Your Personal Travel Organiser

Well – here we are back in lockdown and banned once more from socialising with our friends and families.

Your Personal Travel Organiser however is here and ready and very willing to help with planning your 2021 or 2022 holiday.  The clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in.  The temperature is dropping and Christmas will be here before we know it.  There is not a better time than now to start thinking about next year’s holiday.  Draw the curtains, put the fire on, pour a glass of wine or put the kettle on and cozy up to think about what you would like to do and where you would like to go.  If you can’t decide – make a list!  Call it “My/Our Travel Wish List”.

New York;  Australia;  Canada;  Madeira;  Greek Islands;  Las Vegas;  San Francisco, or you might want to think about a river cruise calling in at several beautiful and historic European capitals. How about taking your family to Disney World – what a special treat that would be.  There is so much choice out there.  You just need to decide where!

The Iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

A trip to Canada must include a journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer.  What an amazing experience this is.  Meals are freshly cooked aboard the Rocky Mountaineer and are a gastronomic delight.  Warm cinnamon scones are often served for afternoon tea and wine is served throughout the afternoon.  The scenery is spectacular and your camera or phone will be clicking away all the time!  The service aboard the Rocky Mountaineer is first class – I cannot rate this highly enough.  You can choose from 3 different journeys aboard the Rocky Mountaineer.

Whatever you decide to do, Your Personal Travel Organiser can help.  Call me on 01279 871188 or send me an email. I would love to assist in arranging your special holiday.

Lockdown measures are being gradually lifted, airlines are flying and many destinations are welcoming visitors back to their shores.  It’s still early days but people are beginning to think about holidays again.

Time to start planning yours!  You may very well decide to base yourself in the UK for the remainder of 2020 but what about 2021?  So many exciting places to visit and explore from the Great Wall of China to the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef or….what about a fun time in Las Vegas??  You could combine this with a few nights in San Francisco.   On the other hand, you might just want to laze on a white sand beach in the Caribbean….cocktail in hand.

The world is your oyster – time to spin the globe and see what takes your fancy.

Whatever you decide to do, call Your Personal Travel Organiser – I would love to assist with planning your next break away.

The Iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

What turbulent times we are living in.  The UK is in lockdown, our Prime Minister struck by this dreaded virus which proves nobody is untouchable.  Covid-19 is undiscerning.

It will go though and we can all get on with our lives and the wonderful things that we are used to planning for, especially holidays.  Millions of people have had to put their holidays on hold or cancel completely, which is hugely disappointing, but why not plan your next holiday for 2021 and have something to look forward to.

I am here working from home like many others, but I’m still very much in touch with what’s available now for next year and the wonderful destinations out there to explore and have adventures in.

You could plan your next ski holiday or even your first ski holiday.  You could plan a visit to South Africa and journey along the beautiful Garden Route followed by a fabulous safari.  How about a trip downunder and an amazing train trip aboard the Indian Pacific between Perth and Sydney or a trip to Canada including the Rocky Mountaineer, or just relax on a beach in Greece or the British Virgin Islands

Our wonderful planet has so much to offer so when you decide to go and explore it, call me, I am Your Personal Travel Organiser and I will be delighted to assist you.

Well – what an eventful couple of weeks this has been!  We’ve had the sad demise of Flybe and the escalation of the Coronavirus, forcing Italy into complete lockdown.

No country is immune of course but I am pleased to report that at the time of writing, the beautiful British Virgin Islands remains coronavirus free but has procedures in place for immediate isolation should anyone become infected.

This is an excerpt from a statement issued by the BVI’s Minister for Health and Social Development the Hon Carvin Malone….

“While there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our Territory, we are keeping a high level of vigilance and monitoring the global spread of the virus.“

And another excerpt from a statement issued by British Airways……

ENHANCED AIRCRAFT CLEANING
The cleanliness of our aircraft is of utmost importance. We have reviewed and made changes to our cleaning programme for aircraft including increasing our cleaning teams and audit inspections. Our disinfectant cleaning fluids are used on every aircraft after each flight to thoroughly clean all hard surfaces in the cabins and lavatories.

All our aircraft are fitted with HEPA filters which remove particulate and bacterial contamination and provide passengers with clean air. They provide the same level of air filtration as hospital operating theatres.

Responsible and reassuring words indeed. In the past, we’ve had to deal with SARS, Swine Flu’, Bird Flu’,  to name but a few.  All of them came and all of them went. COVID-19 will be no exception.

Instead of allowing this to dominate all of our lives, I urge you to think of happier things…..swaying palm trees, sparkling turquoise waters, white sand beaches, boats bobbing around on the warm sea.…you know where this is going right?

Pick up the phone and talk to me about booking your next holiday to the beautiful BVI and…..this could be you

How many of you have been to Canada?  How many of you would love to go back to Canada?  How many of you have never been to Canada and would love to go?

Until the 15th September I fell into the last category.  I flew into Toronto and visited the stunning Niagara Falls followed by a visit to Niagara on the Lake which is an old-fashioned town and was like stepping back in time.  Dinner on one evening was at the top of the CN Tower in their revolving restaurant affording spectacular views of Toronto by night.

See below – some adventurous folks zip-wiring towards the falls!

My accommodation was at the Fairmont Hotel which could not have been more central and an hotel that I can highly recommend.  Everywhere is walkable and it is directly opposite Union Station which has an excellent link to Pearson International Airport.  The Fairmont is not the usual run-of-the-mill hotel – it’s interesting, traditional and is used for filming various TV programmes such as the “Handmaid’s Tale”, “Suits” and other famous productions.

