Topdeck Travel Blog

Saturday 26 March 2011

Topdeck and Shepherds Bush Walkabout are hosting a fundraising event to help raise money for those affected by the Christchurch Earthquake in February. Come and show your support and take part in some of the auctions and raffles being held on the day. You can bid for some awesome prizes including Topdeck travel prizes, tickets to festivals, gym membership and much, much more. Just book your ticket in advance for £5 or pay £8 on the door. Live bands and DJ’s will be entertaining you throughout the day and £1.50 from all Kiwi beer sold will be donated towards the appeal, as will all the door funds and money raised from raffles and auctions.

• WHEN: Saturday 26th March 2011
• WHERE: Shepherds Bush Walkabout, London
• TIME: 4pm until late
• TUBE: H&C Line, Central Line or Shepherd’s Bush Overground

We’re looking forward to seeing you down there!

PART 2

Five best things to do in Melbourne

Head to Lygon street for a great Italian meal

1. Shop till you drop -

A dizzying array of first class restaurants, charming cafes, shops, art galleries, museums and theatres greet visitors to the Swanston Street area, home of the Bourke Street Mall. It has long been seen as the epicenter of Melbourne shopping: the city’s two major department stores reside here as well as an assortment of boutique shops and chain stores.

2. Visit the Queen -

The Queen Victoria Market, that is! A Melbourne institution, this huge market sells everything from bargain basement clothing and accessories to fresh produce. Head down on a Wednesday evening during summer, as the market transforms into an Asian-style night market filled with hawkers stalls, fresh food, licensed bars, live performances and locally made gifts.

3. Relax at the Bay -

A quick tram ride from the CBD, St Kilda makes for the perfect place to relax. This palm-lined foreshore with rolling green lawns has plenty to offer to visitors. Do as the locals do - on weekends, Melburnians flock here to walk, cycle and skate along the boardwalk or to lounge in an outdoor café or cocktail bar – and take in the panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay.

4. Head to (Little) Italy -

Take a stroll down Lygon Street. The heart of Melbourne’s Little Italy, this is a haven of little boutiques, inexpensive pasta and great Italian coffee! The street has great colour, particularly at night when the sidewalks are thronged with diners and restaurateurs touting for your business.

Beautiful coastline along the Great Ocean Road

5. Venture West –

Stretching from the sleepy town of Torquay to the South Australian border, the Great Ocean Road weaves along the southern coast of Victoria revealing gorgeous landscapes and stunning rock formations. It’s the perfect way to leave Melbourne and head to the next exciting city: Adelaide.

Topdeck’s Liana Szwajlyk describes the sights and delights of Egypt.

Being an employee of Topdeck does mean a deep passion for travel – but unfortunately the work doesn’t get done by itself. There comes a point when we have to put down our backpacks and chain ourselves to the desk, to get the job done. Though, that doesn’t mean we don’t dream of travel….every-single-day! So, as I sit here reminiscing about warmer weather and my summer travels, (READ: my new form of procrastination) I thought I’d share with you a particular highlight - my recent journey throughout Egypt.

With me, the fascination with Egypt started at a very early age. Well, what child isn’t intrigued with mummies, pyramids and the mysteries tied to this ancient civilization? So I was understandably thrilled when I had the chance to explore all that this captivating country has to offer, on Topdeck’s 21 Day Ultimate Egypt tour.

My adventure began in the country’s capital, Cairo, which proved to be quite an overwhelming experience and understandably so: Cairo is Africa’s largest city and home to more than 16 million people. It’s chaotic, exotic, smelly, dusty and also….beautiful! It won’t take long before you acclimatise and get drawn in by the charm of this pulsating metropolis.

Cairo… The Egyptian Museum in the centre of town is a must-see, with its countless ancient Egyptian artefacts, including treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Similarly, I highly recommend shopping at the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, where you can practice the age-old art of haggling for trinkets, spices and perfume in one of the world’s largest markets. Here you might find yourself highly entertained by the shopkeepers’ commentary, just as I was. These men yell just about anything to get your attention and then beckon you to look at their stalls. A few favourites of mine were: “How many camel for you to marry me?”, “Look! Shakira, Shakira” and strangely enough “Welcome to Alaska?!”.

