Bec’s Bunnik Egyptian Escape

When I told my friends and family I was lucky enough to be heading to Egypt the one question I was continuously asked was, “ Is it safe?”.
It wasn’t something that had even crossed my mind and I was just excited and honoured to have been asked to participate in this trip and to travel it with Bunnik Tours who were amazing beyond words.

Landing in Cairo we were welcomed by the smiling Bunnik representative who lead us to the spacious coach and the adventure began.
We travelled through the crazy city of Cairo where you really do struggle to comprehend the size and growth of the city.

Not long after leaving the hustle and bustle of Cairo you are suddenly confronted with the Great Pyramids, Mind-boggling!!
Seeing the Pyramids was really a pinch myself moment. As a child you learn all about the Pyramids, Mummies, Abu Simbel and the incredible history of Egypt, never to think I would ever experience all of these incredible ancient monuments with my own eyes.

From Cairo we flew to Aswan to embark on our three night Nile Cruise to Luxor and then finishing back in Cairo.

The whole trip ran seamlessly and it really was the perfect stress-free, small group tour that you wish for as a traveller. Bunnik just made everything so easy and you can see their passion and love for travel in their tours and through their staff on the ground, you are looked after from start to finish. It means that as a traveller you can just sit back and soak up the history and immerse yourself in the destination.

Now if people ask me, “Is Egypt Safe”, I say without any hesitations…Yes, not only do you feel safe but you feel welcomed!

To find out more, email Bec on rebecca@travelaffare.com.au

BULA! Claire’s Fabulous Fiji

‘Fiji time’ is an expression you’ll hear often when it comes to holidays in this island paradise. Although it’s the perfect way to describe the leisurely way the Fijians do everything and a good excuse to laze around doing not very much at all, it’s also a bit of a cliché that doesn’t completely do this South Pacific gem justice. For a long time, Fiji has had a strong reputation for family holidays, particularly for Aussies and when you consider that almost every hotel and resort offers ‘kids clubs’ it’s not hard to see why.

However many people are surprised to find the Fiji is also an outstanding holiday destination for big kids too. Whether you’re young or young-at-heart, days in Fiji can be as relaxing or as action-packed as you like. In fact, if you’re up for a bit of adventure, there are plenty of Fiji Tours to get your adrenaline pumping including rainforest ziplining, offroading, jet boating and more.

We were fortunate enough to do the Sigatoka River Safari and Jet Boat – this is a must when travelling to Fiji a great way to combine interesting history and cultural experiences with high speed fun and adventure, this river safari features jet boat rides to a traditional village as well as cultural insights, kava tasting and lunch with traditional entertainment. With many stops along the way, you’ll enjoy an exciting day of travelling by jet boat including squeal-inducing 360 degree spins.

We Flew Fiji Airways on the direct Service From Adelaide, These flights are equivalent to a domestic flight within Australia. There is the Convenience of only flying 4hrs50min and overnight flight to arrive Fiji early hours of the morning allowing you time to connect to any of the Fijian islands is a bonus. Fiji Airways are offering some great airfares as well at the moment.

For more information feel free to Contact me on email: Claire@travelaffare.com.au

Bec’s Great Escape to Malaysia and Thailand

As part of the Travel Corporations Great Escape Incentive I was fortunate enough to win a spot on the Contiki Asia trip to experience Malaysia and Thailand.
Having experienced Contiki Europe twice before I had high expectations for there Asia program and my expectations were exceeded!

The trip had such a huge mix of big cities like Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to the smaller areas of Penang and Langkawi!

Penang is such a quirky, hippy city that provides so much culture and incredible street art and delicious street food. It’s the type of place where anything goes!

Langkawi was a lovely escape with beautiful beaches and great market shops to pick up lots of bargains and find those hidden treasures.
It also provides endless amount of water sports and various activities to suit everyone.

We were also lucky enough to experience places more ‘off the beaten track’. The Cameron highlands in Malaysia offered amazing scenery with acres of tea plantations which is very famous in this area

My highlight of the whole trip was the Khao Sok National Park in Thailand. To be able to say that I have stayed in tree house style accommodation with the jungle surrounding you and waking up to monkeys on your door step is quite remarkable and like nothing I have ever done.
A day trip to the amazing Cheow Lan lake within the National park provided so many ‘wow’ moments and memories that will last a life time! The limestone pillars dotted all around and on the lake make it a perfect spot for those iconic pictures.

The thai people also made the experience what it was, they go out of their way to make sure you are catered for and their smiling faces 24/7 are so welcoming.

