Category Archives: Events
A Documentary Showing WHY Travel Insurance Is Important!
Everyone who books through My Travel Expert and the Shoalhaven Solo Sisters has heard us ask “Would you like us to help organise your Travel Insurance?”and would have heard the stories on why we – along with the Australian Government and the Travel Industry in General – truly believe that everyone should have travel insurance whenever they travel.
A little while ago, the statement “If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel”started to become a standard in the Travel Industry here in Australia, and while a bit crass in its delivery its message is sound. Travel Insurance Policy – more importantly a comprehensive coverage, will be there when you need it should you lose your luggage, fall ill whilst cruising, damage a rental car or more! A small investment in a travel insurance policy at the start of your booking arrangements can help save you a lot in the long run should something go wrong.
One of the suppliers whom we are able to issue policies with, Cover-More, go beyond the standard service, not only providing travellers with a fantastic policy and world-wide assistance, but simcards for telephones and an amazing emergency assistance team.
When the earthquakes devastated Nepal, Cover-More pulled out all the stops and did what no-one else thought to do, and now, in a documentary highlighting those actions you can see for yourself why obtaining a travel insurance policy when travelling is so important.
Top let you know what the documentary is about here are a few words from Covermore ..
“It’s just over 12 months since the devastating earthquakes struck Nepal and just over 12 months since one of our proudest moments in Cover-More’s 30 year history.
Cover-More was the only travel insurance company in the world to send an assistance team and an aircraft into Kathmandu to bring customers home.
Now the observational documentary we made about the crisis and Cover-More’s response will be shown in prime time on Foxtel’s National Geographic Channel Shortly, in Australia and New Zealand.
Our Story will go to air at 6.30pm AEST on Monday 16 May 2016 and repeats will follow during the subsequent 7 days.
Our commitment to the safety and protection of our clients is stronger than ever – and the effort you witnessed with our response in Nepal is what we offer to our clients, every day from every single part of our business.”
Take A Quick Preview By Clicking Here!
So we would encourage you all to take a few moments and watch this documentary when it goes to air – screening times are as follows:
Monday 16 May 2016, 6.30pm
Thursday 19 May 2016, 11.30am
Sunday 22 May 2016, 8.30am
Friday 27 May 2016, 2.30pm
Saturday 28 May 2016, 7.30am
If you are planning to travel don’t forget to ask us about Travel Insurance, with Cover-More or the other providers we are able to sell. For information on Travel Insurance please feel free to contact us any time on (02) 4421 5577 or nowra@mytravelexpert.com.au
Vivid – A Last Call!
Vivid is a fantastic event that has been running in recent years in Sydney, and this year we have a great departure that will take the traveller from the Shoalhaven (picking up at Worrigee, Nowra or Berry) up to Sydney for a three course dinner cruise with Tyrells House Wine, Tooheys Beer and soft drink included, that will cruise around the harbour and give us some time to view the best of the Vivid lights before heading back to the Shoalhaven.
As of now we have less than a dozen seats left available, and the sale ends Friday! So if you wanted to experience the lights this year now is the time to book!
Departure Date: 15 June 2016 , Cost: AU$129 per person
Call us now on (02) 4421 55 77 to reserve your space!
Girls Day Out & Islands On Sale
My Travel Expert and the Shoalhaven Solo Sisters are proud to again be sponsoring the Girls Day Out at the Shoalhaven City Turf Club. This year, with Viva Holidays we are offering a travel prize of AU$1000 which you can use towards any of their destinations worldwide, from Australia to the USA, from Europe to Asia that Viva Holidays have on offer.
At the moment there are a fantastic array of Island Specials available with Viva Holidays which runs all through May – covering Island Getaways across the Pacific, Asia, and Europe with packages starting as low as AU$699 per person – so if you were looking to get away on a tropical break, or escape the winter chill, then now is the time to book!
Otherwise if you want to see how your luck holds at the races, and take a shot at a travel prize worth AU$1,000 then we look forward to seeing you at Girls Day out on the 22nd May 2016 at the Shoalhaven City Turf Club!
