Ask an expat what he likes most about Singapore, and chances are the answer will be “How easy it is to get away!”

Only now, it’s not just ang mohs chomping at the bit to escape our little red dot every chance they get. Plans are already afoot to build a fifth terminal at Changi, upping capacity well beyond the measly 85 million in store for 2017 (by when, of course, 95% of the projected 100 million population will be foreigners anyway), and finally making good on the government’s promise to turn Singapore into the world’s largest transit lounge. (On the plus side, even more O’Briens sandwich outlets!)

Meanwhile, the nation has just been granted observer status in the Arctic Council, something our hipster youth had been lobbying in favor of for years, so that they can finally relocate somewhere they can put their $500 scarves to good use.

And, as if the North Pole wasn’t far enough, one plucky Singaporean— identified only as Robinson—has put his name down for a planned one-way mission to Mars in 2023. His is rather bittersweet reasoning— he’s signing up for the adventure because his wife died. But with a name like that? You have to figure he’s secretly the advance party for the galaxy’s first interplanetary mall.

All of which makes this, our Summer Travel issue, rather timely. It’s packed with tips on the Red Planet’s best eateries; reviews of the best luggage for defending yourself against polar bears; plus early-bird booking discounts for the new highspeed rail to KL in 2020. Enjoy!