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| Friend, where will your passport take you to next? |
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Hi Friend and welcome to the winter edition of "Secret Women's Business" for 2018.
We've had a great start to 2018 with 4 tours now done and dusted including "Cuba & Mexico", "Greek Island Dreaming" and our two "Croatia and Treasures of the Balkans" tours. Thank you to my wonderful GOT escorts Lea (Greece group pictured below at the Acropolis, Athens), Evelyn (Croatia #1) and Adey (Croatia #2). By all accounts the ladies and escorts had wonderful adventures and the feedback and testimonials have been great.
Our last tour for 2018 is "The Taj, Southern India and Sri Lanka" and this will be escorted by the lovely Rosemary who is one of the well travelled, senior travel consultants from Suncity Travel. This is a guaranteed departure and there are still a few places left. Both Christine and Lynn, who are pictured above floating on the Ganges in Varanasi, will be joining the Sri Lanka tour having previously done Northern India with us in 2016.
We have lots of incredible tours coming up for you in 2019 such as "Italian Immersion", "Japan in Autumn", "UK and Republic of Ireland" and "The Real Transylvania" in addition to the Antarctica and Arctic tours that have already been released, so keep an eye out for more details. We will also be repeating our very popular "Kimberley Adventure" and for the first time in 2019 we are planning 2 more domestic tours, "The Top End" and "The Birdsville Races" so lots of exciting places for you to experience.
Thank you to each of you for your continued support of Girls On Tour!
I love this saying from J.D. Andrews......
“A hangover suggests a great night, jet lag suggests a great adventure.” Happy travels, Judy. |
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| | | Croatia and Treasures of the Balkans #1 with escort Evelyn below in Zagreb, Croatia. |
| | | | Croatia and Treasures of the Balkans #2 with escort Adey below at one of the Old Gates in Pula, Croatia |
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| MAKE NEW FRIENDS OR FIND OLD ONES...
Would you believe these two ladies had lost contact for over 30 years and found each other again when they booked on our Girls On Tour Croatia #2 trip. It was like they had never been apart. Marianne and Chris were amazed when I shared their contact details prior to the trip as they were both departing from WA and they worked out that they had known each other so long ago. How exciting to reconnect and what an amazing place to do so. Thrilled to have bought you girls together once more and the smiles on your faces are wonderful to see. Thank you for being such great Girls On Tour!!! xxx Judy
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| | | FAMOUS OR INFAMOUS? Keep an eye out for the August/September edition of the QCWA "Ruth" Magazine where our very own Robin Earley who has travelled with GOT to 'The Kimberley', 'Laos and Myanmar', 'Northern India' and soon to 'Southern India & Sri Lanka' and 'Antarctica and Galapagos' will be featured. Thank you Robin for your ongoing support of Girls On Tour and for being such a great ambassador.
https://www.qcwa.org.au/what-we-do/ruth/ |
| | 2018 and 2019 Touring Calendar Don't miss out on the wonderful adventures we have planned this year and next. There is still time to join our last remaining international tour for 2018 "The Taj, Southern India & Sri Lanka" but it must close soon:
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| | | "High Arctic Explorer and Norway" 30 days dep 10th Aug, 2019
Join Girls On Tour for our first ever 'Arctic Adventure' encompassing The Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Norway. Learn about Iceland's natural history and explore magnificent glaciers and lagoons for 6 days before experiencing the fire, ice and culture of the Arctic on board Australian operated "Polar Pioneer". During your 14 day Polar cruise we will go in search of Polar Bears, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Orcas and other polar creatures and some see of the biggest and most spectacular icebergs in the world. We'll visit Inuit communities on land and explore the waterways using zodiacs in several places. Where our polar adventure finishes our Scandinavia one begins as we explore Oslo, Flam, Lofthus and Bergen including one of the worlds most beautiful train journeys, The Flam Railway. This will be popular and only 16 places will be sold in total. There are now only 3 places left. 1 place is guaranteed at $25,188 twin share and the remaining 2 places are subject to availability at $26,188pp twin share. Contact Judy for more details or visit our website https://www.girlsontour.com.au/destinations/arctic/
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| | | "Antarctica, Galapagos and a Taste of South America" - Only 3 places left!
31 days departing 3rd Feb, 2019 - $26,997pp twin share*
After amazing adventures to Antarctica and Galapagos in 2014 and 2017 we are delighted and excited to be returning to the Great White Continent once again. This amazing adventure includes stays in Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Quito and the amazing Iguassu Falls. It includes a 10 day Antarctic Cruise onboard "Ocean Atlantic" and a 6 day Galapagos Cruise (5 days plus 1 land day pre cruise). For full details and pricing visit our website https://www.girlsontour.com.au/destinations/antarctica/
Are you interested in JUST The Galapagos Islands?