Continuing on, no trip to Cairo would be complete without a visit to the pyramids - the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World. In front of the pyramids lies the Sphinx, an enormous cat-like sculpture that continues to mesmerize millions of visitors.

Beyond Cairo… If a bustling metropolis isn’t your dream destination, there is certainly more to Egypt than just Cairo. The real allure lies somewhere between the desert landscapes and dry, rugged mountains, the peaceful towns full of exotic smells and sights and the tucked away treasures known to few.

Egypt has something for every traveller!

Aswan…Let your cares melt away while drifting down the Nile on a traditional felucca sailboat in Aswan. Spend time sipping mint tea or puffing leisurely on a shisha and watch the world whirl past as it has for eons.

Luxor… Step back in time at the magnificent pharaonic tombs, temples and palaces found in Luxor. Wander wide-eyed amid the hugely impressive Luxor temple and the equal grandeur of Karnak temple. Visit Tutankhamun’s final resting place in the hot, hidden Valley of the Kings and Queens.

Hurghada… Head to Hurghada for spectacular diving, stunning crystal waters and beautiful sandy beaches of the Red Sea. Test your skills with a myriad of watersports or simply bask in the glistening sun.

Dahab… Get back to nomadic life on a unique a desert experience in Dahab. Jump on a Jeep safari to the inner oases or trek up the stunning Mount Sinai. Follow this up with a well-deserved feast of freshly caught seafood, in one of the town’s tranquil ocean-side cafes.

These are just some of the exotic attractions that await you. Don’t just take my word for it, discover the essence of Egypt for yourself!

Explore the major sights and hidden treasures of Egypt on Topdeck’s Ultimate Egypt trip, currently on sale from: £549pp

Topdeck offers a wide range of trips to Egypt, Morocco and the Middle East from 3 to 21 days.

With so many of our friends and families, colleagues and passengers affected by the devastating Queensland floods, let’s see how much money we can raise to donate to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal!

Our Queensland Flood Relief, in association with TNT Magazine and Walkabout Shepherd’s Bush London starts on Saturday, 29 January at 12 noon, with raffles and auctions kicking off at 3pm. To book your tickets, visit www.tntmagazine.com/floodrelief

For those of you who can’t join us in London:

For those of you who can’t make it to Topdeck’s Flood Relief Event in London, we’ve teamed up with STA Travel Australia to auction off some great Topdeck trips, with all proceeds going to the Flood Relief Appeal. Get bidding now on some great items! Visit the QLD Flood Relief Auction for 5 round-the-world flights and three Topdeck Europe trips and help those gravely affected by the floods in Queensland, Australia. Hurry - this auction will be ending soon!

The Topdeck January Sale has begun!

We’re kicking off the year with our huge Downunder Sale, so now is the time to bag that bargain trip to the beach & the bush.

Score generous discounts on Australia & New Zealand trip bookings made in January 2011, for travel between April 2011 and March 2012.

SAVE 20% - On all reverse direction trips of 10 days and over through Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand, including Queensland/Northern Territory combo trips.

SAVE 10% - On all Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria trips (both directions).

To claim your discount, simply, ‘check availability’ on the trips selected above and the discount will automatically be calculated into the price shown for those departure dates.

Win a Topdeck trip Downunder

And while we’re at it, to help celebrate our January Downunder Sale, we’re giving away not one, but THREE trips to Australia or New Zealand! For you chance to win simply upload your favourite travel photo on Topdeck’s Facebook page, along with 50 words on why you think you should win this fabulous prize. Whoever gets the most facebook “like” for their entry will win! So, tell your friends (…or anyone who will listen for that matter) for your chance win a Topdeck adventure to Australia or New Zealand!

HINT: Use the comment section on our blog to promote your entry!

Topdeck’s Liana Szwajlyk shares her final revelations on the Land Down Under

I’ll try to wrap up my ramblings by finishing with my personal rationale for loving Australia – our food!

Our rich cultural diversity is reflected in our ‘tucker’, and while you generally won’t find Wichetty Grubs on the menu (unless you’re in the Outback) Australia does offer a vast variety of food and wine to suit every palate. A solid study of the bars and restaurants will particularly reveal our hopeless addiction to coffee, seafood and global cuisine.

