HOW IS IT I’M WELCOMING you to our September 2019 issue? This year surely has flown, and I recently had a conversation with someone about the year 2020, and they remarked that it seemed like businesses with long-range goals have been planning for 2020 for years — and now here it is, just around the corner. I couldn’t agree more; 2020 felt like a milestone, something to plan and achieve for, and in the blink of an eye, we’re on its cusp.

I’m currently planning for my own life event in the year 2020, my wedding! On May 30, 2020, I’ll be walking down the aisle at the Waterfront at Silver Birches, on Lake Wallenpaupack, in Pennsylvania’s Poconos. The location combined my fiancé’s love for the area (his family has had a cabin there his entire life) and my desire for a mini-destination wedding that incorporates my love of travel.

Speaking of travel, this issue includes my article on Valencia, Spain, which happens to be the first international city Scott and I visited together. There we learned to cook paella, walked along the Mediterranean Sea, dined at a Hemingway favorite and more. I reminisced about the trip while crafting this month’s article, and it led me to start thinking more closely about another important trip coming up: our honeymoon.

My list of places I still want to visit is long, but when it comes to deciding where to honeymoon, so many other factors come into play — do we want relaxation or adventure? How long do we have to be away? Should we travel immediately or wait? How far do we want to travel? The questions spin in my head next to flower choices, save the dates and wedding dress options. Lightbulb moment: Why not ask you, our dedicated readers and clients, for suggestions, as you’re some of the most intrepid and savvy travelers I know? Please email me your suggestions at [email protected]

Where do we head this month? In addition to Valencia, we visit St. Petersburg, Almaty, Uganda, Panama City, Riviera Maya, Malta, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. We recap our Leisure Lifestyle Awards with some party pics and announce the winners of the 2019 Wherever Awards, distributed by our sister web publication whereverfamily.com. Join us next month as we take a look at haunted tourism in anticipation of Halloween.