Vivid Sydney – A Night In The City
On the 15th June 2016, with our partners at Captain Cook Cruises and Stuarts Coaches, we have a fantastic departure leaving from Nowra for a night out in Sydney to Experience the Vivid Festival. Picking up at Worrigee, Nowra and Berry from 1pm. This fantastic day trip includes a Cruise with Captain Cook Cruises aboard the MV Sydney 200 with a three course contemporary Australian menu Dinner with an open bar of Tyrell’s House Wine, Tooheys New Beer and Softdrinks.
Cost: AU$129 per person
15th June 2016, Shoalhaven to Shoalhaven
If you would like to come please call us on (02) 4421 5577 or email nowra@mytravelexpert.com.au to reserve a place now! Please note we are limited with spaces aboard the coaches so if you do want to join then now is the time to make your reservation.
Often we are asked .. what is the Vivid Lights Festival about and the truth is while we do our best to explain nothing truly describes it, but hopefully the below video will give you a fee for what you will encounter in Sydney for Vivid!
So if that entices you to join .. then contact us today! (02) 4421 5577 or nowra@mytravelexpert.com.au
Encounter Singapore With The Experts
On the doorstep of South East Asia, Singapore, is the first step for many travellers encountering Asian Culture for the first time. Modern, Metropolitan and Magnificent, My Travel Expert wants to show you what we are doing in Singapore this October with a fantstic group tour taking in the highlights of this incredible Island Nation. From Steel Gardens to Wildlife Parks there is always something in Singapore to experience and we want to show it to you! So join us on the 11th of February from 4pm and see what we are planning, and if interested place your name down on this one off departure!
To register just Click Here!
My Cruise Expo Deals – For a Limited Time Only!
What a fantastic Expo! Our thanks to all Exhibitors and Attendees for a great night – and for those that are looking to cruise, now is your chance to take advantage of all that there was to offer!
From the 15 suppliers, and dozens of cruise lines available for inspection of the night we have put together a brochure with over 50 pages of specials, deals and cruise packages that are on sale through My Travel Expo until the end of this week (Thursday 24th March) – many of which are exclusive to My Travel Expert!
If you want to review these specials, click here!
From Asian River Cruising with Wendy Wu, to enjoying the rugged adventure of a sailing ship with Star Clippers, or the luxury of a Scenic Cruise we have a fantastic array of specials available now for you to take advantage of!
Just call us on (02) 4421 5577 or email nowra@mytravelexpert.com.au
Exhibitor Intro: Cruise Traveller & Avalon Waterways
Today I would like to talk about two of our Exhibitors that will offer you not just the classic river cruises you know and love, but a selection of truly unique cruising opportunities. So lets start with one of what you may call our “Cruise Consolidators”a single company representing many cruise lines
Cruise Traveller has a variety of cruises with ships run by companies like Adventure Canada, American Cruise Lines, Aqua Cruises, Atmosphere, Azamara, Celestyal, Hebridean, Island Escape Cruises, Kararina Line, Locaboat Holidays, Natural Habitat Adventures, One Ocean Expeditions, Pearl Seas Cruises, Ponant, Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer, Sea Cloud Cruises, Star Clippers, True North, Variety Cruises, Voyages of Discovery, Amazon Nature Tours, Antarctica XXI, Assam Bengal Navigation, Australis, Back-Roads Barging, European Waterwaysm Hapag-Lloyd, Jayavarman & Jahan, Linbald-National Geographic, Mahanaahu, Noble Caledonia, Pandaw, Polar Latitudes, Sanctuary Nile Adventurer, Seabourn, Silversea, Swan Hellenic, Uncruise, Voyages to Antiquity and Zegrahm Expeditions.
I would love to talk about all of these incredible cruising options but alas space is limited – so if you really want the information then I suggest coming along to the expo and speaking with the expert in person! I will though talk about one of the cruising options because it is a little different to anything we have previewed before today, or will preview before the expo. So let us talk about Locaboat.
Lakes, rivers, canals, beautiful landscapes, small villages and magnificent but often unknown monuments… Boating holidays with Locaboat provides the opportunity to discover the most beautiful regions of France and Europe during enchanting excursions along the waterways. These are not your typical European River Cruise though as you board and conduct our own voyage on one of Locaboats amazing river boats and barges that journey along not just the major but the minor waterways of France and Europe. Locaboaty offers you a cruising option that lets you travel exactly at your own pace and discover a lot of off the beaten track destinations.
