sean simmons travel newsletter june 2013
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turbulencet ravel news that wi l l excite you
Get a rare glimpse into the old & new sides of the “Land of the Rising Sun” – from the cutting-edge technology of a Toyota plant to turning back the time in the old town of Takamaya which is known for its expertise in carpentry & private houses that are deemed cultural artefacts. And the best part- the second person flies free!#
• 15days,14nightsfrom$6995*pp• VisitTokyo,Hakone,KisoValley,Takayama,
Kanazawa,Hiroshima,NaraandKyoto• SmallgroupjourneywithWesternTourLeader^
andlocalEnglish-speakingguide• 13nights’hotelaccommodation,1nightRyokan
accommodation• Dailybreakfast,2dinners• Transportbyair-conditionedvehiclesincluding
daytrains• Entrancefees,luggagetransportincluded
transfers.
HIGHLIGHTS:• TakearomantictrainjourneytoArashiyama
Valleyandstrollthroughthebambooforests.Thevalleyisanationally-designatedhistoricalsite.
• EnjoyanexclusiveMaikodinnerandperformanceinKyoto,andlearnaboutthelivesoftheapprenticeGeishas.
• WitnessJapan’scutting-edgetechnologyduringaspecially-arrangedvisittotheToyotamanufacturingplant.
• Soakuptheold-worldatmosphereoftheKisoValleywanderingthevillagesofMagome,withbroadstonewalkwayslinedbyrestoredancienthouses,andTsumago–thetownwheretheambienceoftheEdoperiodcanbefelteventodaywithpowercableskeptconcealedandcarsforbiddenonthemainstreetduringtheday!
• Traditional-innstaynearMountFujiatHakone,itssymmetricalconecontinuingtoremainoneofthemajorsymbolsofJapan.
JuNE2013
SPOTLIGHT: SECRETS OF JAPANWithmorethan180brandedproductsfromtheAntler&GoTravelrange,wearedelightedtoannouncethatouronlineshopisnowopenforbusiness!Andtocelebratethisgrandoccasion,forthemonthofJune,wearegiftingallourmemberswith a MASSIVE 30% discount on EVERYTHING!*
Simplyloginorregister(becomeamemberforfree)at seansimmonstravel.com.auandheadtoourSHOP!EntercouponcodeSSTJUNE2013 at the SHOPPINGCARTortheCHECKOuTpagetoclaimyourdiscount!
Everhadtroublerecallingthecodeforanumber-lockorfoundtheirdialstoosmalltoreadorhandle?We have TSA approved locks with bigger dials and letters replacing numbers!
Huntingaboutforacheck-inluggagethatdoesn’teatupyourairlineweightallowance?In our Check-in Baggage range, we have three 82cm cases weighing 3.8kgs or less!Shoppingferventlyaroundfortransparent,100%waterproofpouchesforyourphone,tablet,camera,iPodorMP3player?Check out our “Dry” series; the one for the iPod/MP3 player has an earphone jack too!
Preferanall-in-oneadaptor?Browse through our Electrical & Electronics range which includes a worldwide adaptor for the globe-trotter in you!*Pleasenotethatshippingchargesarenotinclusiveofthisdiscount.
*Conditionsapply.Frompriceisbasedon08Jun2013departure,landonly.Flyfreeofferisvalidfortravelonall2013departures.#Flightsareineconomy‘S’classwithCathayPacificfordeparturesfromAdelaide,Brisbane,Cairns,Perth,MelbourneandSydneyandaresubjecttoavailabilityandbookingclass.Onceclassissoldoutsurchargesapply.Norefundonceticketisissued.FlightsforallpassengerstravellingmustbebookedwithTravelIndochina.Offersend30June13,unlesssoldoutprior.Singleandwillingtosharediscountsareavailableonrequest.^Westerntourleaderbasedonaminimumof10travellers.
A FUN wARdRObE mAkEOvER FOR wESTPAC STAFFThestaffatWestpac’sWalesCornerbranch,locatedattheintersectionofSwanstonandCollinsStreetsinMelbourne,choseblue&whiteoverthein-houseredonFridays!Byslippingintosmart&chicSSTshirts,ofcourse,aspartofamonth-longcampaigninMay!Andboy,didtheylookthepart!
Weareproudtoannouncethatourfearlessleader,SeanSimmons,isafinalistintheNationalTravelIndustryAwards(NTIA)for“BestTravelAgencyConsultant-Corporate”Theseprestigiousawards,sponsoredbyAFTA(AustralianFederationOfTravelAgents)arethepremierindustryeventoftheyear.Seaniscompetingagainst4otherconsultantsforthetitle,whichwillbeannouncedon20July.Wewillkeepyouposted!
