Earlier in the year, while in the UK we were experiencing a world of lockdown we decided to run a series of webinars (Armchair Travels) which highlighted some of our favourite holiday destinations and the specialist tour operators we work with. We hoped it would be of interest to our clients, informative and fun and a good way to experience travel, even if we were unable to actually participate at the time. We ran the webinars, by Zoom, from May to July and here are the recordings if you missed them at the time – just click on the title. Many thanks should go to all the presenters for their enthusiasm and inspiration.
A Date with Sri Lanka (14th May)
Kicking off the series we were joined by Nick from Experience Travel to talk about one of our most popular destinations. Sri Lanka packs so much into a small country with excellent wildlife, great culture, superb accommodation (with really personal styles to suit all budgets) and of course wonderful beaches. Perfect for visitors of all ages it is a good introduction to Asia for children.
Matt from Inside Japan helped inspire us with his insights on Japan. We have loved sending clients to Japan, the feedback is always brilliant, and were lucky enough to revisit ourselves last year (see blog). As well as the iconic cities of Tokyo and Kyoto it is also possible to get into the countryside or less visited historic towns and experience such classic elements of Japanese culture as sumo wrestling or a tea ceremony. With some of the best, and most varied, food around and the chance to stay in a traditional inn (ryokan) there will be highlights throughout your visit.
British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies (18th June)
Heading west we explored magnificent British Columbia with Denise from Prestige Canada. Perfect for a fly-drive holiday (or perhaps combining with a cruise up to Alaska) this gave us a great insight into this stunningly beautiful country. There’s so much variety from Bear watching in coastal rainforest, hiking glacier strewn mountains, finding out about First Nations heritage, enjoying the Calgary Stampede (June/July) or just hanging out in Vancouver.
Chile and Argentina (2nd July)
Places don’t get much more dramatic than these South American neighbours and we were guided through their highlights by Jess from Latin Routes. Stretching from the Atacama desert and mighty Iguassu Falls to the glaciers and fjords of Patagonia you can also add into the mix Easter Island, Chilean winelands, the Lake Districts and the beautiful cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires.
The Cyclades – Greece (16th July)
When you are thinking of your classic Greek islands then the chances are it may well be the Cyclades so who better to take us through this group of over 200 isles than Dudley from Sunvil who have been sending holidaymakers there for 40 years. Including world-famous Santorini & Mykonos, Delos (the centre of the classical world) and lesser known gems such as Folengandros and Milos. There are regular ferries, hotels for all budgets and after hearing Dudley we’ve added Syros, Folengandros and Sifnos to the travel wishlist.
We decided to have a break, and clients were starting to travel again however given their popularity have a going to restart them with a regular monthly slot in autumn. First up will be Cape Town and the Garden Route on Thursday 24th September at 18.00. Focusing on the ‘mother city’ Cape Town, the winelands, Western Cape and the Garden Route this should be an excellent introduction to this ever popular holiday destination.
We look forward to seeing you then and for future webinars and our Armchair Travels.
by TMS