Our other Supplier for today is a stark change, a single operator, who like Locaboat does specialise in Europe but in an entirely different manner …
Avalon Waterways is an incredible, affordable cruising option for Europe and Asia. While it might not include the signature experiences of some of the five star lines, or all your drinks, the cruises operated by Avalon truly cover what most people desire of a river cruise – a fantastic comfortable well appointed ship that people can enjoy the amenities of, a delicious on-board menu of meals for the duration of your travel, incredible sightseeing options for every port of call, and great on-board entertainment options. So if you have had the urge to cruise the Danube, Moselle, Rhine, Rhone, Saone, Seine, Irrawaddy & the Mekong then Avalon gives you a fantastic and affordable alternative.
The upside of travelling with Avalon Waterways is that it is part of the Globus family which means that the river cruises are combinable with pre and post city stays with Monograms, a fantastic provider of short stay independent programmes, or longer tours with Globus or Cosmos who can help you get around to see some of the sights you may have missed while cruising
Also by combining multiple tours and cruises with the Globus family you can also get the added benefit of multiple programme discounts which means should (for example) you wish to combine a Danube Cruise with a Rhine/Rhone Cruise then you can do so and receive a generous discount off the second programme.
So if a cruise that is markedly different or a fantastic affordable river cruise, if either sound appealing why not come and speak with the experts from the Cruise Traveller and Avalon Waterways at My Cruise Expo on the 17th March at Worrigee Ex-Servicemans Club from 5pm!
Register Your Attendance Today!
Exhibitor Intro: Wendy Wu & Carnival Cruises
So today we have a couple of exhibitors to introduce to you! With just three days to go before our Expo we have plenty to still tempt you into coming down! Today I want to let you know about one of our fantastic River Cruise operators and one of our more popular Ocean Cruise Providers.
Here in Australia one of the more popular tour operators headed into Asia is Wendy Wu Tours, and people love their journeys through China and India and beyond. What many do not realise is that Wendy Wu Tours also offer a fantastic range of Cruise and Tour Combinations that will allow you to explore the waterways of Asia.
Along the Mekong you can cruise the lower Mekong between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City – possibly the most popular area of the river for tourists. You can also take cruising options along the upper mekong starting at Kampong Cham in Thailand and cruising varying sections up until the island and waterfalls that will eventually flow down to tonle Sap! If we stay within the Indo-China region you can also explore the Red River in northern Vietnam
In China you can have the options of the standard 4 day short cruise along the Yangtze or a longer 8 day sailing. either are combinable with tours that can take in the waterways of the South around Guilin and beyond. In Myanmar you can journey the Irrawaddy (or Ayeryaddy as some call it) between Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake visiting some of the highlights of the country .. or you can take an off the beaten path trip and cruise the Chinidwan or Saleen Rivers.
If that isn’t enough then Wendy Wu can also take you on some of the most relaxing boat trips in India either on a group tour or a solo adventure as you discover the backwaters of Kerala, the peaceful lake life in Srinigar or maybe even a cruise along the Ganges or Brahmaputra. As you can see if Cruising the waterways of Europe is dominated by a small number of Cruise lines, Wendy Wu Tours has access to the best range of cruising options throught the Asian Region.
If river cruising though does not sound like the right choice at the moment, or you have a family with you that doesn’t necessarily enjoy sightseeing then the option remains to check-aboard with todays other Exhibitor – Carnival Cruises!
While the name is now becoming familiar to Australian travellers with the new Carnival Legend arriving in 2015 and the Carnival Spirit a few years earlier, the Carnival Cruise Line has been around for some time and firmly established their place within the worlds cruise industry.
From Austrlian waters you will find cruises on Carnival that will take you out to discover Tasmania, New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Singapore, Hawaii, the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand. Internationally they have cruises that cover the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico, Bermuda, Panama, Alaska, Canada and New England, Hawaii and Europe. A list of fantastic destinations though is not the only draw card that Carnival have up their sleeve.
