A NARRATIVES PR PUBLICATION

Ithink we can all agree that time waits for no man, and it is seemingly going faster with each week! After wrapping up last year’s Africa-focused travel schedule in easily, one of my favourite places on the continent and the place where my career in destination marketing began in 2007 – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; I returned rejuvenated and with a renewed sense of possibility. We’ve all heard cool quotes and watched videos about how we should aspire to curate our lives, but always wondered what that would look like for the everyday person with a desire to experience a barrage of transformational experiences ever so often. For that season, seeing the thundering Victoria Falls from above onboard the Flight of Angels, from under it with a jet boat experience in the gorge, and from the edge of it by swimming in the Devil’s Pool, my Victoria Falls bucket list was fully ticked! My only goal is to have more of my friends and family enjoy the wonder that is the great Mosi-oa-Tunya!

We are excited to be sharing as our Cover Story, the journey of Sara Gardiner and her family, who continue to deliver fingers and have it, and so travel has become that industry that has become more and more innovative in tailored experiences that take tourists beyond movement between locations. Being on the pulse of travel, hospitality, leisure and lifestyle opportunities in the UAE and across Africa, has lent us the opportunity to see for ourselves, the very things that consumers are looking for, and we hope to be able to pull those together for your read and consideration. award-winning experiences from the accolade receiving luxury lodge on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River – Matetsi Victoria Falls. My second stay at Matetsi during this trip, served not only as an opportunity to refresh and recalibrate as a lead up to the close of a hectic year, but to truly reward myself with rest in the throngs of nature. It was an opportunity I loved the first time, and loved even more the second time around so much that I was keen to understand how hers and her family’s passion for creating what we now know as Matetsi Victoria Falls, came about.

I’m delighted to share our first Issue of Travel Essence Magazine for 2023, the 20th Issue since we launched at the onset of the global pandemic. Ours has been a journey of exciting discovery, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without your support, and that of the incredible brands in hospitality, travel and lifestyle, that value our efforts. May this be that year you dare to go to the places you have never been, do the things you’ve been mustering the courage to pursue and most importantly, discover the best version of yourself yet along the way!

Nature is therapeutic, restorative and healing, garnering humankind an opportunity to reconnect with self and the rolling tides of time in its rawest form. The beginning of the year heralds conversations around trends to watch out for across sectors, and so it comes as no surprise that appearing high on the trend list for travel are “transformation retreats”, sustainability or consciousness in travel, where the notion of giving back to communities or playing a role in preserving the environment is of importance to the traveller, and going at it solo!

We want what we want, and often wish we could snap our