Happy 2023, fellow travelers! It’s hard to believe the new year is already well underway and we’re wrapping up our first issue of the year. This year marks the beginning of Global Traveler’s countdown to 20. That’s right, this December will mark the 20th GT Tested Reader Survey awards, and next February 2024 is our 20th birthday — an exciting time for sure! When I interviewed with the magazine fresh from graduation from Syracuse University, I could not have imagined how quickly time would fly before we were counting down to this milestone anniversary. We hope you join us on this year-long celebration to the big 2-0.

As always with the first issue of the year, we have some changes to look out for in this issue, most notably, the debut of a brand-new column, “Must Haves.” Turn to page 26 for Brandon Schultz’s first round-up, this month focused on some of the best, most innovative luggage currently on the market.

Speaking of Brandon Schultz, he recently wrote his sixth book, 111 Places in Philadelphia That You Must Not Miss. The world has a beautiful way of bring- ing people together, especially the world of travel, and when I had the chance to meet Schultz in person, we discovered we grew up near each other in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. As a native Philadelphian, I’m excited to check out his new book, dubbed a guidebook for locals and frequent visitors. 111 Places in Philadelphia That You Must Not Miss includes the quirky, mysterious and untold stories of the city and its immediate surroundings. You won’t find listings of hotels, restaurants and famous attractions within, but rather hidden stories of the people and places that defined Philly’s true character from past to present. It’s available in bookstores, gift shops and on Amazon.

We take to the 2023 skies this month with a look at airline startups (page 38) and the world’s happiest countries (page 42) before journeying to Manila, Philippines; Chicago, Illinois; İstanbul, Türkiye; London, England; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Seattle, Washington; Dublin, Ireland; Osaka, Japan; Australia’s Whitsunday Islands; and on some of the world’s top luxury train routes. Phew, there’s a lot to look forward to in this issue and this year. Join us next month for a look at some of the travel industry’s most influential female leaders.