Uncovering a World of Pleasant Surprises
By Seán Keenan

What does Crete look like in your mind's eye? Dusty blonde limestone outcrops, crumbling Classical ruins, and dark blue sea—right?

And yet, when you turn the page to this month's Images From the Road (p.6 of the March issue), the geometric patterns of deep green trees, shrubs, and grain rows convey a fertile, verdant island that looks nothing like the parched rocks you likely imagine.

IL Contributor Jeff D. Opdyke snapped this shot of the rolling hillsides, covered in olive groves and vineyards, outside of Heraklion, on the Greek island of Crete.

Photography, like any art form, has its techniques and tricks. What the photographer chooses to leave out can tell as much as the image itself, but ultimately, it's a truthful medium. One of the reasons we decided to include a two-page spread of photos in the magazine is to give a visual impression of what life is like in the locations we send our correspondents and editors to scout for you, our readers.

I'm a huge advocate for the imagination (especially in an era when I'm convinced our constantly connected, data-on-demand society is eroding our ability to imagine).

Nevertheless, it's also true that we can be hampered by our expectations, too.

Think about Mexico City. If you've never been there, would you expect leafy, bohemian districts where cyclists glide along quiet streets lined with craft stores, artisan breweries, and independent art fairs? Probably not, but that's what Jason Holland, our roving Latin America editor, found in the Condesa-Roma district of this exciting city (You'll find that story on page 10 of the March issue of International Living magazine. Access it here).

Challenging your preconceptions reaps huge rewards, and this month's issue is packed with stories of people who weren't willing to accept the standard, often outdated, view of their destinations. Like real estate investor Ronan McMahon, who wasn't content to just dismiss the incredibly popular tourist cities of Rome, Florence, or Venice as "too expensive, too difficult, too late." Instead, he found a way to own a home in historic Italy that isn't just affordable, it can pay its own way (Read all about it on page 24 of the hot-off-the-presses March issue).

And in Georgia, regular contributor Tricia A. Mitchell found a spectacular green, mountainous nation that's wonderfully affordable, deeply cultured, packed with mouth-watering food and wines (Georgia claims it invented wine), and where North Americans can stay for a full year on a tourist visa (get the lowdown on all it can offer you on page 31 of this month's IL magazine. Get your hands on it, here).

Read all about it when you get access to the March issue of International Living magazine.

What a joy it is to be pleasantly surprised. When we update our expectations, the world becomes instantly bigger. And better with it.