My end destination was Vancouver but instead of flying directly from Toronto, I flew to Calgary and boarded a Brewster coach for Banff where I spent the night at the Banff Caribou Lodge.  The following morning I boarded the Rocky Mountaineer and spent the most amazing 2 days aboard this luxury train where I was served gourmet meals and excellent wine while marvelling at the stunning scenery that Canada has to offer.  There are countless photo opportunities and I was constantly snapping away either from my seat in the glass dome or from the viewing platform.        This is the way to travel through Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer offers several different routes.

Vancouver was just as spectacular and a visit to Vancouver Island is a must.  Ferries from Seattle go directly into Victoria which is the capital of British Columbia and it is easy to jump on a hop-on hop-off bus here too.  My day was finished off beautifully with afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel which sits majestically on the harbour front.

From the deck of the BC Ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, I was lucky enough to see 3 whales enjoying an afternoon playtime.  Something that surprised me too was the shopping opportunities aboard the ferry!  Quality clothes – coats, jackets, jeans, skirts, accessories etc. etc..  Very dangerous!  I am now the proud owner of some really neat blue Kesa trainers but really could have gone mad in this shop!!

I cannot recommend a trip to Canada highly enough.  If this has tantalised you, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone if you would like to know more.  I can book flights, accommodation and the magnificent Rocky Mountaineer.

I look forward to hearing from you!

What an incredible way to see Canada.  The Rocky Mountaineer is a luxury train that winds its way at 28mph through some of the most spectacular and stunning scenery that is known to man!

Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Vancouver, Whistler – these are only a few of the magnificent places that you will visit during your Rocky Mountaineer adventure and you can choose from several different journeys.

Choose from Silver Leaf or Gold Leaf service with delicious meals and wine served to you at your seat. 

I have my own seat booked on the Rocky Mountaineer in September and can’t wait to experience what I know will be a fabulous trip.

All aboard!

Image courtesy of Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer is a luxury train that winds its way across Canada taking in spectacular scenery as it goes.    There are various levels of service to choose from but why not go for gold!  Their Gold Leaf service is second to none.   Imagine soaking up Canada’s soul-stirring landscape from a bi-level glass-dome luxury carriage while nibbling on gourmet meals created by Executive Chefs. Sound like a dream come true? It is!  Hot gourmet breakfasts and lunches, morning scones and afternoon wine and cheese.  A custom-designed bi-level dome coach with dining car below and seating up top.  You will also enjoy an exclusive outdoor viewing platform, complimentary beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and gourmet snacks and complimentary baggage delivery to your hotel.

How breathtaking is this….

Your Personal Travel Organiser can put together an itinerary to suit your individual requirements to include the Rocky Mountaineer if you wish.  Get in touch and let me know what you would like to do.  I would love to assist in planning your holiday to beautiful Canada.

Emirates have now been flying from Stansted to Dubai for over 6 months.  You may say – “been there, done that” but Dubai is not only a destination, it is also a gateway to other places.  You can use Dubai as a transit point to fly from Stansted to Australia, Capetown, Mauritius, Singapore, Hong Kong and a host of other wonderful destinations.

The Iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

Who would have thought that from Stansted, the world could be your oyster.  Emirates has an amazing Business Class too – go on – treat yourself!

Your Personal Travel Organiser can arrange all of this for you – just the flights or flights and accommodation.  Do call on 01279 871188 for competitive rates – I would love to hear from you.

I have recently returned from a lovely 6 nights break in Malta.

People generally say “oh I never thought of Malta”.  Why not??  It’s easy to get to and only around a 3 hour flight from the UK.  You can fly from most of the major and a lot of regional airports around the UK.  

Valletta – the capital of Malta was voted the European Capital of Culture for 2018 and well deserved it is too.

Regarding places to stay – there is literally something for everyone…..couples, families, singles – up to 5 star accommodation.  You can take your children to visit the Popeye Village which was the film set for the musical Popeye filmed in 1980.

Game of Thrones filmed some of their scenes in Malta and Gozo.  The walled city of Mdina, which is truly amazing and also known as “The Silent City”, doubled up as King’s Landing, the island’s forts served as the Red Keep and the stunning natural arch known as the Azure Window on Gozo was the setting for Khal Drogo and Daenerys Taragaryen’s (the mother of dragons) wedding.

You can easily take a day trip to Gozo on the ferry which takes around 15 minutes or you can spend a few nights on Malta and a few nights on Gozo.  Victoria, the capital of Gozo is beautiful and home to the Citadel which is definitely worth a visit (lots of steps!) and offers stunning views over the island.

The Cornucopia Hotel on Gozo is so full of character and a great place to spend a few nights.  It has spectacular views of the islands.

Malta and Gozo are inexpensive and offer a great climate – a bit mixed during the winter but still warmer than the UK!  The public transport is cheap and reliable, the people are friendly and the food and wine great and inexpensive.

What more can you ask for!  I can arrange this for you to suit your individual requirements.  It’s also a great wedding destination too.

Call me today to book your trip to Malta.

COCOS Hotel on the Caribbean island of Antigua is offering a whopping 20% discount off of prices for summer 2019.  

COCOS is perched on a lush green hillside and sandwiched between two gorgeous white sand beaches. COCOS is an all inclusive resort for couples and adults only.  There are only 34 wooden cottages all with stunning views and large private balconies with hammocks. The menu is changed daily and the cost includes all food, drinks, tax and service charges.

Prices start from £1120.00 per person and flights are additional.  COCOS is also offering 15% off of  stays in January, February and March.

If you want to unwind, relax, chill out and just forget about the rat race for a short time.  Call me today to book your stay at COCOS on Antigua.