ONLINE STORE NOw OPENENJOy 30% OFF EvERyTHING
CONTACT The SeAN SimmONS TrAvel TrAvel TeAm ON:Phone:+61394293294(local) TollFree:1300391590(interstate) Fax:+61394293293 Email:[email protected],53CoppinStreet,RichmondVIC3121 seansimmonstravel.com.auABN 48153795129 TCF 10343 TrAvel AGeNT liCeNSe viC 33025 iATA 02-3 6275 4
CLICk HERE TO SIGN UP AS A memBer TO GeT ACCeSS TO exCluSive TrAvel deAlS ANd diSCOuNTS ON BrANded luGGAGe
vIRGIN AUSTRALIA STARTS bRISbANE-PERTH A330 SERvICEVirginAustralialaunchesthefirstofitsAirbusA330‘CoasttoCoast’flightsbetweenBrisbaneandPerth,withtwooutofthreeweekdayreturnservicestobeoperatedbythebigbird.
Virgin’sBrisbane-PerthflightshavepreviouslyusedonlythesmallerBoeing737-800planes,whichofferlessspaceinbothbusinessandeconomy.VirginhasfourofthenewerandmorecomfyA330sinitsfleet,twiceasmanyastheoldermodels.
VirginAustralia’sMelbourne-Perthflightsarealreadyan“allA330”affair,withtheairlineconsideringconvertingitsSydney-PerthroutetoexclusivelyusetheAirbusA330withthearrivalofaseventhnewA330laterthisyear.
LANGHAm PLACE HOTEL OPENS IN NEw yORkTheacclaimedLanghamPlacehotelbrandplantsitsfeetinNewYorkwiththeopeningofLanghamPlace,FifthAvenue.
It’sprettyhardtotopthaticonicaddress,whilethespecificlocation–400FifthAvenue,ontheintersectionofFifthAvenueand36thStreet–putstheLanghamPlaceclosetotheEmpireStateBuildingplusNewYork’sfinancialandcommercialhubs,nottomentiontheshops,restaurantsandmanyfunkycornerswhichmakeNYoneoftheworld’smostexcitingcities.
RegularvisitorstoNewYorkmayrecognisetheaddress–LanghamPlace,FifthAvenueisinfactarebrandingofTheSetaiFifthAvenue.LanghamPlace,FifthAvenuewillboast214guestroomsandsuitesclaimedtobeamongthelargestinthecityplusanumberofwell-plannedspacesforexecutivemeetingsandsocialeventsservices.
“ThepiècederésistanceistheunrivalledgourmetexperiencefoundatLanghamPlace,FifthAvenue’ssignature,Michelin-starredrestaurantAiFiori”thechainpromises.“Anelegantfinediningrestaurantopenforbreakfast,lunchanddinner,AiFiori–whichmeans“amongtheflowers”inItalian–featuresamenuthatcelebratestheFrenchandItalianRiviera,courtesyoftheworld-renownedAltamareaGroupandChefMichaelWhite.”
There’salsotheMeasurelounge“featuringamenuofAmericanandBritishcomfortfoodre-imaginedwithamoderntwistbyChefJeffreySeizer,formerlyofMaialinoandunionSquareCafé.”
FoodanddrinkswillbeservedthroughoutthedayatMeasure,startingwithacontinentalbreakfastinthemorning,whiletheeveningclosesoutwithlivejazzperformancesstartingfrom8pmalongsideaseasonalcocktailmenu.Stilltocomewillbeanupdatetothehotel’slobbydécorand,nextyear,LanghamPlace’sChuanSpa.
SINGAPORE TO GET NEw T5 ‘mEGA-TERmINAL’Singapore’ssprawlingChangiAirportissettogetbigger–muchbigger–withtheopeningofanewT5terminalbuilttohandleasmanyas50million
passengersperyearalthoughtheterminalwon’topenuntilsometimeinthenextdecade.
Constructionofafourthterminalfortheairportisstillunderway,withT4–builtonthefootprintofChangi’soldBudgetterminal–duetobeginoperationin2017.SpecificdetailsonT5areexpectedtobeunveiledbyyear’sendaspartofChangi’slong-termmasterplan.
SingaporeAirlinesislikelytobeT5’sfoundationcustomer,inwhichcaseT5wouldalsobethenaturalhomeforSQ’sStarAlliancepartnerssuchasANA,Lufthansa,SWISS,ThaiAirwaysandunited.
Plansarealsobeingdrawnuptoexpandtheairport’sthirdrunway,whichiscurrentlydedicatedtotheSingaporeAirForce,forusebycommercialflights.
dUbAI AIRPORT GEARS UP FOR mASSIvE TERmINAL 1 mAkE-OvERNowthatDubaiAirport’sEmirates&Qantasall-AirbusA380concourseAisopen,attentionisturningtothemajorupgradefortheolderTerminal1atDXB.