Our most notable food tradition is the great Aussie barbeque, the centre of any social event – and the place where the Aussie male dominates. A lot of our entertaining is done outside, and what could be better than an ice cold beer, a succulent steak, a prawn thrown on the barbie.

Vegemite also deserves an honourable mention here, as another Aussie-food icon. It’s an acquired taste. It has to be force-fed to you from a very early age for you to acquire it. It’s a thick black sandwich spread, consisting of salt, yeast, wheat, salt, cereals, oh and more salt! Try it, by all means, but use it sparingly. Let us know if you like it!

Oh and who could forget Tim Tams?…Enough said!

If you’re not so much a food aficionado, then there’s always the great Australian fallback – the pub. Everywhere you go, you’ll find a pub or three. This Australian institution is where many Aussie blokes go when they want to spend some quality time together, away from the shielas. Not only can you get a cold beer here, spirited conversation and light-hearted banter are also guaranteed.

In all of this we mustn’t forget the Aussie people: always happy to help you out, Aussies, for the most part, are a very genuine and accepting mob, with a sense of humour which is almost certainly quite different to any you’ll have experienced anywhere else. We’d probably also have to be the most laid back people on the face of the planet and with all that sunshine and merriment, who can blame us?

Add to this the original native Australians, the Aboriginals, with their ancient culture and simple way of life and I’d say we have the most diverse population, in terms of cultural mix, of any country in the world.

So yes, it’s a big place and there’s a load to explore. You will discover that this sunburnt country is filled with excitement and immense beauty and although the length of time it takes to travel there is long, a trip to Oz is well worth the effort. It has to be one of the best places in the world to visit and I should know, I’ve been living there for the past 22 years and miss it so.

Find your Aussie adventure now! Visit www.topdeck.travel

Topdeck’s latest Aussie arrival, Liana Szwajlyk, shares her Christmas experience in the City of Lights

Paris. Je t’aime. One of the most famous and romantic cities in the world, it’s easy to fall in love with Paris. With an overwhelming number of beautiful landmarks, sights and attractions, Paris has its own very particular charm and a history beyond compare! The allure of the city’s grand avenues and twinkling lights have bought millions of travellers to Paris, all looking to share in the city’s “joie de vivre”.

During the Christmas Season the French capital becomes even more alluring - no words can describe this Parisian experience! In December the metropolis sparkles - figuratively and literally, making this month an ideal time to visit. Trees up and down the boulevards are strung with garlands of shimmering lights and many other places around town are decorated in the same festive spirit. Christmas markets spring up all around the city, selling enchanting decorations and gifts and who can forget the gourmet treats? It’s something a traveller, especially anyone who appreciates true art and beauty, should definitely experience.

I began my French escapade on Christmas Eve. It was cool and cloudy and the sun never showed which for an Aussie girl like me, the idea of having winter at Christmas (instead of one with scorching heat) was quite odd! The city was cheerful and bright though, everywhere people seemed to be having fun and enjoying themselves. Parisians are so exuberant, romantic, and full of life that you can’t help but feel the same way!

Paris features attractions for all, so in an attempt to tick off a number of touristy things, I started my adventure with a grand walk along the Seine River. Passing a myriad of amazing bridges, I followed my way down the city’s most famous promenade -the Champs Elysees - exploring the multitude Christmas stalls along the way! I quickly learned the operative word here was vin chaud, vin chaud, vin chaud! Red or white, hot French wine, sold everywhere in large two-euro plastic cups, or as I saw it: the perfect excuse to keep warm! Continuing on my journey, I came to the Place Charles de Gaulle where lays the beautiful Arc de Triomphe, a classic symbol of the French nation. Paris is an old city filled with culture, and there are so many museums to visit. Among the most notable of these museums is the Louvre - home of the famous Mona Lisa, my next stop, followed by a visit to the breathtaking grandeur of Notre Dame (highly recommended). And of course my visit to Paris would not be complete without taking a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower!