To find out more, email Bec on Rebecca@travelaffare.com.au

Kirstin’s family holiday to USA

In December 2016, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the United States with my husband and three children.
Our first stop was Orlando, Florida and the Disney’s All Stars Music Resort. I could not fault this family friendly hotel for cleanliness and exceptional customer service.
Disney World was amazing and I would thoroughly recommend booking Fast Passes through the My Disney Experience App before leaving home to experience as much as you can in the 4 parks. Universal was also fantastic accommodating the younger and older children for fun and excitement.
After a tour of NASA , also a must do, we headed up to New York. Watching the landscape turn to snow white as we descended in to NYC is something I’ll never forget.
The New York Marriott Marquis is the perfect hotel for quality and location situated right on Times Square. This city lived up to all expectations. Walking down 5th Avenue, floating on the Hudson River admiring the Statue of Liberty or gazing over the city on the top of the Empire State Building are just a few of the experiences we had in the city that never sleeps.
Four weeks in the US is definitely not long enough and we can’t wait to one day return to this amazing country.

Lyndall’s Italian Adventure

I was recently fortunate enough to win 2 x Business class tickets with QATAR to anywhere in the world through a top sellers promotion.

My husband and I chose Italy as our destination.

Experiencing business class with QATAR was brilliant – I could not fault their service, food, comfort or entertainment.

We had a night in Doha which was really worthwhile. We stayed at the Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels, which was a very interesting collection of 9 upmarket hotels located throughout the Souq. I love this sort of accommodation as it is unique to the area and not your stock standard Hilton etc.
On our full day in Doha we did a morning city tour which was fascinating to see the development in such a short time. In the afternoon we went on a Dune safari out to the Inland sea (which was Hot!!) a great day.

During our stay in Italy we visited Rome, Venice and Manarola in the Cinque Terre. All very beautiful, but also very different,adding variety to our holiday experiences.

In Venice we stayed at the Liassidi Palace. This was beautiful. Great location, very friendly staff and good sized rooms – a novelty in Venice!! We did the obligatory gondola ride, although our driver was not the image I had in mind!!

The Cinque Terre was a real highlight for me. I loved the walks (even though some were more difficult than I had expected!!) We chose to stay in Manarola, one of the 5 villages to immerse ourselves in the way of life for a short time. This was a great choice and we had a lovely, recently renovated hotel (also a novelty in Italy)

Rome is such a historians paradise – an ancient church or ruins around every corner. We loved just wandering the streets aimlessly to see what we would stumble on next.
If we didn’t overdose on delicious Gelati, I’m sure I would not have bought home so much “excess baggage”

We had a lovely holiday and would love to help anyone plan their next “Italian Adventure”

To find out more, email Lyndall on lyndall@travelaffare.com.au

Bec’s Iberian Experience

For most of July and August I was lucky enough to spend almost 6 weeks in Spain, with a bit of time also spent in Portugal and Morocco.
Spain is one the most beautiful countries I have been to. The people are friendly, the cities are clean and tidy and the lively atmosphere is contagious.

I was fortunate enough to tick a large majority of Spain off my bucket list from the bigger cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia to the smaller towns of Granada, Seville and Toledo which all had their differences and special charm that have created life long memories. The adventure and memories continued to the coastal town of San Sebastian where I ate my body weight Pintxos, which the region is famous for.

The beautiful beaches didn’t stop in San Sebastian and as I soon found out when reaching the Balearic Islands. The group of islands sit on the east coast of Spain and include Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca. A must when visiting the island of Ibiza is to take a 40 minute ferry to the Island of Formentera, I was left speechless by the crystal clear blue waters.

Morocco provided plenty of cultural experiences and lots of history in Fes, Marrakesh and Tangier, which were the three main places I visited.
Portugal was unfortunately only a brief visit but Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais provided plenty of charm and culture with much more of the country still to be discovered when I return.

Spain is such a special country and somewhere I would recommend for everyone to visit at least once in their life. It’s an experience I won’t forget in a hurry but would return in a heartbeat.

To find out more, email Bec on Rebecca@travelaffare.com.au

Lyndall Discovers Vietnam

Revealing both the beauty and energy of this vibrant country, it’s colourful past is filled with imperial dynasties, French colonists and years of war, intermingling to form a dynamic culture that is ever-present.

The Vietnamese welcome visitors with open arms, eager to flaunt their country’s natural beauty, its sparkling bays and rolling hills, modern metropolises and ancient cities.

And in every corner the culture thrives, in the diverse landscapes, the friendly people and the delicious cuisine.

To find out more, email Lyndall on lyndall@travelaffare.com.au

Bec Experiences Colourful Turkey

My recent trip to turkey exceeded all my expectations, it’s such an incredible country with an endless amount of sights and experiences.

From the hustle and bustle of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul to amazing history and stories at Ephesus and the once in a lifetime experience of hot air ballooning over breathtaking land formations in Cappadocia, Turkey is like no other country I have visited.

On top of all this it’s the warm and welcoming people and the smells and tastes of the mouth watering food that make the full experience of visiting Turkey.”

To find out more, email Bec on rebecca@travelaffare.com.au