Theextensiverevampisexpectedtobecompletedbytheendofnextyear.Inthemeantime,besuretoallowyourselfextratimewhentransitingtheterminalwhileit’sunderconstruction.Onceit’sfinished,transitpassengerscanexpectabrandnewbaggagesystem,morespaceinthedepartureshall,bettersignage,andageneralfaceliftofthewholeconnectionsarea.
Ifyou’restayinginDubai,you’llemergefromthenewbaggageclaimtoreachanupgradedarrivalsimmigrationhall,whichtheairportauthoritypromiseswill“improvepassengerflowandreduceprocessingtimesforarrivingpassengers”.
Afterimmigration,you’llfinda“reconfiguredandexpandedarrivalshall”(fullyair-conditioned)withnewfoodoptionsandshops.Andwhenitcomestimetoflyout,there’llbeacompletelyredonesetofcheck-indesks,“moreefficientandstreamlinedbaggagescreeninginthedepartureshall”,and“modernisationofallpublicareas”.
mELbOURNE AIRPORT GETS wOOLwORTHS ‘CLICk, FLy & COLLECT’ STOREMelbourneAirporthasscoredauniquefirstashometoaWoolworths’storewheretravellerscangrabtheirgroceriesshortlyaftersteppingofftheplane,andotherairportscouldfollowinitswake.
TheClick,Fly&CollectserviceletsWooliescustomersshoponlinewoolworthsonline.com.au or via the woolworths’ Smartphone app andthenpickuptheirorderfromthestore,whichislocatedinMelbourneAirport’sterminalforecourt.
Pickupsareavailablesevendaysaweekfrom9amto9pm;ifaflightisdelayedandarrivedafterthepickuppointhasclosed,homedeliveryoranotheralternativewillbearranged.WoolworthswilltrialitsMelbourneAirportcollectionstoreforsixmonths,andthenconsiderrollingoutmoreClick,Fly&CollectpointsatotherAustralianairports.
INdUSTRy NEwS
TELSTRA TESTING 4G ‘SmALL CELL NETwORkS’ FOR AIRPORTSTelstraisevaluatingadvanced‘smallcellnetworks’tocopewiththeboominsmartphones,tabletsandlaptopsatAustralia’sbusiestairports.
KnownasheterogeneousnetworksorHetNets,theseuseatightly-wovenmatrixofsmall4Gmobilephonecellstohandlehightrafficloadsinareas“whereitwouldbedifficulttobuildadditionallargescalebasestations”,accordingtothecarrier.
Thetrialsarepartofanambitious$1.2billionupgradeforTelstra’snational4Gnetworkwhichalsoincludesopeningasecond4Gbandtoboostthecapacityandrangeofregionalmobilebroadbandservices.Thenewserviceswilloperateinthe900MHzband,wheresignalstravellongerandalsohavegreaterpenetrationcomparedtothe1800MHzbandofTelstra’scurrent4Gnetwork.Telstraisalsotrialingthenextgenerationofwireless4Gtechnology,knownasLTE-Advanced,withplanstointroduceitlaterthisyearinareaswithheavytrafficdemandoveragreaterdistance.LTE-Advancedusesboththe900MHzand1800MHzspectrumbands,allowinghigherspeeds“andunlockingmorecapacityformobileuse”Telstrasays–amovethat’scriticalseeingthatTelstracustomersexpecttouseasmuchmobiledatain2013astheydidinthepasttwoyearscombined.
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Click here for more details.Youneedtobeamemberatseansimmonstravel.com.au tobeabletoaccessthisdeal.LoginorRegisternow!Andcruiseinstyle!!*^Conditionsapply.
CONTACT The SeAN SimmONS TrAvel TrAvel TeAm ON:Phone:+61394293294(local) TollFree:1300391590(interstate) Fax:+61394293293 Email:[email protected],53CoppinStreet,RichmondVIC3121 seansimmonstravel.com.auABN 48153795129 TCF 10343 TrAvel AGeNT liCeNSe viC 33025 iATA 02-3 6275 4
CLICk HERE TO SIGN UP AS A memBer TO GeT ACCeSS TO exCluSive TrAvel deAlS ANd diSCOuNTS ON BrANded luGGAGe
ONLINE STORE NOw OPENENJOY30%OFFEVERYTHINGinourstoreforthemonthofJune2013(excludesshipping).Morethan180productsfromtheAntler&Gotravelrange!Loginorregisterat seansimmonstravel.com.au&entercouponcodeSSTJUNE2013 atcheckouttoclaimyourdiscount!!
REVIVE THE INNER FOODIE IN YOu!
bITE-SIZE bREAk: THAILANd 5days,4nightsfrom$498*ppAn opportunity to sight-see bangkok & and dine in some of its popular restaurants, experience a Chiang Mai homestay & cook a Khantohk feast!
