Happy New Year and welcome to our January issue — the first of 2026! It’s been a few years since we published a solo January edition, and we’re thrilled to bring it back as our inaugural Business Travel Issue. We’re off to an energetic start.
This issue looks a little different from our typical editions. To serve frequent business travelers and entrepreneurs, we focused this month on features that address the most important concerns for this segment. What’s inside?
Richard Newton profiles some of the world’s top cities for business travel, and Debra Bokur explains how to leave a large company and pursue entrepreneurship. Jillian Dara shares five effective tips for combating jet lag, while Kristy Alpert reveals practical tricks and trade secrets for packing light. Amanda Mactas offers guidance on choosing great restaurants while traveling, and Katie McElveen highlights the importance of fitness and wellness on the road. And that’s just the beginning — I wrote this while watching more than five inches of mid-December snowfall outside!
© Kimberly Inlander
Last month I followed Wendy Helfenbaum’s suggestion (read her piece about bringing family on business trips on page 42) and overnighted in New York City with my family and our cousins to celebrate my twin niece and nephew’s 10th birthday. For their first trip to the city we packed in as much as possible. Press releases and work announcements helped me plan parts of the visit, including a stop at Central Park’s Wollman Rink. We had a wonderful time and recommend booking tickets that include access to the Chill Lounge, which appears in this month’s photo.
This January, Wollman Rink is partnering with Guinness World Records to attempt the world’s largest ice-skating lesson on Friday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m., part of its 75th anniversary season. The current record, set in 2014, stands at 523 skaters. The rink is inviting New Yorkers and visitors to fill the ice for a 30-minute lesson focused on basic skating skills led by instructors.
This issue also coincides with a first for us: the 2026 Entrepreneurial & Business Travel Symposium at the Union League of Philadelphia, Jan. 20–21. Please join the conversation on topics such as the impact of AI on travelers and the travel industry, the evolving value of business travel, and much more. It promises to be a stimulating couple of days.
We’re just getting started in 2026 with an exciting lineup of topics and destinations ahead. Look for next month’s Wave Issue — consider this your reminder that the coming months will offer some of the best cruise deals of the year, so don’t wait to book your next voyage. Here’s to a great 2026!
Kimberly Inlander, Editor in Chief