Note from Publisher. Note from Editor.
Traveling in style is truly feat in itself. What to wear when you arrive? What to bring to fit in? What to say and when to say it?
My favorite travels have often been composed of the places in which I have resided for several weeks, where I’m able to shop at the local markets and cook, while also having the time to dine out and visit friends. A friend once said, “you’ve never really experienced somewhere until you’ve been bored for a day.” And by going of this simple notion, it’s true. Simply embracing the setting sometimes with no plans, can lead to the best times you’ve ever had.
It’s of course important to see the world’s monuments. But sometimes it’s nice to relax and enjoy the general ambiance the country is comprised of, because it’s what you can’t buy and put in your suitcase upon your return.
Speaking of souvenirs, I once received a tip on buying items abroad from a colleague working for Semester at Sea: Purchase useful objects that you can actually use in your house, simple again, but very practical. When my family and I were in Nice, my mother bought 12 patterned placemats, and 12 years later, we still use them. They have always reminded of that trip to France and Italy.
This month, the writers of Mode-Moderne Journal take you around the world with their very own global takes on everything, from Middle Eastern cuisine, to life as a med student in the UK, to how to pack the perfect travel ensemble, to being a fashionable traveling gentleman, to life as an international flight attendant, to life in America through the eyes of Parisian, to life in New York as an immigrant.
With a special double feature on the Moderne Day Man and Woman, on the International Surf Lifesaving Association, Mode-Moderne Journal’s writers bring the world one step closer to you, through their words and images.
Bon Voyage!
Roxana Vosough
PS. This issue is for you Baba, you have taught me more than you know. Happy Birthday!
Being from Laguna Beach, California, I can safely say - we don’t have much history. It’s as beautiful as can be, but California (and the entire US for that matter) is just still so new. I remember walking around Edinburgh, Scotland a few years ago in absolute astonishment of the gothic architecture, and looking at the Edinburgh Castle and the Scott Monument thinking, “Wow. Now that’s history.”
Travel is so unique. You may go on the exact same trip as someone else, but the experiences are always different. It can be fun, wild, exciting, new, touching, impactful, eye opening. Your trip might be planned; it might be booked hours before your plane departs. You may be staying in the most luxurious hotel on the planet; you might be sleeping in the back of a rental car where, in your country, the steering wheel is located in the passenger seat. But no matter what, whether it’s the best or worst trip of your life, you’re not likely to forget that your luggage has been to Acapulco, even though you’ve never been there (or was that just me?).
Anywhere around 25 to 35 years of age, we all travel for weddings at a rapid pace. And it’s all the travel we do. But it’s important to set aside dollars to travel for you, to get away and spend some time learning about new cultures, visiting museums, meeting new people, and laying on gorgeous beaches. Because truth be told, life flies by. And when your life flashes before your eyes and you’re forced to watch yourself sitting behind a computer at work the entire time, then that flash, my friends, will be torture.
With summer right around our corner, travel seemed like a fitting theme for MMJ.’s third issue. We hope you enjoy!
Feliz verano!
Kelly A. Shannon
