Dragoman Overland Guide wins top award!

A leader for Dragoman Overland since 2013, Julie Gabbott has received the top award at Wanderlust magazine's 13th World Guide Awards. 

Julie who guides for Dragoman in their iconic orange overland trucks which go all over the Americas, Africa and Asia; taking the road less travelled and getting away from the tourist trail share their mantra of "it's the journey, not just the destination".

Julie is planning on splitting her winning bursary of £5,000 between Zara Charity in Tanzania (which works towards powering schools for Maasai children) and a charity supporting female victims of genital mutilation in Sierra Leone.

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Barrier Free Travel

ENABLE Holidays, the leading tour operator for wheelchair-users and holidaymakers with limited mobility, has unveiled its new accessible holidays brochure for 2018.  The all-new collection includes more holiday types than ever before to cater for the ever-changing needs and aspirations of disabled tourists. 

For the bold adventurer, there are exotic tours (some of which are escorted) to Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, South Africa, India and Vietnam. For lovers of European culture and the good things in life, there’s the opportunity for wine-tasting experiences in France, Italy and Spain. And for holidaymakers looking for a little privacy in an oasis of tranquillity, Enable Holidays has added even more adapted villas across the Mediterranean, Aegean, Canary Islands and Florida.

The entire collection now extends to more than 500 personally audited accessible holidays in over 50 destinations, across 12 different types of holiday.

Lynne Kirby, managing director of Enable Holidays, believes that limited mobility shouldn’t mean limited choice: ‘’ All holidaymakers should have the opportunity to book and enjoy their ideal holiday, adventure or experience – barrier free.

‘’Our job is to source and deliver the widest range of tailor-made holidays to meet the needs of disabled tourists. It’s certainly not the easiest sector of the travel market to specialise in, but we like to do things right; and it’s extremely rewarding to see things come together for changing lives and making dreams come true.’’



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The Perfect Road Trip

THE perfect road trip involves three people, covers 190 miles and is accompanied by rock music, according to new research by British Airways. To celebrate the airline’s new route to the South African coastal city of #Durban; the gateway to national parks, African plains and safaris, travellers were also asked to name the celebrity they would most like to see in the passenger seat, with James Corden topping the poll (11 per cent), followed by Tom Hanks (9 per cent) and Stephen Fry (9 per cent). 

To be considered a road trip, the journey needs to be at least 190 miles long and last three hours and 42 minutes and the ideal drive should take place in a VW camper van (16 per cent), Range Rover (14 per cent) or Ford Mustang (8 per cent). There needs to be at least one toilet stop every 100 miles, good weather and a reliable sat nav, yet one in three Brits (33 per cent) said getting lost is the fun part of a road trip. 

The study also found that the music played on a road trip is more important than the destination, but your road trip companions topped the list as the most important factor with 62 per cent, closely followed by the scenery outside (60 per cent). 

More than half (57 per cent) of Brits like the idea of a ‘fly drive’ holiday and 35 per cent would happily drive in a foreign country, even if they hadn’t before. 

However, almost half (48 per cent) worry they won’t be able to get used to driving on the other side of the road and 39 per cent worry they won’t be able to read or understand the road signs. 


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Contribute to sustainable tourism in the Ecuadorian Amazon

CEO of Advantage Travel and Anakonda Amazon Cruises, Raul Garcia, has been nominated for PURE Awards 2018’s Contribution to Experiential Travel honor. Garcia is one of five contestants shortlisted for the award. The annual trade show describes the honor as going to an “individual whose efforts have directly influenced the development of the experiential travel movement.”

Driven by a desire to conserve and explore the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, Raul Garcia has spent over 40 years promoting responsible tourism and introducing people from all over the world to the ancestral communities of the Amazon. Raul founded the first and only luxury river cruise in the Ecuadorian Amazon—the Anakonda. On the 25th anniversary of his successful travel agency, Advantage Travel, Raul unveiled a second vessel, the Manatee, in July 2017. By developing a model where the local communities of the rainforest share in the profits of the industry, Raul has helped to promote sustainable tourism in the region.