As we have 4 places unsold on the Antarctica and Galapagos trip and we have chartered the vessel in The Galapagos, we are offering the last 4 places as a separate "Gems of The Galapagos and Ecuador" trip. The tour will start with the group from Australia on 3rd February for 13 days and will include Santiago, Chile; Galapagos cruise onboard the luxury catamaran Alya and Quito, Ecuador including the indigenous markets in Otavalo and The Middle of the World excursion. For more details please contact Judy on info@girlsontour.com.au - Please note, twin share only available on vessel. |
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"The Taj, Southern India and Sri Lanka" 25 days departing 19th October - $11,225pp twin share*
We're excited to be returning to India and exploring this exotic country even further by revisiting some favourite spots but then continuing south to explore further. This amazing journey will start in Delhi, India and finish in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Highlights will include The Taj Mahal, overnight on a houseboat in Kerela backwaters, the port city of Galle, cultural show in Agra, forts and palaces of a bygone era and so much more. Escorted by Rosemary, this is a guaranteed departure. |
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| This is what the travel gurus 1,000 Places to See Before You Die had to say about our Taj, Southern India and Sri Lanka trip on Facebook!!
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Thank you to everyone who came along to our Info Days in Melbourne and Sydney. Looking forward to more sessions later in the year as we release our 2019 tours. |
| | MORE EXCITING 2019 TOURS COMING SOON! - Italian Immersion - 31 days departing 26th April - escort Adey. Now open for bookings!
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 Now open for bookings!
https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/2019-the-real-transylvania/ - Japan in Autumn - 19 days departing 25th October - escorted by Lea
- The Kimberley - 16 days departing 25th June - escort TBA. Now open for bookings!
https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/2019-the-kimberley/ - 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 - escort tba.
Send your expressions of interest to Judy at info@girlsontour.com.au to be amongst the first to receive details once released.
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| | A new tech product .... When touring I turn off my data and usually rely on the free WiFi in hotels and cafes to stay in touch with the world but there's a new kid on the block that I'm about to road test. The Skyroam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot and Powerbank offers one-touch access to unlimited WiFi in over 120 countries - no SIMs needed! It's shareable so you can connect up to 5 gadgets at once and keep your travel buddies online too! There are no contracts and it costs only $9 for each 24 hour day pass. From what I understand it's not stop/start, once you press 'start' on your previously 'activated' day pass you have 24 hours to use that day pass. https://www.skyroam.com/solis
Mine is on it's way so I'll report back after I've used it. Until then if you are looking to purchase this product they've given me a 'friends' offer whereby you can get $20 off your purchase and they'll send me 2 free day passes which I'll happily pass back over to you if you let me know you've purchased it. This is the link you'll need for that http://skyroaminc.refr.cc/LWQCB3X If you've already used this product I'd love to hear from you. |
| | Take a little bit of home with you...
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’ 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 Go Pillow is durable and lightweight. A key feature of the Go Pillow 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, Go Pillow 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 www.gopillow.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!!
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| | 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. |
| | KEEPING THE BUGS AT BAY Thanks to past traveller Chris (Croatia #2) for her tip on how to ward off bugs when travelling. The Bush Breathe Blend of essential oils is a delightful Oz blend of essential oils which are anti-viral and anti-bacterial, guarding against the spread of viral & bacterial upper respiratory tract infections, ideal for planes, crowded spaces, homes and workspaces.
Helpful also for sinus problems and asthma. Use 6-8 drops in an oil burner/vaporizer, or on a tissue pad tucked into the collar. Or place a few drops near the pillow at night. I'll definitely be calling in to their shop in Broome when I'm there later this month to check it out. Thanks Chris! http://www.hiddenvalleyhandcrafts.com.au/shop/essential-oils/pure-essential-oil-blends/bush-breathe-blend/ |
| | GETTING YOUR TREASURE HOME IN 1 PIECE We all like to shop and often we'll buy some precious things that are fragile and then have the worry of getting them home safely. I usually pack a small amount of bubble wrap in my case as it weighs nothing and takes up little space along with a few rubber bands for securing it. A plastic container from home can come in handy too but you can usually find Pringles chips or something similar that has a hard container that is very useful for storing fragile items in and comes in small or large sizes. The only thing is you'll have to eat the contents first :-). |
| | YOUR FLYING COMFORT If you have trouble with your ears when flying or you're recovering from a recent cold or flu and you're clogged up, these might be worth adding to your carry on essentials. EarPlanes are intended for people with sensitive ears or people who must fly even though suffering with a cold, allergy or sinus condition. They are not recommend in the event of severe sinus, cold or flu congestion. They are available at chemists and most airports and are available in adult and child sizes. |
| 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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