“Kokomo” by the Beach Boys has been running through my head as we worked on this, our annual Leisure Travel Issue. I remember as a child listening to and singing this song with my mom and my grandmother and swaying side by side as we listed off the names of islands like Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda and the Bahamas. Today I’m editing articles about those exact same destinations. While not “getting away from it all,” this issue is designed to transport you to an island in the sun and an escape from reality. The following pages are all dedicated to leisure travel, including the announcement of the winners in our 13th annual Leisure Lifestyle Awards. Tell me, did your favorites win?

This issue also gave me the opportunity to reminisce on my last toes-in-the-sand island vacation to the beautiful, welcoming and hospitable island of Curaçao. Check out our Friends & Family article on page 68 to learn more. In this article we cover the ABCs: Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao, and the overview of each island comes to you from a different journalist, bringing three voices to one article to offer a new and unique perspective of the destinations. While I did not have the chance to rave about our Curaçao guide in the article, I can do so here. If your travel plans include Curaçao, you must reach out to island ambassador and experience
curator Tirzah Statia at @iamtirzah on Instagram. Tirzah knows everyone and will share the best local experiences with you.

On an unfortunate note, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner. Gardner passed away while on vacation with his family in Costa Rica from carbon monoxide poisoning at the upscale resort where the family was staying. This tragic situation serves as a reminder of the ways we can be vigilant and practice enhanced safety while traveling. One of the ways I will do so, and as others on the team here at FXExpress Publications, Inc., plan to do, is by purchasing an affordable travel carbon monoxide detector, available from many places including Amazon, and adding it to my travel kit.

What leisure destinations beckon in this issue? Come with us to visit West Palm Beach, Florida; Honolulu, Hawai‘i; Costa Rica; Lisbon, Portugal; Phuket, Thailand; Corfu, Greece; The Great Barrier Reef; Fakarava in French Polynesia; the Amalfi Coast’s Emerald Grotto; and so much more.

Join us in June for our 315th issue!

Kimberly Inlander, editor in chief