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Hi Friend and welcome to the Autumn edition of Secret Women's Business for 2023. There's a lot to read so make yourself a cuppa and settle in..........
What a wonderful and whirlwind start to the year we've had. International travel FINALLY resumed in January with our beautiful Ultimate NZ South Island tour where we experienced the most amazingly beautiful weather, clear views of Mt Cook, wonderful food, exceptional hotels and the most comfortable coach ever! I can totally recommend touring NZ with Grand Pacific on their 'Ultimate Coach Tour'.
Our next adventure was to Egypt which was absolutely outstanding. This was my 6th visit to Egypt and the first time for 13 years. So much has changed during that time and mostly for the better. Much improvement has been made to the infrastructure, medical system and cleanliness of the cities and roads and great advancements have been made to create more arable land out near Lake Nasser which has already produced 2 harvests.
We were very fortunate to have the most amazing professional and acclaimed Egyptologist/Archeologists to guide us through both Upper and Lower Egypt and share their wealth of knowledge and their passion with us. As Michelle said, we will never forget the call of 'Horus' after we were assigned that name by Dr Hassan. Both Hassan and Mohamed are a credit to their country, their faith and their profession.
Thank you to everyone who joined in on our GOT Reunion @ Sea onboard Carnival Luminosa. It was touch and go for me to get there as I returned home from Egypt with the dreaded 'you know what' but after testing and retesting I was allowed to board and we had a hoot! We had ladies from all over Australia join in the fun and it was wonderful to catch up and share friendships and memories and I hope we can do it again. A special 'THANK YOU' to Lynne Blair from Suncity Travel who went above and beyond before and on the ship to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Only a short while until our next tour which takes us through NSW on our 'Silo Art Trail' tour so be sure to follow us on Facebook.
There are still places available on the Cape York trip departing September 1st, 2023 so if this is on your list, don't leave it too late to join in. Please note that this particular trip will not be repeated. Details can be found on our website.
We have lots of wonderful adventures on offer in 2024 with 'Treasures of Tasmania' which has now been released and is open for bookings. For more information on this and other tours please see below......
I received my new passport today which only took 12 days from application date to arrive so I was pretty impressed with their service. I can't wait to use it in August when we set off on our Wild Alaska & Yukon tour.
Thanks for your continued support.
Happy Travels!
Judy xx |
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Our 2023 'Egyptian Discovery' group at Giza with our incredible guide, Egyptologist/Archeologist Dr Hassan Abdelrazik |
| | | Our great group of fun loving ladies onboard Carnival Luminosa for our GOT Reunion @ Sea 2023. |
| | | What an amazing achievement for 100% of our group to reach the tip of mainland Australia at Cape York. If this tour is on your 'bucket list' please visit our website for full details https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/2023-cape-york-adventure-departing-1st-september-2023/ or email me at info@girlsontour.com.au for more information. |
| | | Coming soon - "Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam" - departing 2nd May, 2024 for 25 days.
- Includes Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and more including The Golden Bridge in Vietnam.
Only 4 places left. Visit our website for details or click the button below. https://www.girlsontour.com.au/trip/2024-cambodia-laos-and-vietnam-departing-2-may/ |
| | | | | Treasures of Tasmania 2024 Explore Tasmania's natural beauty on our 18 day 'Treasures of Tasmania' tour departing 7th February, 2024. Bookings are now open!
Starting and finishing in Hobart with stays in Strahan, Queenstown, Stanley, Burnie, Devonport, St Helens and Launceston with many places and activities in between. Activities include The Tahune Airwalk, Cascades Female Factory, in-depth visit of Port Arthur historic site, a full day trip to Bruny Island and the Gordon River cruise, The Nut in Stanley, Rack and Gorge Wilderness Railway tour in Queenstown, Cradle Mountain, and so much more.
Click the button below to request the brochure including daily itinerary, inclusions and exclusions.
Price $8,950pp* twin share land only. Single supplement $2,105. Flights will be organised once we achieve minimum numbers.
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| | | | | Outback Queensland Explorer 2024 Get onboard and explore Queensland on this 20 day road trip from Brisbane in the south to Mount Isa in the north, Eromanga out west and Carnarvon Gorge to the east. Starting and finishing in Brisbane we will head first to Roma and then on to Carnarvon Gorge where we'll spend 2 nights and explore this ancient gorge with its towering white sandstone cliffs and lush side-gorges. Next we travel to Emerald and then on to Longreach where we'll visit the Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas Founders Museum and enjoy a dinner cruise on the Thomson River. Next we head off through Muttaburra, Hughenden and then to Richmond overnight before heading towards the mining town of Mount Isa where we'll explore the town and surrounds for 3 nights including the 'Hard Times Mining Tour', Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre and the Underground Hospital. Leaving Mount Isa we'll visit the once thriving abandoned mining township of Mary Kathleen where by 1961 approximately 1,000 people lived in the township. Now only remnants of the town survive. Our next stop is Winton where we'll visit 'Age of Dinosaurs', 'Lark Quarry' and 'The Matilda Centre'. Travelling west, our next stop is the tiny town of Eromanga with it's giant dinosaur, Cooper and the Eromanga Natural History Museum. So much more as we continue on to Eulo, Cunnamulla, St George and Goondiwindi before returning to Brisbane via Warwick.
Click the button below to send your expression of interest and to request the brochure including pricing, daily itinerary, inclusions and exclusions once finalised.