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On the catwalk . . .

ONE of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world, Booking.com and New York-based contemporary fashion brand alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet have partnered to showcase the emotional and cultural touchpoints that travel inspires through Bendet's Spring 2019 collection at New York Fashion Week. 

For the very first time, Booking.com is offering travelers the incredible chance to book a stay at an iconic property serving as the stage for alice + olivia's show, the Fashion Yacht at Chelsea Piers in New York City, complete with shopping sprees for the ultimate fashion week experience.

Anyone interested in taking this fashion journey must be quick as only a few select nights are available for booking. Everyday at at 5:00 p.m. EST on September 5th, 6th and 7th, Booking.com will release a one-night stay aboard the Wonderland Fashion Yacht for September 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.

www.booking.com/hotel/us/alice-olivia-fashion-yacht.html.


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Ultimate travel adventure

INSPIRED by five of David Attenborough’s most popular TV series, eShores have created the ultimate wildlife-lover’s holiday. Using locations from both series from Planet Earth and Blue Planet, plus the single series of Frozen Planet, we’ve retraced as many of Attenborough’s steps as possible to to create the #travel adventure of a lifetime.

To emulate the feats of Attenborough and his team from each episode of the five series, you’d have to embark on 175 flights across the world over at least 1034 days, along with several car journeys and a train journey across Siberian Russia.

Totalling £402,220 and lasting at almost 3 years (1034 days), the complete journey also includes several excursions to re-enact the adventures in the series as closely as possible. Included is a trip to Mount Everest from episode one of Planet Earth and an eight-day dogsledding expedition in Greenland, as seen in episode one of Frozen Planet.

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Now showing: Amazon Prime Video on board Eurostar

EUROSTAR, the high-speed rail service linking the UK and mainland Europe, will be unveiling a range of critically acclaimed Amazon Prime Video content on board its fleet of e320 trains via the new app.

#Eurostar will be the first transport operator in Europe to feature Prime Video on board, free for all passengers to enjoy as they speed across the Channel.

Launching on Eurostar’s state-of-the-art fleet of e320 trains, travellers can view a range of Amazon’s top original drama, comedy and kids TV shows from Prime Video, simply by using their own device to connect to the free on-board wifi and the new app. The new programmes will add to Eurostar’s existing line-up of over 300 hours of TV shows and films.

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Jordan and Israel by pedal power

SPICEROADS Cycling, one of the world’s leading #bicycle adventure tour operators, has announced that #Jordan and #Israel will be the latest additions to a range of itineraries now covering 32 destinations.

These tours mark the first launched under the new segments "Road" and "Trails," introduced as part of the rebrand which SpiceRoads Cycling underwent earlier in 2017. "By clearly segmenting our tour types, we can make sure that we cater to the specific needs of different kinds of bikers in today's cycling culture," says Maria Deevoy, Marketing Manager at SpiceRoads Cycling.

The Road Biking tour also marks the 7th and 8th destinations in which SpiceRoads has launched road cycling, having branched out from their road cycling base, Thailand in 2015, the company followed with Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Japan and Malaysia; often combining with multi country tours.

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Travel by Panda Rail

WEST Japan Railway Company introduced its "Panda Kuroshio Smile Adventure Train" in August. This special train is "wrapped" in a panda design and operates as one of the "Kuroshio" express trains connecting Kyoto, Osaka and Shingu - site of the famous theme park "Wakayama Adventure World." The front of the train is covered by a panda face while there are various animals depicted on the sides as well. This train will run until November 2019 but you will have to be a little fortunate to see it; it operates daily but not always at the same time!

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Picture Credit: Pintrest

Qatar Airways increases frequencies to Eastern Europe and the Nordics

QATAR Airways has doubled its frequencies to a number of destinations in Eastern Europe and the Nordics, following a significant increase in passenger demand to the popular destinations of Prague, Warsaw and Helsinki.

