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| Welcome to winter... June 2020 |
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Hi Friend and welcome to the winter 2020 edition of "Secret Women's Business".
There certainly has been a lot happening in the world since my last newsletter including the current health outbreak. At this stage all of our international tours for 2020 have been postponed and we are closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis. As you can imagine it's an absolute minefield and I thank Lynne and the ladies at Suncity Travel for all of their help in navigating through this.
Make 2020 your year by getting out and exploring Australia and New Zealand with Girls On Tour!
We're currently working on some domestic and NZ tours that we'll release as flights become available and borders open. Our proposed tours are listed below so please check them out and send in your expression of interest if any take your fancy. The general consensus from my ladies is that they are champing at the bit to get out and about once more.
After a wonderful first 'High Arctic Explorer and Norway' tour we're excited to be returning in 2021 this time on board the magnificent "MV Greg Mortimer" getting deeper into the Svalbard Archipelago in search of polar bears and limited places are left. See below for more details.
Our first 'Real Transylvania' itinerary was just wonderful and it's a tour that we will definitely repeat. Some of the highlights for me were The Salt Mine in Poland, Krakow Old Town, the view from The Town Hall in Prague, The Masquerade Hall at Český Castle, The National Gallop in Budapest, the hilltop town of Sighişoara in Romania, Bran Castle and just Romania in general, check out the images on Facebook and my website of the trip https://www.girlsontour.com.au/gallery/
I had been to parts of Japan before but our 2 tours to Japan in November 2019 visited so many amazing places that we hope to return in the coming years and explore further.
The image shown above is of me at the Tori Gates at Fushima Inari Shrine in Kyoto which was just beautiful to see. There are around 1,000 of these brightly painted Tori Gates along the path.
Thanks for your ongoing support. Stay safe and keep your travel dreams alive. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. " - Charles Darwin ”
Happy travels, Judy. |
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| Explore Australia and New Zealand with Girls On Tour
We are currently working on some tours within Australia and over the ditch which we hope to release once borders are open and air travel resumes. Here are some of the tours in the planning stages. If any interest you, please send through your expression of interest to be first to receive details once finalised: |
| The Top End
If Uluru, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and the national parks of The Northern Territory are on your bucket list then keep an eye out for details of our next Top End trip. Our first tour to this region in 2019 was awesome and I look forward to offering it once again. We will start in Alice Springs and finish in Darwin and will include Kakadu, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge, Eastern and Western MacDonnell Ranges and more.
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| | Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Murray River Cruise
Join us as we travel through this beautiful part of Australia experiencing the Barossa, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and a 4 night Outback Heritage Cruise on board the Murray Princess.
Scheduled to depart on 8th October, 2020 (subject to government restrictions) for 11 nights. We'll enjoy a full day highlights tour of Adelaide and Hahndorf, Seal Bay Discovery Tour and Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, Flinders Chase National Park including Remarkable Rocks & Admirals Arch, Barossa Food and Wine Experience and more!
If you would like to join Girls On Tour and give back to some of the regions affected by the 2020 bushfires this is one way we can, by visiting these places. Click below to request a booking form and brochure for this Aussie adventure! Limited places left!
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| | New Zealand - Ultimate South Island Escape
Scheduled to depart 16th February, 2021 for 12 days on the Ultimate South Island Escape tour. Our tour will include airfares, taxes, transfers in NZ, Ultimate 20 seat coach travel in a full size coach with luxury leather reclining seats, 4.5 star accommodation, most meals, sightseeing and attractions, rail journey on the TranzAlpine railway, one of the great train journeys of the world and cruises on Lake Wakatipu and Milfound Sound.
With 2 or more night stays in Christchurch, Queenstown, Te Anau and Dunedin this beautiful itinerary will showcase New Zealand's dramatic South Island. Price and detailed itinerary are now released on our website and bookings are open!!
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| | | "High Arctic Odyssey and Norway" 2021 on board Greg Mortimer - Limited places left!
After an amazing experience in Iceland, Svalbard and Norway last year I'm delighted that we will return in 2021 once again with Aurora Expeditions but this time on the state-of-the-art Greg Mortimer. Iceland is so unique with it's canyons, lava fields, waterfalls, glaciers and volcanos. Our 2019 group is pictured above soaking up the minerals in The Blue Lagoon. Check out the images from our 2019 tour on Facebook or on my website. https://www.girlsontour.com.au/gallery/ |
| | | UK & Republic of Ireland 2019
Thanks to Adey for escorting our 2019 UK tour and to the small group of ladies who joined her on this adventure.
The girls visited and explored beautiful castles, manors, icons, major cities and small villages as well as the beautiful landscapes of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The group is pictured above 'phoning home' in Edinburgh.
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| | | Japan #1 2019
A huge 'thank you' to Pam who stepped up when needed and escorted our first trip to Japan in 2019 accompanying these wonderful ladies who are all return GOT travellers. Japan was challenging but their smiling faces show they were up to the challenge!! Our GOT Japan #1 group is pictured above at Takayama Jin-Ya. |
| | | Japan #2 2019
Japan is such an exciting place to explore. It's busy, bustling and welcoming. The people are so friendly and the colours of autumn are just breathtaking. I had been to Kyoto and Osaka before but this was my first time to Tokyo and the regional areas that we visited. Under the guidance of the amazing pocket rocket Junko, we explored all that Japan has to offer and loved it!! This is a trip that we will definitely repeat in the future.