Carnival Ships are often referred to as “Funships”and for good reason. Built as the ultimate floating resort they have giant slides, rock climbing, golfing, swimming and more to keep the kids and healthier adults active. There are kid clubs with special themes and shows, regular trivia and other events daily for the adults, and the nights are filled with dances, parties and shows. You can catch a movie at their in-house theatre, or for the adults you can retreat to an adults only R&R area to avoid the swarms of kids and families. With a range of dining options from burger joints to fine dining, from seafood to a kids breakfast with Dr Seuss there is something for everyone to enjoy whilst aboard one of Carnivals Funships.
So If exploring Asia on a river Cruise or taking the family out of a floating resort sounds like the way to spend your next Vacation then why not come down and speak with the experts from Wendy Wu Tours and Carnival Cruises at My Cruise Expo on the 17th March at Worrigee Ex-Servicemans Club from 5pm!
Register Your Attendance Today!
Exhibitor Intro: Viking Cruises
The name may summon up images of long-ships and harsh weather, but the truth is that the cruise line known as Viking Cruises is a touch of elegance and decadence within a price range for most travellers, and we are proud to have them joining us as an exhibitor at My Cruise Expo on the 17th March 2015 at Worrigee Ex-Servicemans club from 5pm.
For a number of years Viking have been for many a more affordable way of Cruising the rivers of Europe like the Danube, the Rhine, the Rhone and the Volga. Like many of their luxury counterparts they have well appointed vessels, full meal service, daily touring – they just cut back on some of the unnecessary luxuries like unlimited alcohol, or personal butlers. Today Viking continue to offer the same fantastic service at reasonable prices and have extended their cruise range beyond Europe to Asia where their vessels now ply the Mekong, the Yangtze and the Irrawaddy.
One of the reasons that river cruising is so popular is that as a form of touring it is the perfect way to relax, while being able to get about and see a lot of different sites, not have to worry about meals, and enjoy being able to unpack once and not need to worry over the repacking for bus trips every night or two.
Viking Cruises have been doing this on the rivers of the world for some time but in 2015 took the entire concept one step further and introduced their own Ocean Cruise Vessels and Cruising range – ocean cruises that in many way mirror river cruises. They take you from one incredible destination to the next (such as Stockholm to St Petersburg), they include all your meals, they include not only all your touring but onboard talks and lectures by the experts in the sights and places you can see and the history surrounding them, plus like a river cruise you unpack once and enjoy the journey!
Viking Ocean Cruises have a number of fantastic sailings around the Baltic, North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions of Europe that will leave you desiring more. From short week-long cruises to their epic 50 day Istanbul to Stockholm Sailing they have something for everyone.
So does a Viking Cruise sound like something to get the blood pumping and the gears going? Come down and speak with the experts from Viking Cruises at My Cruise Expo on the 17th March at Worrigee Ex-Servicemans Club from 5pm!
Register Your Attendance Today!
Exhibitor Intro: Star Cruises
For those receiving these by e-mail, or via Facebook please bear with us as you will undoubtedly receive a number of these Exhibitor Introductions over the next few days as we ramp up to our Cruise Expo which is only a week away! So this is our last chance to tell you about those that are coming , what they offer and to give you a preview of the experts you will have access to on the 17th March including today’s Exhibitor .. Star Cruises!
For those of us here in Australia, Star Cruises is not a name we see every day .. we do see it when the ships occasionally come down into our waters for varying reasons, or when some huge special appears but for the most part it is a cruise line that doesn’t get a lot of attention locally here – but it should!
Star Cruises has a fantastic array of sailings, with its major ports of call through Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and China. For a family looking to give their kids a first glimpse of a different culture their cruises are a fantastic way to do so.
Outside of their fantastic destinations the onboard facilities – from gaming rooms, to bars and casinos, from health spas to restaurants are plenty to keep you occupied whilst at sea. The onboard entertainment is always remarkable and the kids club is sure to amuse the younger travellers.
So if a taste of Asia for the family sounds like something you want to consider then come down and speak with the experts at Star Cruises at My Cruise Expo, on the 17th March 2017 at Worrigee Ex-Serviceman’s Sports Club from 5pm till 8pm!
Register Your Attendance Today!
My Travel Expert and Shoalhaven Solo Sisters 