• Tripstart:Bangkok,Thailand• TripFinish:ChiangMai,Thailand• MinimumAge:12years• Groupsize:1-12• Dining:2breakfasts,2lunches,2dinners• Accommodation:Homestay(1night),
Hotel(2nights),Overnightsleepertrain(1night)
Highlights: VisitstotheRailwaymarket,TonPayomMarket,ThaKhafloatingmarket&Ampawamarket,Malinnightmarketvisit,KhaoSoi(noodlesoup)demonstration,Khantohkcookingclass,TraditionalThaiMusicandDanceatHomestay!
bITE-SIZE bREAk: NEw ORLEANS 4days,3nightsfrom$562*ppLocated in the state of Louisiana & named after a city in France - New Orleans, apart from being the birthplace of jazz, stands out for its French Creole architecture and a cuisine inspired by many cultures.
• Tripstart&finish:NewOrleans,unitedStates• MinimumAge:12years• Groupsize:1-12• Dining:1breakfast,1lunch,2dinners• Accommodation:Hotel(3nights)
Highlights: GuidedFoodTourthroughtheFrenchQuarter&dinner,CrescentCityFarmersMarketvisit,DinneratJacques-Imo’s,visitstoa19thcenturysugarplantation,NewOrleanscookingschool&PreservationJazzHall!
bITE-SIZE bREAk: vENICE 4days,3nightsfrom$746*ppThe city of canals & bridges, venice is a city in north-eastern Italy which provides the perfect setting to enjoy all the finer things in life.
• Tripstart&finish:Venice,Italy• MinimumAge:12years• Groupsize:1-12• Dining:3breakfast,2lunches,1dinner• Accommodation:Hotel(3nights)
Highlights: VisitstoBridgeofSighs,StMarksandtheRialtoBridge,Cicchetti(Venice-styletapas)tour,Gelato&cheese-makingincludingtasting,Venetiancookingclass,Veniceorientationwalkingtour&Venetianwine-tastingwithanexperiencedsommelier(optional)!
bITE-SIZE bREAk: GALICIA 5days,4nightsfrom$845*ppSituated in the north-west region of Spain, Galicia promises to pique your interest with its impressive architecture, rich history and flavorsome cuisine!
• Tripstart:SantiagodeCompostela,Spain• TripFinish:Allariz,Spain• MinimumAge:12years• Groupsize:4-12• Dining:1breakfast,3lunches,2dinners• Accommodation:Apartment(3nights),
Hotel(1nights)
Highlights: Galiciancheeseandwinetasting,traditionalGaliciandinner&breadmakingdemonstration,regionaldaytripthroughAllariz,Churrosbreakfast,Cocidolunch,guidedwalkandmarketvisitinSantiagodeCompostela&tastetapasinitstraditionaltaverns!
bITE-SIZE bREAk: TOkyO5days,4nightsfrom$1595*ppTour the city of Tokyo & sample what its food & beverage hot-spots have to offer. Get enthralled by the glorious sights of mt. Fuji and be a daredevil - take on a Sumo wrestler with chopsticks and a bowl of chanko nabe!
• Tripstart&finish:Tokyo,Japan• MinimumAge:12years• Groupsize:1-12• Dining:2breakfasts,1lunches,3dinners• Accommodation:Hotel(3nights),
Ryokan(JapaneseInn;1night)
Highlights: AsakusaGuidedWalk,BoattriponLakeAshino-Ko,MemoryLaneYakitoriDinner,MonjaYakiDinner,SobaNoodle-makinglessonandvisitstotheTokyoFarmersMarket,TsukijiFishMarket,SakeBrewery&aSumostable!
LeisureVsTime–atoughbalancingact,weagree.Andthat’spreciselywhywehavelookedaround&listedsomefabulousgastronomicdealswhichfitwithinaweek!
*Conditionsapply.Pricesareforlandarrangementsonly,subjecttoavailability.Pleaseaskforspecialairfares.Fullpaymentneedstobemade60dayspriortodeparture.Anon-refundabledepositof$250perpersonpertripwillapplywithincreaseddepositpaymentapplicableonsometripsforbookingconfirmation.Polarbookingsincurahigherdeposit.Cancellation&amendmentpenaltieswillapply.Acreditcardsurchargeofminimum1.5%mayapplyforVisa&Mastercard.WedonotacceptAmericanExpressorDiners.
CONTACT The SeAN SimmONS TrAvel TrAvel TeAm ON:Phone:+61394293294(local) TollFree:1300391590(interstate) Fax:+61394293293 Email:[email protected],53CoppinStreet,RichmondVIC3121 seansimmonstravel.com.auABN 48153795129 TCF 10343 TrAvel AGeNT liCeNSe viC 33025 iATA 02-3 6275 4
CLICk HERE TO SIGN UP AS A memBer TO GeT ACCeSS TO exCluSive TrAvel deAlS ANd diSCOuNTS ON BrANded luGGAGe