what this month’s IOL Travel digital magazine is all about – celebrating love in some of the most beautiful locations in the world.

We have picked amazing spas, hidden gems and the most romantic locations for you to enjoy with your partner. Whether you are travelling locally or abroad, we have great options for you to check out. Even if you don’t travel for Valentine’s weekend, you can still be inspired by the locations and types of travel we have included in the magazine, and travel later in the year.

Let the stories we have written and locations we have chosen open your heart, broaden your mind and when you do get to travel, may your trip with your loved one fill your life with many happy stories to tell.

Buhle

The picture taken by the Israeli couple at the Dubai Miracle Garden.