Issue 44: Friday, 12 July 2019
Free lounge access at Changi Airport
Top rating Singapore Airlines is on sale – and the carrier is also making life easier if you need to stopover at Changi Airport. From now till 30 September 2019 you will receive a S$20 transit voucher. Go shopping or get access to the Ambassador Lounge at Terminals 2 or 3 for up to two hours. Enjoy shower facilities (including basic toiletries), light refreshments, reading material and complimentary WiFi. Book by August 6. More details here
Special fares for two
Qatar Airlines is another premium carrier doing deals – companion fares for two or more people. A good example is Ireland return from $1039pp. Paris costs from $1249 return and London Gatwick $1189. Remember you have to book your travel with two or more friends or family to take advantage of these prices. Book by 22 July 2019 for travel between 21 September 2019 – 31 March 2020. Details here
Stay safe overseas
You keep hearing stories these days about people being scammed, robbed or ripped-off when travelling. FareCompare has produced a list of tips that are worth noting including bring just two credit cards (keep the back-up in a safe place). Keep valuables on you, or in carry-ons; checked-bags can get lost – and don’t carry wallets in back pockets. The ‘take my picture’ scam is popular right now. “Would you like me to take your picture?” asks the friendly man. You hand him your phone, and he takes off. Details here
Christmas trains from London
Heading to London this Christmas? It is usually impossible to book rail tickets in Europe for much more than two months ahead – but Eurostar makes an exception for the very busy Christmas period. Tickets are now on sale for trips between 15 December 2019 and 4 January 2020 from London to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Bruges and Disneyland® Paris. Seats get snapped up quickly so now is the time to get festive frolics with the family in the diary. Book here
Up to 25% off business class
Book early with Cathay Pacific and save up to 25% on Business Class flights to popular cities. With Advance Purchase fares available to book from 30+ to 90+ days in advance of departure, the earlier you book, the more you save. The Hong Kong special for instance is from $3613 – fly until February 29, 2020. Mainland China fares are from $3552. Cathay’s global sale ends on July 31. Detailshere
Fit and keen to explore Tassie?
Tasmanian Expeditions has released three new itineraries for active travellers. The new trips include a photography tour, a dedicated family trip in one of the island’s most popular national parks and a self-guided cycle taking in many highlights of the east coast, catering to the surging demand for self-guided itineraries. The six-day photo tour heads to scenically stunning Flinders Island off the northeast coast of Tasmania. Details,https://www.tasmanianexpeditions.com.au
Fly business to Europe from Asia
If you are heading to Europe and are looking for a good business class deal one idea is to fly to Singapore and head to say Paris from there. As you would have noted above, Singapore Airlines is currently on sale. One idea is to check out Vietnam Airlines – right now you can get return flights from around $2,500. Stopovers in Hanoi are good value as well. https://www.vietnamairlines.com/sg/en/home
love exotic food and travel?
Happily there are tours tailored specially for you. Adelaide based Bunnik Tours for instance offers a range of small group tours guaranteed to get your taste buds zinging. Culinary experiences range from enjoying tapas in Spain to the hearty stews of Ethiopia, a traditional sumo wrestlers lunch in Japan or how about an authentic Curanto lunch in Chile? On the Ethiopia in Depth program enjoy a culinary walking tour of Addis Ababa and learn the story and traditions behind each dish. Details here
Combination cruises in Asia
Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours 2020/2021 South East Asia brochure features increasingly popular combination tours of the Mekong and Yangtze Rivers, the Mekong and Irrawaddy Rivers, and new for 2020/21, a combined tour of Vietnam and Japan. The company’s boutique vessels that cruise the Mekong and Irrawaddy rivers cater for just 68 and 44 guests respectively. We don’t use plastic water bottles on board our ships on the Mekong and Irrawaddy rivers and all straws used on board are paper”, said Mr Anthony Laver, Scenic Group GM, Marketing. More details here
Cruise boom finally sails into Adelaide
Poor old Adelaide usually gets ignored by the cruise industry – but things are looking up. P&O Cruises Australia has announced its longest ever cruise season from the City of Churches in the just released 2021 program – a total of 14 cruises from Adelaide. Highlights include two new 10-night Southern Discovery itineraries to WA calling at Albany, Busselton, Fremantle and Esperance. The 55,820-tonne Pacific Aria makes her maiden 2021 voyage on January 30, 2021. See the full program here
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