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| Friend, Welcome to 2019! What adventures await us! |
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Hi Friend and welcome to the first edition of "Secret Women's Business" for 2019.
Not many sleeps now until our touring year begins with our third Girls On Tour adventure to Antarctica, Galapagos and parts of South America. I have 11 ladies joining me for the full itinerary coming from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and one more lady doing Easter Island and Galapagos also departing from Brisbane. I know they're excited and they should be, this is an incredible experience and one they will remember forever. I remember quite vividly being overwhelmed when I set foot on the continent for the first time, I cried. If someone had of told me when I was a little girl growing up in Mount Isa that I would go to Antarctica once, let alone 3 times, I would have told them they were crazy and yet here I am. What a privilege to visit this coldest, driest, windiest place on earth and to share it with inspirational and fun women!
We have lots of incredible tours coming up for you in 2019 such as "Italian Immersion", "Japan in Autumn #2", "UK and Republic of Ireland", "The Real Transylvania", "The Kimberley" and for the first time in 2019 we are offering 2 more domestic tours, "The Top End" and "The Birdsville Races".
Don't forget if you've previously travelled (or are booked to travel) with GOT you're invited to join us on our "Singapore Sling - Girls On Tour Reunion" for 7 nights departing 5th April. We already have 23 ladies going so it's going to be a whole lot of fun and it's not too late to join in!!
So many tours, so little time...........
Thank you to each of you for your continued support of Girls On Tour, I'm looking forward to a wonderful year in 2019 and I hope you are too!
“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Dalai Lama. Happy travels, Judy. |
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| | | Once again in 2018 another fantastic Africa Safari to Kenya and Tanzania hosted by the amazing Adey! Thank you for stepping up when I needed you most. The ladies are pictured above at Makalia Falls in Kenya. |
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| | | A big thank you to Rosemary for escorting our last tour for 2018 to India and Sri Lanka on our "Taj, Southern India and Sri Lanka" trip in October. We were delighted to have the lovely Sujarta as our guide in Northern India once again. By all accounts everyone loved Sri Lanka and I'm looking at adding it as it's own destination tour in 2020 so keep an eye out for details. |
| | 2019 Touring Calendar We have some amazing adventures on offer in 2019 and these are the places we'll visit. How many of these are on your list? |
| | | "High Arctic Explorer and Norway" Departing 10th Aug, 2019
Very excited to be travelling to Norway, Greenland and Iceland in August on our 'High Arctic and Norway Adventure' encompassing The Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Norway. This tour is now closed so please follow us as we explore Iceland's natural history and the magnificent glaciers and lagoons on land and then on board Australian operated "Polar Pioneer" during our 14 day Polar cruise. We'll be looking for Polar Bears, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Orcas and other polar creatures.
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| | "Italian Immersion" - MUST CLOSE 14th January!
31 days departing 26 April, 2019 - $17,107pp twin share*
Starting in Rome and finishing in Venice this will be another beautiful Italian itinerary for Girls On Tour. Having done this tour several times we’ve often heard ‘I wish I had more time in….’ so we’re giving you more time in Rome, Tuscany, Florence and Venice. With only 8 hotels in 31days, this tour is jam packed but well paced. We will have stays in The Eternal City, Rome, in Sorrento on the spectacular Amalfi Coast, in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance and a Tuscany villa stay from where we’ll journey out to Pisa, Lucca, Sienna and San Gimignano, in La Spezia where we’ll visit Cinque Terre, in Venice, in Milan, with 1 night in spectacular Lake Como. Price $17,107pp twin share* plus approx. taxes $220. Must close Monday 14th January, don't miss out!
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"UK & Republic of Ireland" - The wait is over! 33 days departing 2nd October - $15,907pp twin share*
We are delighted to release our much awaited tour throughout “England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland”. Starting in Coventry and visiting York, Lake District, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Waterford, Cardiff, Cornwall, Portsmouth and finishing with 5 nights in London, this trip is jam packed with historic sites, medieval castles, beautiful palaces and gardens and so much more. Visit our website for full details or contact Judy on info@girlsontour.com.au to book.
*based on minimum group of 10 travellers and plus approx airline taxes $250 |
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| Our brush with fame!
Adey and I were delighted to meet Patricia Schultz of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die fame when she visited Melbourne recently. I have to say I was a little starstruck. Patricia is delightful and so humble. Thanks for the inspirational presentation and for the inspiration to visit your city, New York which I will in May this year along with Philadelphia, Niagara Falls, New Jersey and Washington DC.
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Thank you to everyone who came along to our Info Days in 2018. Looking forward to more sessions later in the year as we release our 2020 tours. |
| | EXCITING 2019 TOURS STILL TAKING BOOKINGS! - Italian Immersion - 31 days departing 26th April - escort Adey. Must close Monday 14th January.
https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/2019-italian-immersion/
- UK and Republic of Ireland - 31 days departing 2nd October - escorted by Adey.
- The Real Transylvania - 29 days departing 6th October - escorted by Judy
Japan in Autumn #2 - 20 days departing 10th November - escorted by Judy.
- The Kimberley - 16 days departing 25th June - escort TBA.
- The Top End - departing July - including Kakadu National Park, Uluru, Darwin, The Olgas, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Litchfield National Park and Katherine Gorge - escorted by Judy.
- The Birdsville Races - 6 days departing 4th September - hosted by Sue.
