Virtuoso Life - July/August 2008 - (Page 22) EDITOR’S NOTE hey had me aT The helicopter. When i was coordinating the travel plans for a writer, photographer, and crew to get to Necker island for an interview and photo shoot for this issue’s cover story, i realized that the itinerary included planes, ferries, and, yes, helicopters. Talk about making an entrance. But that’s exactly how some guests get to Sir Richard Branson’s private retreat in the British Virgin islands. it’s also how you arrive at the Seychelles’ North island, another impressive private resort featured in this issue. indeed, there’s something about a helicopter that says ViP, fitting for this second annual Travel dreams issue. more than 12,000 of you (wow!) took our reader survey earlier this year, weighing in with the destinations and itineraries that top your wish lists – think african safaris, sailing the mediterranean, renting a private island, and other amazing experiences. The results of the entire survey start on page 82, a handy reference and inspiration for your own future trips of a lifetime. in these pages, those travel dreams, plus many others, come to life, heralding the possibilities in the world around us. But there’s also possibility beyond, as you’ll read in our feature on Virgin Galactic’s space venture (page 118). in this interview, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and Virtuoso CeO matthew Upchurch talk about the reality of space tourism and how it will change the way you see the world – literally. it may all seem over the top, yet who hasn’t been changed by their journeys? From touring temples in india to meeting maasai people in Kenya, from crossing antarctica’s drake Passage to peering down at the Great Barrier Reef, we come away with a heightened understanding and appreciation of the world’s diversity – and fragility. Such is the power of travel. Thanks to the thousands of you who shared your travel dreams, the foundation of this issue; we hope the articles within empower you to make them a reality. T EDITOR esrnka@virtuoso.com Behind the scenes: Photographer Andrew Eccles, writer Skip Hollandsworth, and Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch on location at Necker Island, and (right) Sir Richard Branson with Upchurch. Congratulations to Virtuoso Life Travel Dreams Sweepstakes winner Hugh Love, who won a 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser. Mr. Love says his own travel dream is riding the famed Orient-Express from Venice to Paris. 22 V I RT U O S O L I F E (ELAINE SRNKA) ARTURO RODRIGUEZ
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.