Commencing mid-December, the award-winning airline will introduce an extra daily flight on each of the routes to meet the growing inbound and outbound travel demand by adding an Airbus A320 service, offering an additional 132 daily seats in both directions.
  
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Thameslink trains now three times longer at Brighton, Gatwick and London Bridge

PASSENGERS travelling between London Bridge, Gatwick Airport and Brighton now have brand new Thameslink trains that are up to three times longer giving more space and more seats.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has withdrawn the last of its older trains from this off-peak service, replacing them with cutting-edge Siemens Class 700 carriages.

The 12-carriage trains replace the mostly four-carriage (weekdays) and eight-carriage (Saturdays) twice-hourly service, creating 9,000 extra seats each weekday and much more space for passengers at Gatwick and families heading for the coast.

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Music to your ears

A new route to Music City will be music to traveller’s ears with British Airways’ new service to Nashville.

From May 2018, British Airways will launch a five-a-week service from Heathrow, Terminal 5 and will be the only airline flying direct between Europe and the capital of Tennessee.

The new route takes the number of US destinations the airline flies to from London in summer 2018 up to 26, and the number of daily flights offered by British Airways and American Airlines as part of their transatlantic joint business up to 67 per day.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-8, with return fares in World Traveller starting from £749, £1196 in World Traveller Plus and £1849 in Club World available to book now on ba.com.

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Picture Credit: British Airways

Gourmet Experiences in Latin America

LATIN America has continued to grow as a popular tourism destination in the first quarter of 2017. Visitor numbers to the region are looking very promising and the development of new hotels and increased air connectivity are expected to drive visitation further. Here are some offers LATA have recently written about from tour operators in Latin America. 

Luxury Hotel B located in the Lima, Peru’s Barranco district, has launched new culinary experiences touring the gastronomic capital of Latin America. Guests will visit a local coffee shop called Tostaduria Bisetti to taste a variety of coffees made from different Peruvian coffee beans and will take a tour of the Mercado Local de San Isidro, one of the capital’s biggest markets to sample local fruit. The experience also includes a cocktail making course to learn how to make pisco sours. The full day gastronomic experience is priced from £161, a half day from £61 and the cocktail class from £46. 
www.hotelb.pe

South American Tours has unveiled a 20-day gourmet journey in Argentina and Chile. The trip starts in Buenos Aires where visitors will experience a real Argentinean BBQ after a tour of the main highlights of the vibrant city. Guests will then travel to Mendoza to visit the Norton winery and enjoy a locally inspired cooking class, before heading to Bariloche to admire the spectacular landscape of Pucón and relax by the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake with the back drop of the Andes. The holiday continues to Chiloé Island located off the coast of southern Chile to visit a local market and taste cheese and oysters from the region. The price of the tour is available upon request. www.southamericantours.com

Panama Trails is offering guests a new day tour visiting a chocolate farm and botanical garden at Green Acres, an eco-farm nestled on the south shore of Dolphin Bay in Bocas Del Toro. The tour includes an introduction to the history of the property, a hike in the stunning Panamanian rainforest and a visit to a chocolate factory to learn about the different stages of chocolate production. Visitors will also be given time to discover the islands surrounding Bocas Del Toro. The tour is priced from £64 per person. www.panamatrails.com/dailytour/chocolateFarmandAndBotanicalGarden.htm

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Culture, Travel and Latin America

FOCUSING on cultural travel to Latin America, Tia Stephanie Tours has partnered with Artesanias de Colombia, the Colombian government entity with the mission to support and promote the artisan sector of #Colombia, to design fiber arts, craft and cultural #journeys to Colombia. 

First up in 2017 is the highly anticipated "Expo Artesanias Colombia: The Crafts of Colombia: Bogota & Cartagena" tour runs December 5-13, 2017. It will feature a two-day, deep-dive immersion into the Expoartesanias handcraft fair. Entering its 27th year, the fair focuses on the finest in Colombia's diverse traditional and contemporary crafts. This special access tour offers travelers insider opportunities to "meet the artisans" and learn about their culture.