Our Japan #2 group is pictured above in Takayama. |
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| The Real Transylvania 2019
What a surprise package this tour was throughout Eastern Europe. We started in The Czech Republic and then continued on to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. There is so much more to Romania than Dracula's Castle and I'd love to return and spend a little more time in Romania than we did on this tour. So much natural beauty and history through these countries.
Poland as expected was quite sombre but a must if you travel to this region. The salt mine was a highlight too. It's safe to say that we all loved the Romanian town of Sighișoara and we almost made it in to the TV series "Killing Eve" when we visited the small town of Viscri where they were filming. Sadly they didn't want any extras. Jenny who was on the tour did some detective work and found out what it was that was being filmed as they wouldn't disclose it on the day. Well done Jenny! Another highlight was being in Budapest when the National Gallop was on. This is grand equestrian festival held each year in Heroes Square and we were lucky enough to jag prime tickets for around $20 each. Such a treat.
Our GOT Real Transylvania group is pictured above in front of Bran Castle which is really worth the visit. |
| | | "East Coast USA & Canada" This tour has been postponed until April 2021 and we will be looking forward to our first USA tour when given the green light. We will travel to the East Coast visiting New York, Boston, Washington DC, Lancaster County, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec and the magnificent Niagara Falls. We'll visit important buildings, historic cities and major attractions including the Liberty Bell, Lincoln Memorials, Wall Street, National September 11 Memorial, Times Square, Central Park, Amish Country, Niagara Falls and so much more! Starting and finishing in NYC this is an amazing itinerary. Departing April, 2021 for 26 days. Limited places available. |
| | | "The 5 Golden Stans"
This tour has also been postponed and will depart in September 2021.
We are so looking forward to visiting the Central Asian countries along the ancient Silk Road of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan for the first time with GOT.
Limited places left! |
| | | | "Wild Alaska and The Yukon" In August 2021 we'll go in search of the Northern Lights and Orcas as we head North to Alaska!
From the glaciers to the gold rush this will be an exciting trip not to be missed. The itinerary includes Denali National Park, Prince William Sound, Fairbanks, Anchorage and Yukon Territory. Departing 26th August, 2021 for 25 days. NOW SOLD OUT! |
| | "Egypt, Jordan and Israel"
This trip is now postponed until November 2021.
*** Limited places available** |
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| | Knowing your smart phone: Did you know that you can put your emergency medical info on you phone's lock screen so that it can be seen in the event of an emergency?
This article from Tech Guy Labs covers iPhone, Android and Samsung.
https://techguylabs.com/blog/put-emergency-info-your-phones-lock-screen
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| | Book reviews:The History of the World Quiz Book
If you like ancient history you'll love this book. It is a quiz book with 1,000 questions (and answers) over 10 chapters dating from 3,500BC right up until 1945.
I really enjoyed testing my own knowledge and it will come as no surprise to many of you that my best score, which I might add was only 46/100, was for the period 3500BC - 799BC. This book has also been the source of some of my 'Thinking Cap Thursday' questions along the way.
If you're looking for a great read to test your knowledge and your recall ability to remember primary school history and social studies then you'll love this. I found it at a pop-up bookstore but it's available online and is inexpensive. I hope you love it as much as I did. The author is Meredith MacArdle ISBN 978-1-78243-900-4.
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| | The Piano Tuner - Daniel Mason
This is the first novel by this author. I bought it in Mandalay Airport on our way home from Myanmar in 2017 as I fell in love with this exotic country. It's taken me until now to get around to reading it having had more time available during isolation.
Set in 1886, an English piano tuner is commissioned by the British War Office to travel to Burma (modern day Myanmar) to repair a rare piano belonging to an eccentric army surgeon.
I did enjoy the authors descriptive writing which transported me to places we visited such as Inle Lake, Irrawaddy River and Mandalay however I found the ending a bit left field for me.
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| | The Search for Nefertiti - Dr Joann Fletcher
I love ancient history especially ancient Egyptian and Roman history and these two are always intertwined.
This is non-fiction written by archaeologist Dr Joann Fletcher who obtained her first degree in Ancient History and Egyptology from University College London in 1987, followed by a PhD entitled ‘Ancient Egyptian Hair: a study in style, form and function’ from the University of Manchester in 1996.
Virtually nothing is recorded about Nefertiti's early years. What is known about her life starts with her rise to power, her breaking through the sex barrier to rule as a virtual co-Pharaoh alongside her husband, Akhenaten. Upon his death she took full control of his kingdom. The Egyptian people loved her and celebrated her beauty in art, but the priests did not feel the same way.
A good read if you like all things Egypt and I did learn things I previously didn't know. Available online in print and e-book.
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| | Learning some lingo:I try and make a point of learning some of the local language of the places I'm visiting and it has always paid off for me. Over the years I have taught myself some Arabic, French, Italian and Greek mostly using CD's but in recent times online. It is now easier than ever with the introduction of Apps such as duolingo for your smart phones and tablets so give it a try. Here is a great article from Your Time Magazine about just this.
https://www.yourtimemagazine.com.au/in-a-manner-of-speaking/?fbclid=IwAR3ZsTdbCJjyuc-_eVYnDKMa6UB9Gebjf04309P5Z6VfvTGECErieWszzCs
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| | 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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