“Honestly, if I get a vacation I’m gonna go and sit on my couch in New York.”
Matt Damon
Make Peace
Anyone traveling wants to think about accommodation, restaurants, sights and, at most, the problem of squeezing their belongings into a 23-kilo suitcase. But for safety? The Global Peace Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace examines 163 countries each year and evaluates them on the basis of crime, murder and imprisonment rates as well as international and national conflicts. Due to coronavirus and the violent incidents it caused, the 2020 and 2021 list was given a good shake-up. However, Iceland has topped the list for 13 years, followed by New Zealand and Denmark in 2022, with Switzerland in seventh place. In addition to low military spending and a lack of international conflicts, Europe’s lowest arrest rate of 33 per 100,000 inhabitants catapults the Nordic island into first place.
Papaya Playa Project
Palm trees line the Caribbean Sea, the sand shines whiter than freshly whitened teeth, and somewhere someone is sipping from a fresh coconut. Pure kitsch, right? And that’s often the thing about the Caribbean, which has even more to offer than a flattened beach and an all-inclusive buffet. Papaya Playa Project in Tulum, Mexico, manages the balancing act between kitsch and coolness and combines design elements with what nature has left us here. Bungalows are springing up like mushrooms among the jungle plants, and whether it will be a cabaña, a casita or your own casa is really only decided by your wallet – or your credit card limit. Apart from the picturesque location, Papaya Playa Project impresses with its focus on sustainability and the tribute that the creators pay to the Mayas. The design and materials of the cottages are based on the construction methods used by the indigenous people for their homes. A juice bar, full moon party, DJ sets and spa treatments with local products such as coconut, honey or aloe vera ensure that luxury is not neglected in the middle of the Caribbean jungle. Papaya Playa Project, double room from approx. 374.- per night, Carretera Tulum Boca Paila, Tulum, Mexico, papayaplayaproject.com
Greek Islands Odyssey
Fair enough, 312 pages of photos of Greece will not quench your wanderlust any more than a shot of vodka will quench your thirst. But perhaps Assouline’s “Greek Islands” will act as a kick in the ass to finally put the Greek island at the top of your own bucket list. The sun glistens on the surface of the water, the white houses gleam in the landscape, ruins are waiting to be explored. Whether Patmos or Hydra, Santorini, Crete or Mykonos: there are over 3,054 Greek islands to discover in the Mediterranean, which is around 82 percent of all islands in the Mediterranean region. Assouline does not skimp on picturesque photographs, which the author and photographer captured themselves during an adventurous ride on a sailing boat. And so “Greek Islands” is a work that stays in your memory like the taste of tzatziki even after you have turned the last page. Chrysanthos Panas & Katerina Katopis-Lykiardopulo, “Greek Islands”, Assouline, ca. 95.-
