LIFESTYLE
Follow the leader Sometimes, you just don’t want to do it for yourself. Yes it can be fun spending endless hours searching the net, checking in with your friends and a friendly travel agent as to what are the sights to see, the trends to follow and the best places to eat in a far flung locale. However it can often be more enjoyable, more informative and a lot less hassle to just follow the leader. Let him or her do all the hard work so that all you have to do is relax and luxuriate in the knowledge that someone else is making your holiday sing. At Trendsetter Travel & Cruise Centre we organise our own biannual Art Tours with Longueville local and artiste extraordinaire Pamela Fairburn, with a domestic and international departure to cover all bases and budgets! It’s not too late to get onboard our fantastic Sicily tour, scheduled to depart in April 2016. We also have an Italy/Sicily/Malta Military History Tour happening in October. Led by David Cooper and Major Mike Peters, this tour will thrill historians. And we are already taking bookings for the 2017 American Civil War Tour, since 2016 is now waitlist only. These tours are all small group journeys, the way we like to travel – and I thought you might like to consider some others to whet your appetite. Sicily is definitely flavour of the month, and that said, lettuce tempt you (corny I admit) with a fantastic Gastromic Tour of Sicily. To paraphrase the exuberant Elena, “Indulge in wine tastings in historic cellars, lunches in farm stays and typical Sicilian restaurants, unique salt tastings in windmills, traditional but also less known pastry tastings such as manna sweets. You will also try real street food in Palermo, both in restaurants as well in the lively street markets, a mesmerizing experience of colours, smells and flavours.” Yum! Many tours are led by celebrities. In the industry we affectionately refer to these leaders as Pied Pipers since they attract a following that wants to see the world with and through that personality. In 2016 there are some terrific options. For instance you can embark on a European river cruise with Monty Don, yes he of the charming television series who shared with us so many beautiful French gardens. Andrew Denton and Jennifer Byrne love Antarctica – if you feel you’d enjoy their company then the cruise which they host annually is a great opportunity to share some time with them.
If music is your love then why not consider a Best of British Tour with well-known ABC Classic FM presenter Christopher Lawrence. His extensive music literacy fairly sparkles, especially in respect of the planned itinerary that includes the 2016 Glyndebourne and Edinburgh Festivals. The more physically inclined among you might consider touring with Judy Tenzing on a Mountains and Monasteries Tour to include India, Nepal and Bhutan. Now I’ve been to Bhutan and it was a wonderful experience – I imagine it is even better with a leader whose family roots are so deeply entrenched in those magnificent mountains. While they are not strictly leaders, the best of the cruise lines will feature renowned world affairs experts, writers, historians, diplomats and even a bishop or two. In our own waters, I’ve listened in awe to Professor Geoffrey Blainey and sent clients on cruises which included Henry Kissinger, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other noteworthy speakers. It makes for a fascinating trip. I love independent travel too. Yet as I wrote earlier, sometimes a place is best
shared in a small group with a leader similarly in love with the destination. We have a host of options for you and would be honoured to share these with you.
A mesmerizing experience of colours, smells and flavours.
TRAVEL
Adrienne Witteman
Managing Director, Trendsetter Travel & Cruise Centre.
Trendsetter Travel & Cruise Centre “Small but successful travel centre, with a mission to do the best by our clients...”
LANE COVE MARKET SQUARE 9427 6666 LONGUEVILLE 9428 5900
www.trendsettertravel.com.au THE VILLAGE OBSERVER I N0. 248 I FEBRUARY 2016 I 21