Included are one-on-ones with the Wayuu, Aruaco, Zenu, Waunaan, and Amazona people, so you can actually purchase works after engaging in meaningful interactions with the artisans themselves. Taking place at Corferias in Bogotá, travelers will explore the highlights of Bogotá, in addition to attending the craft fair. From Bogotá, the tour moves to and continues in Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, where cumbia, salsa, vallenato and other rhythms flow into the night! The price is $2585, including four star hotels, daily breakfast, five lunches, three dinners, and a cerviche crawl!

The Expo-Artesanias tour is part of a series of "Craft and Culture route" tours in Colombia organized by Tia Stephanie Tours. These experiential trips invite travelers to learn about both the culture and bio diversity of the country.

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Wallet Friendly Stop Over Routes

TRAVELLERS who have the flexibility to fly indirect to their #holiday hotspot can half the price of their airfare and double the #destinations they visit by incorporating a city #stopover along the way.

Cheapflights has found that a direct, return, flight from London to Hong Kong with British Airways, in June, would set a couple back more than £2,350, yet opting to fly indirectly, via Helsinki, with Finnair, on the same dates, would cost just £1,233 for two people, return, including overnight hotel accommodation in Helsinki. The London to Helsinki leg of the journey lands at 12.20 on 24 June and the onward connection to Hong Kong departs at 23.35 the following day, enabling travellers to spend an evening and a full day in Finland’s capital.

The London to Cape Town route also offers some interesting stopover options and hefty savings versus flying direct. A non-stop, return flight for two passengers with British Airways in November is an eye-watering £2,033 but, if a couple were to fly via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, on the same dates, they could net two return tickets and a hotel stay in Istanbul for just £1,029, saving a staggering 46 per cent (£928). 

When booking one-way flights, the savings can be even greater2, for example London to Los Angeles, stopping in Amsterdam; London to Rio de Janeiro via New York; London to St Lucia, via Paris and London to Johannesburg, via Abu Dhabi.

Phil Bloomfield, Global Head of Communications & PR for Cheapflights, comments: “Another reason that fares are often lower when flying long-haul via a short-haul hub such as Paris, Istanbul, Helsinki, Amsterdam or Reykjavik is that the Air Passenger Duty liability is reduced from £75 per person or £150 per couple (band B – long-haul) to just £13 per person or £26 per couple (band A – short-haul), as long as the traveller spends at least 24 hours in the stopover destination.

To search for the best flights and the most competitive prices, visit www.cheapflights.co.uk

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Travel the Tracks . . .

VIRGIN Trains’ customers are a step closer to new trains as work begins on the Azuma (Class 800) fleet, due to enter service on the east coast in 2018.

Work on the bodyshells is taking place in Kasado, Japan, before the trains arrive in the UK to be built by Hitachi’s manufacturing team in the North East. Hitachi’s UK train manufacturing team at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is home to over 900 employees including over 50 apprentices. UK build work on the Virgin Azuma will begin this summer.

The Virgin Azuma will transform travel and customer experiences when it arrives on the east coast main line next year. The fleet of 65 trains will provide an extra 12,200 seats, and faster journeys will make direct routes to new destinations such as London-Middlesbrough possible, as well as a big increase in through services from London to places such as Bradford, Harrogate and Lincoln.

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Win a DNA Journey

LAST year, travel site momondo launched The DNA Journey an award-winning film and project that garnered over 300 million views across different platforms worldwide.

Now momondo is offering Brits another chance to uncover their own ancestry and discover their DNA origins.

From the 5th April 2017, momondo will run a four-week #competition to win one of 30 DNA kits, participants will enter by writing a short brief about how they will open up the world through travel.

And one lucky Brit will win a DNA Journey worth 1300 GBP to visit countries or regions found in their DNA.

www.momondo.co.uk/letsopenourworld/dna

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