Departure date Sunday, 2nd June, 2024 - Duration 20 days/19 nights. |
| | | | | Gulf Savannah Tour 2024 Another great Aussie tour as we head north once again, this time for adventure and discovery in the 'Gulf Frontier'. 'The Gulf Savannah Tour' utilises the comfort of air conditioned accommodation at some of the overnight locations, where you will enjoy true Australian hospitality and sample the various styles of cuisine as rich and colourful as the fascinating outback Savannah landscapes and lifestyles you will encounter.
The train journeys are as unique and special as the area itself, these fascinating modes of transport allow you to be a part of a long gone history, a journey on The Gulflander is a tour back in time, to an era when a padded seat was a luxury and roads were bullock tracks. The Savannahlander is a train journey which returns you back to Cairns. It is one of the great rail experiences of the world as it rattles its way from the outback region back to the coast, via the scenic Kuranda Range including stops at Barron Falls and Stoney Creek, through the World Heritage Listed rainforests to Cairns.
Departing 2 September, 2024 for 12 days:
Highlights include: Undara Lava Tubes, Croydon, Karumba Sunset Dinner Cruise, Burketown, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, Riversleigh Fossil Field, Normanton, Gulflander Train Journey, Cobbold Gorge, Chillagoe Limestone Caves, Savannahlander Train Journey, 2 nights pre in Cairns and 1 night post in Cairns and more.
Click the button below to request the brochure including pricing, daily itinerary, inclusions and exclusions once finalised. |
| | | | | East Africa - Kenya & Tanzania 2024 There's something special about seeing wild animals roam free in their natural habitat. An Africa safari is like no other holiday. You're up before dawn for that early morning game drive and back at the lodge in the heat of the day and then out again in the evening as the sun goes down looking for the beautiful creatures that roam the plains.
Our 18 day East Africa Safari departing 31 July, 2024 will start and finish in Nairobi, Kenya and will take you through the National Parks of both Kenya and Tanzania including The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Amboseli National Park, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Lake Nakuru Game Reserve and Serengeti National Park.
Ngorongoro Crater is home to the highest concentration of wildlife in Africa and one of the world’s best destinations to spot Africa’s Big Five. If we're lucky we might witness the Great Migration which occurs each year, where more than one million wildebeest travel in a circular migration, following seasonal rains, across the Serengeti Plains and they are often accompanied by Zebra in droves.
If this incredible destination is on your 'bucket list' click the button below to request the brochure including daily itinerary, pricing, inclusions and exclusions once it's finalised and open for bookings. Departing 31 July, 2024 - 18 Days |
| | | | | Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia & Falklands 2024 This epic voyage onboard the magnificent 'Greg Mortimer' takes you on a journey beyond comparison, visiting enigmatic subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. We will discover the fascinating history of the Falklands and encounter the spectacular birdlife found there.
Delight in the presence of South Georgia's King penguin colonies, some of the largest on earth. Immerse yourself in the serene grandeur of the Antarctic Peninsula as you embrace the true spirit of exploration and adventure. Wildlife we may encounter includes nesting black-browed albatross and the elusive macaroni penguins in the Falklands. Penguin couples taking turns incubating their precious eggs. Elephant seals in their natural habitat, including freshly weaned pups. Soak up the rich history with extra time in the Falklands.
South Georgia is home to the world's largest King penguin colonies and you may also see fur seals, elephant seals and other penguins. Here you'll see jaw-dropping landscapes and learn of Shackleton's epic tale of survival.
As we cruise through the Antarctic Peninsula and also explore by zodiac, you will be mesmerised by grounded icebergs while watching for humpback, minke or orca whales. Here we'll also find cheeky chinstrap and gentoo penguins near bustling penguin colonies.
The Antarctic component of the trip will depart and return from Ushuaia onboard the purpose built expedition vessel, Greg Mortimer and we will have a couple of days either side in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Click the button below to send your expression of interest and to request the brochure including pricing, daily itinerary, inclusions and exclusions once available.
Departing 11 March, 2024 - 25 Days
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| | | Tell me where to go!! Now that you've read all of the places that we are planning to go, I'd really like to know where you'd like to go!!
This is your chance to tell me your 'Top 2 - Bucket List Destinations'.
Click on the button below and tell me the two places that you really, really want to go to and don't want to go alone but would love to go with a group of 'like-minded' fun fellow travellers so you can share your long awaited experience. I will collate all the destinations and look at adding the most popular places to my touring calendar if possible where there is demand. I can't wait to see where you tell me to go :-) |
| | | | Travel Tips for Today: When packing for an international trip, there are a few odd things that I put in my case, 'just in case'. - Cable ties - just a few as they can be used to lock your case, fix a broken strap on your backpack or various other uses.
- Turkish towel or quick dry towel - these are lightweight and dry much quicker than a regular bath towel.
- Ziplock bags - I take a couple of small, medium and large as they come in handy for all sorts of uses. I like the ones from Ikea as they're quite robust.
- A small piece of bubble wrap as this can be difficult to find in foreign countries.
- A few pegs. These come in handy for closing curtains up to keep out street lights.
- Costume jewellery - I leave my valuable items behind and just take one or two pieces of costume jewellery to 'dress up' a little.
- A corkscrew. Not all countries have screw tops.
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| | Update on Croatia
On 1st January, 2023 Croatia adopted the euro and joined the European Union’s borderless Schengen zone removing the borders between Slovenia and Hungary. Some people had travelled to the border with Slovenia in the first hours of the new year to watch a small piece of history in real time. Croatia was the most recent country to join the EU, in 2013. I'm looking forward to travelling to Croatia again later this year as it is one of my favourite destinations in the world.
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| | | I love this quote, I can't say that I practice daily but I sure do aspire to do so.
Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter and for your continued support of Girls On Tour.
Have a great day!! |
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