In just a few short days I found it difficult to soak in all that Paris can offer - but no matter what you choose to do there, you can’t go wrong! Paris simply has a certain “je ne sais quoi” - that special something that you can’t quite put your finger on, but whatever it is, it makes you want to linger in Paris for as long as possible. And so, I spent the festive break strolling along the glittering boulevards, feasting on local delicacies (Be warned: Foie Gras is only for the adventurous!) and gazing out at the City of Lights. This is definitely not the sunny Christmas I was accustomed to, but it certainly made for an exciting and memorable way to spend the holidays.

Experience Paris on Topdeck’s 4 Day Christmas in Paris, currently £279
www.topdeck.travel

CANTERBURY (CHRISTCHURCH) EARTHQUAKE UPDATE

9 September 2010 

Topdeck New Zealand Trips are still ALL operating in the Canterbury region. 

Christchurch city is recovering well after the earthquake.  For safety reasons, Civil Defence still has a cordon in place around a few blocks of the central city but the remainder of the city is accessible. The cordon is being reviewed daily.

Purely for precautionary measures we have made the following itinerary changes on our existing trip/s.

JNZ15           3 September 2010 (and associated combinations)

We will relocate from Cathedral Camelot Hotel in Christchurch (City Centre) on 10 September 2010 to Redwood Hotel, 340 Main North Road, Christchurch Tel:64 33529165.

JNZ7 Tour pickup will now be at Redwood Hotel at 8.00am (11 September 2010)

JNZ15R         5 September 2010 (and associated combinations)

We will relocate from Cathedral Camelot Hotel in Christchurch (City Centre) on 11 September 2010 to YHA Kakapo Lodge, 14 Amuri Avenue, Hanmer Springs Tel: 64 33157472.

We will continue to access the situation and provide regular updates.

For the latest Tourism New Zealand update click HERE 

by Jennifer Palframan

As the days start to shorten, winter coats begin to flock into the shops and umbrellas begin to make their unwelcome comeback, the dream of a summer holiday frolicking in the sunshine of Europe’s favourite cities may be slowly starting to disappear…

But instead of embracing the seasonal sadness that overwhelms so many or kicking yourself for not booking your summer getaway sooner - look at winter as a frosted window of opportunity to see Europe as you have never seen it before!

Here are some city highlights to help inspire you on an ever-so-cool expedition abroad this winter!

Why not get swept up in the charm of Paris, enjoy a café au lait in a typical French café or mosey through Montmartre up to the snowy Sacré Cœur. The cool winter setting is ideal for checking out the world’s most famous museums. Wander around Le Louvre, Musée d‘Orsay or le Pompidou Centre and get your ultimate culture fix without the massive queues!

The festive season in Paris is not to be missed. Check out the window displays at the famed Les Galeries Lafayette, explore the Christmas markets on the Champs-Élysées or be amazed by the glow of the glistening Eiffel Tower. 

Prague in winter is a pure fairytale and even more magical than usual. Take a stroll across famous Charles Bridge and wander through the snow-covered Hradcany (castle district) toward the imposing St Vitus Cathedral. Stop in at local bar and indulge in the some traditional Absinthe or nestle into a wool covered chair (under a heater!) and relax in a restaurant along the Vltava River. Of course a trip to Prague is not complete without a visit to the Astronomical Clock located in the Old Town Square.

Salzburg is your ultimate winter destination as well as being home to Mozart and the setting of the Sound of Music.  Check out the interesting Baroque architecture of the Old Town or the magical Mirabell Gardens that are most beautiful when sprinkled in snow. And for all the adrenaline junkies, there is the opportunity to hit the slopes on an Alpine adventure!

Berlin is the capital of cool and even more so during winter. Visit the city’s most amazing monuments and sights before warming yourself up with a classic pub crawl through this ultra-alternative city.

Or if you feel like getting in the festive spirit, head to Berlin’s Alexanderplatz and soak up the atmosphere of the Christmas markets. Enjoy a warm glass of spicy mulled wine, tuck into a traditional weisswurst or head to the centre of the decorated square for a spin around the ice skating rink.

Snow fights, mulled wine, cosy cafés, villages carpeted in snow, festive markets, minimal crowds, picturesque cityscapes. What is not to love! Be inspired to see Europe this winter!

For full details about Topdeck winter trips click HERE.