Wherever you are, man, have a good one.

Nevertheless, we’re trying to look ahead – we have our awards coming up (the ceremony will be held on May 3, 2012), and we hope we’ve brought you another great issue. The third in our annual Summer of Discovery series, this one, too, aims at unpeeling the layers of the world’s most interesting places, sneaking around in unknown alleys and talking to fascinating people. We start with Prague, bringing you the relaxed side of this exotic (and sometimes spooky) city, move on to Kuala Lumpur, which we’ve explored in four different ways, not just one, and pop back to Europe to bring you its national parks – did you even know Europe had those? We also have India and the very pretty remnants of its colonial past, and Montréal, the answer to every negative thing that’s ever been said about big cities.

It’s summer – go explore.

So we simplified it, and, in a moment of great cunning, left it all up to you. We simply drew up a list of nominees, and made you do all the hard work, all the hemming and hawing, the gnawing at the end of your pencil before you decide, the paper cuts and the scratching out and re-selecting, and figured we’d just show up at the party.

I probably owe you a beer, come to think of it.

In the end, though, we’ve come up with something pretty big. The best destinations, the best travel providers, all the stuff that India likes most when it goes on holiday. Everyone whose name comes out of an envelope at the awards ceremony should – and will – feel pretty damn kicked, because it’s their customers who have voted for them. From the airline that gave you the best service to the country that helped you immerse yourself in its culture to the homestay that most made you feel at home, we’ve covered a vast spectrum, and celebrated travel as a whole.

Just in case you still wanted something more in terms of travel ideas, we’ve included our usual armada of Easy Trips and Mini Guides – and also brought you the sometimes mystical, sometimes sinister beauty of Beijing, and the wonderful Moplah cuisine of Kerala.

Thank you for making Lonely Planet Magazine India’s first-ever Awards a big success – and we hope your travel improves as a result.

“Look, gentlemen,” I say, “let’s be reasonable.”

They nod fervently, unable to speak because of the socks stuffed in their mouths.

“Why do we need visas?” I ask, in a calm, reassuring tone of voice. “Why do I need your permission to roam around your country, buying things, paying for food, spending rather large amounts of money in your hotels? My country has decided to give me a passport, I clearly have the means to travel, and a nice home and a great family and a great job to return to. Yes, I have relatives there, but I actually gave them the idea to emigrate in the first place, because they talk too much, so what makes you think I’d want to stay on with them? I can’t work in a shop – I’d eat all the candy – and I’m not fit enough to be a labourer.

“See… I’m going to contribute to your economy. You get me and my countrymen there, your voters will earn money. I have scads of your people shuffling along in Goa and Manali and Hampi, with next to no money and no place to stay – and I have to present a full itinerary before you’ll let me in? I beg you, reconsider.”

Then, the unmarked graves filled, I’ll go party with the other heads of state, the ones who welcome me in, no visas required, and we’ll celebrate a better world.

Actually, this has already happened (the government’s just hushing it up) – so I can bring you our list of the fantastic places you can travel to this summer – places that either don’t require a visa at all, or will give you one with great ease because you’re Indian.

There’s Turkey – whose majestic, colourful capital makes for a delightful short break, there’s Costa Rica, which is as easy to do as it is exotic, and there’s Taiwan, Cyprus and a whole load of others, which you can get to if you already have a valid US, UK or Schengen visa. Among those is Ireland, where you can try, and fail happily, to play the harp after several hours of beer and great humour – and try to figure out who made the Cliffs of Moher.

There’s our own country, too, which isn’t particularly bad, even in the summer.

There are great places to take the typical big Indian family to, there are hill stations in South India to go escape the heat in, and there’s the satisfaction of knowing that some officious idiots abroad are making a little less money because they’re being so cranky about handing you a visa.

I have to confess I’m a bit leery of this. I’d rather go with friends: there’s no shopping involved, the candles can go take a hike, and if you have a bitter argument over the cute local girl you were eyeing, you can always fix things with a beer, rather than live with a broken relationship. Places that are just meant for romance, in particular, worry me intensely. I’d rather have food allergies.

