The only thing more certain than absence to make the heart grow fonder is enforced absence. With this in mind, Travel Industry Today has asked readers to reveal their bucket list, or all-time favourite, destinations that are lingering in their minds while waiting for the world to welcome travellers again. Jerry Grymek, VP Client Services at LMA Communications, kicks off the first entry in our new series with The Maldives.

JERRY: As a backstory, my wife and I decided to visit the Maldives for our honeymoon as we truly wanted to select a destination that was exclusive and further away (and as someone who always travels for work, I wanted a destination that was quite different from my regular travels). To get there involves 19 hours of flight time alone and a 45-minute speed boat ride to the resort – but it was certainly worth the trip.

The resort we were at comprised the entire island, which is so private that one can walk around it in 15 minutes. Everything is truly fresh – from fruit picked off the trees on the island to fish caught just three hours before being served.

The rooms are designed to look like boats on stilts, with all the amenities of a regular room. The highlight was having a back deck with steps leading down to the Indian Ocean and having baby sharks and indigenous sea-life swimming around. It is the perfect destination to disconnect and enjoy the natural landscape.

What many may not be aware of is that the country is made up of over 1,190 islands, some of them larger and others smaller, and spread apart from each other – talk about social distancing!

So why Maldives now? Having recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, we would really like to return the Maldives and revisit the exclusivity and natural setting. Because of rising water levels, a number of the islands are fully submerged, so it’s a good idea to go back while we still can.

We welcome contributions: Send yours with the subject line “Where I Want to Go When This Is Over” to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com. (All submissions are subject to editing for length and style).