Visit our website
https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/ to download flyers for all tours. Contact Judy at info@girlsontour.com.au to book or for more information.
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| | Japan introduces Departure Tax
Effective 31st December, 2018 Japan started collecting a 1,000 yen departure tax from each traveller leaving the country in an effort to fund measures to attract more foreign visitors in the run-up to and beyond the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The new tax, which applies to both air and sea travel, will be tacked on to transportation fares of passengers regardless of their nationality. Toddlers under the age of 2 and transit passengers leaving Japan within 24 hours of their arrival will be exempted.
Source: Japan Today https://japantoday.com/category/national/Japan-begins-collecting-departure-tax-to-fund-inbound-tourism-promotion
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| | Travel Doctor vs GP .... No travel agency or agent will ever advise you of what vaccinations or immunisations to have before you travel as we/they are not qualified to do so. What we will do is advise you to visit your GP or a specialised Travel Doctor for their advice and guidance. Most countries will issue guidelines and these can be found online at many different sites. I have in the past personally used a Brisbane based travel doctor Dr Deborah Mills, who also has an online presence and offers some good resources on her site https://www.thetraveldoctor.com.au/ and on the Sunshine Coast I see Dr John Kenafake https://www.traveldivemedicine.com.au/.
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| | Sleep better, travel better...
More and more travellers love to take their own pillow with them when they travel, so those people will LOVE this new product from a Sydney inventor who has created the ultimate way to travel with your own pillow. Diane Tipper has created a new and innovative travel bag for travellers and their favourite home pillows. The ‘Go Pillow’ has been re-branded to "SleepKeeper" and simplifies the way in which we travel with our own comfy pillows. Easily and effortlessly, it compacts the pillow to 1/3 of its original size. Designed in four travel-ready colours, Black, Navy, Royal and Red, the SleepKeeper is durable and lightweight. A key feature of the SleepKeeper is that it is made from 100% water-resistant nylon, keeping pillows clean and dry in all types of weather. While over 800, 000 short term travellers are departing Australia yearly, Sleep Keeper inventor Diane Tipper says, “The need for our own pillow is becoming evident. Not only are we packing our pillows for health reasons, we also do it for comfort.”
Diane has a wonderful offer for Girls On Tour readers on her website https://sleepkeeper.com.au/ - Using the Coupon Code: girlsontour - in the checkout you will receive a discount of $5 when you buy and shipping in Australia is free!! Support an Aussie inventor and save your sleep and some money at the same time!! |
| | Travel Tips:LAUNDRY: Although we're having fun travelling the world, there is still housekeeping to be done and keeping on top of your washing can be a drag and can be costly. Here are some travel essentials that I always take with me on tour to minimise what I have to send out to get laundered.
- A few pegs which can be used to hang on your line or to keep the curtains closed to keep out the light
- A pegless clothesline
- A universal plug
- A trouser hanger and either a wire hanger or a folding hanger
- A small supply of soap powder or liquid if you prefer. I go to the local laundromat before I leave home and get a box from the dispenser.
- A laundry bag to separate dirty clothes from clean ones
- Two suction hooks for those tricky hotel rooms that have absolutely nowhere for you to hang your clothesline.
If there is a self-service laundry close by I'll happily use it but where possible I will wash what I can in my room. With the use of Google Maps it's quite easy now to find laundromats in most cities but you may have to change your search depending on the country you're in for example it may be 'coin operated laundry' or 'self-service laundrette' or 'lavanderia' if in Italy. Evelyn found the most delightful laundromat on her recent trip to Trogir in Croatia and on most of our tours to Italy we can be found having a 'laundry party' in Florence and Sorrento so it's not all hard work!!
***Please remember to be courteous if you're sharing a room when travelling and discuss the do and don'ts of having a Chinese laundry in your room. |
| | Insurance Questions:
1. "DO YOU TRAVEL?"
2. "DO YOU HAVE AN ELDERLY PARENT?" If your answer is 'Yes' to both of these questions then this information is for you. Not all insurance policies will cover you in the event of trip cancellation or trip interruption due to a family emergency covering aging and sick parents or relatives. You should check with your insurer if this is the case before travelling and not once the event takes place. The ladies from Suncity Travel can help you with insurance quotes and will be happy to assist with this matter. You can contact them by email on enq@suncitytravel.com.au and put the words "Insurance enquiry" in the subject line.
Other sites that I've found where there is some information available are#: https://www.comparetravelinsurance.com.au/family-travel-insurance/family-emergencies https://www.tripinsurance.com/tips/does-travel-insurance-cover-you-if-a-parent-is-sick
#Please note I have no connection to these sites and have not used their products. They are forwarded to you for information purposes only. |
| | | Packing Tips Or Should I Say Anti-Packing Tips? We are always giving you advice on 'what to pack' but in this recent article from Over Sixty they give you some insight into things that may end up being a waste of time taking with you.
You can be the judge for yourself so here's the article
https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-tips/10-things-that-are-always-a-waste-to-pack?fbclid=IwAR13f3Zp22Mg0kssqKUAyDYec83j2-D7LtEziTwNS3LQPLQVpVx9nPBelT4 |
| | How well do you know your bag?
Did you know that in the event of your luggage being lost that there is a chart that you will be asked to look at to identify it? IATA the international airline body has a Baggage Identification Chart but how better to describe your luggage than to take a photo of it before you fly!! Thanks Lea (Greek Island Dreaming escort) for this great tip. |
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