So, this time, we decided to seek out destinations and experiences that, while definitely pretty and romantic, had more to offer than just an opportunity for couples to ooze all over each other. These, we decided, had to give you something to talk about, be sufficiently interesting so you could tear your eyes away from your partner – and if it came to it, arouse enough excitement to distract you from your huffy lover. Ukuleles were definitely optional – great travel was much more important. With this in mind, we landed up in some very special places. Like Tuscany, intensely pretty and wine-soaked, but also filled with horse races in the city and incredible art – and, surprisingly, great surfing. And Sri Lanka, which has bounced back from the war with a watermelon grin, and features lovely little hotels built under enormous rocks, angry-faced monkeys and charming toilet-roll holders (I’m not kidding).

If you’d rather relax after the stress of courting, there’s the Seychelles, so beautiful it ought to be slapped – and with wildlife and people that are too often ignored by visitors who only stay in expensive hotels. And if that isn’t enough, we have 25 whole ideas for you to explore – from hot-air ballooning to spending a night in a machan – which should definitely put the fizz into your date.

And if there’s fizzle instead of fizz, hey, ditch the partner and go explore. It’s more than love that makes the world go round.

Last month, I promised you Easy Travel. This is it – easy, but never boring.

We start with New York, a city that never ceases to look desirable, even on the tenth anniversary of the events that tore its heart out. Want proof? Look to Hollywood, which never does something that won’t sell. New York moments, in autumn and winter, are the stuff Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal and Kate Beckinsale are made of.

India too, feels particularly lovely in the cold: dry, yes, but golden and given to sudden chills that demand you set up a bonfire and toast your hands. Head to Rajasthan, which never loses its charm no matter how often you go there. Particularly important to the Rajasthan experience are the surprisingly sophisticated hotels – and these are more than just the typical castles with Rajput miniatures on the walls.

India isn’t only about hospitality, though: there are few things you can do that are more superhuman than the Chadar trek. Imagine walking on a frozen river in Ladakh. For days. With snow leopards on the prowl. And utterly mind-frying beauty to distract you every step of the way.

Want to go further abroad? There’s a great road-trip across South Africa, an eat-until-you-explode-happily weekend in Hong Kong, and secret walks in Sydney that not even the locals know of. And Turkey. And New Zealand. And Jordan (much more than a famous river).

And it doesn’t end here. Watch out for the next issue, too!

In other – and far better – news, we have an issue full of surprises. Which surprised even us, as it turns out.

We went to Vienna, expecting grand avenues ringing with classical music, and children called Von Trapp running about in clothes made from curtains. We found some of that (the avenues and the music, not the curtain-outfits), but we also found, rather unexpectedly, some rather fabulous pastries, a mad little flea market and a gathering movement towards zingy modernism. Then there’s Toronto, a city that’s known mostly for the expat Punjabi community, but which turns out to have crazy art installations, incredible sandwiches made with bacon, and a café that stocks every board game made in the world.

Some places we hadn’t even heard of before, like Roopkund, a little valley in the Himalayan foothills, which, like all the most interesting places, has skulls lying around (literally), and rather fabulous views.

And even the places we had heard of, like rather cruelly-ignored South Australia and Meghalaya, had some tricks up their sleeve. Did you know Adelaide once had a thriving hippie culture, full of kinky poetry and art festivals? Or that, in Meghalaya, you can bet on archery, and iron is considered bad luck?

Thought not. Go to these places. Surprise yourself a little.

But of course, because we’re featuring these places in the magazine, say a little prayer for the poor inhabitants.

And there are the other people, too, who’d like a holiday during this weather, because they’d much rather be elsewhere. Anywhere else, really, because they can’t stand the rain. Fair enough, their call. And given how wonderful Europe and North America and New Zealand are at this time, why not get away?

Or Fiji. Really, really good for people who want a bit of a break. Apart from a drink that tastes brown, it’s wonderful. Nodding palm trees, perfect water, people who’d rather sing than speak – pretty much the perfect holiday postcard. Or Cornwall, the often-ignored but hopelessly endearing south-east corner of Britain, which dishes out pasties and towns with awesome names like Lizard. If you’re like me, and enjoy the rains, try a landscape with a difference – Kutch. Yes, the most unlikely of monsoon destinations, but a great one, because it teems with bird-life and greenery in the rains, and has great character in its people.

This month, we’ve also carried photo-specials on two upcoming festivals: Onam (September 9-11) and Ramzan (all of August) – try and make it for them, not just for their religious significance, but because they’re full of colour and excitement and really excellent food. Which, I think, all good holidays should be about.