South African Fundi Tourism Expert Course

Despite what people think, working in the travel industry doesn’t mean you get to spend half the year travelling around the world visiting the destinations you sell. However, familiarisation trips are run from time to time by tour operators and tourist boards to their destinations.

Recently, I started to marketing Southern Africa as part of my business and as part of the process of building my knowledge of the place, I took the South African Fundi Tourism Expert course. This course is run by the South African tourist board and has specifically designed to enable the travel provider (in this case, Explorer Travel) to market South Africa as a destination more effectively.

Since I passed the course, I have received an email from the South African tourist board, offering me a place on their 2008 Familiarisation trip to South Africa. Naturally, I was delighted and accepted immediately and I will be heading down to South Africa for a week sometime in June.

I’m still waiting for the itinerary – it was delayed as the airline we were due to fly with ceased operating and arrangements have since been made to fly with British Airways. The details are being finalised and I should have the itinerary in the next few days. South Africa is a huge, diverse country so there is no way I’ll get to see everything. What I do know is that I’ll be very busy both in South Africa and when I get back. I’ll have a load of pictures to upload and my website will also need to be updated

Big Five Explorer (South Africa) - http://www.big5.explorertravel.co.uk/Destinations/southafrica.htm

Novotel Sharm el Sheikh attains Green Globe Certification

The Green Globe programme is the official international environmental certification programme responsible for travel and tourism. In July 2007, Novotel started the rollout of Green Globe with a pilot program that involved 28 hotels in 12 countries.

Each hotel is assessed according to 10 key performance areas that seek to guarantee a range of environmental measures including better waste management, air quality improvement and energy & water consumption control. Each hotel is to undergo an annual onsite certification audit as part of the pilot program in the initial year and then every two years.

At present, the Novotel chain has 4 hotels with the Green Globe certification including the Novotel Sharm el Sheikh located on the sea front in Na’ama Bay. This 5* hotel is often overlooked by people but it is definitely one of the best hotels in Na’ama Bay.

Enjoy the sun and sea on the private beach and whether you are with your partner or family, enjoy a unique holiday doing whatever you please. The Kids Club offers different programs of popular sports and a childrens’ pool. Relax at the bars, dine indoors or out at a choice of 3 restaurants. There is also a spa with oriental Hamman and massages.

Although it is just a few minutes walk from the heart of Na’ama Bay, the Novotel is generally quiet offering all the benefits of location as well as the peace and quiet many people look for when on holiday. There are plenty of water sports available on the beach and for scuba divers, Emperor Divers is located right across the road.

Explorer Travel are pleased to offer huge savings on dive packages when you book both your holiday and diving with us. Please visit our website where you can send us an enquiry by email or give us a call to discuss staying at the Novotel Sharm el Sheikh.

Red Sea Explorer – http://www.redseaexplorer.com/

Danger UXB

On Sunday, I went for a quiet walk with my family at the seaside town of Felixstowe. It was an uneventful afternoon and there was a lot of work being down to strengthen the sea defences there.

The next morning, I took a break from work to catch up with the local news and was amazed to see the headline on the local newspapers website reported an unexploded German bomb had been unearthed by workman. The worker had scooped the device up in his digger bucket which not surprisingly gave him a bit of a shock. He still had the fore-thought to take a couple of pictures of it before departing the area and calling the authorities.

It turns out the device is a 500kg German bomb (an SC type shell, to be precise) dating from 1942 during World War II. There is no telling how unstable the bomb was so the bomb disposal experts had to treat it as if it could still cause the maximum damage. As a result, a huge area of the Felixstowe sea front was cordoned off and 1,200 local residents were evacuated.

The bomb disposal squad came up with the plan to tow the bomb offshore, sink it to the sea bed and then blow it up from a safe distance at around 2pm on Tuesday. The North Sea isn’t particularly deep, probably no more than 15m in the area of the proposed explosion so there was still a lot of scope of a large explosion.

So off I went to Felixstowe at about 1pm. After all, its not every day you get to see a World War II bomb detonated. I found a good vantage point and not surprisingly, a number of people were already there. There was a good mix of people; a young mother with her son, an old man (we had a good chat about Shingle Street and World War II) and some passing shoppers.

The local radio were also providing regular updates and soon we had the news that the detonation had been delayed until 2.30pm. As the time approached, we had more news that strong currents had prevented the divers from completing their work which meant there would be no explosion for us to witness.

On Wednesday, I got up and tuned into the local radio to get the latest news and again there would be no explosion to witness as the bomb had gone missing. On the face of it, this sounds like the bomb squad have been a bit useless but unless you’ve dived in a strong current, its quite difficult to appreciate the problems they have encountered. These guys are professional divers and if they can’t work in the water, it means the current is very strong and will easily move a 500kg bomb.

Hopefully, this story will come to a conclusion soon with the safe detonation of the bomb but what it does highlight is the fact that although there has been no air raids for more than 60 years, there are still dangerous, undiscovered weapons out there. If you ever come across any old items on an old battlefield, it is so important that you do not take them home as a souvenir. These things were designed to mame and kill. In the fields of Flanders, the farmers regularly unearth various items dating back to World War I. These are left by the side of the road and taken away by local bomb disposal experts.

If you are interested in visiting battlefields from years gone by, please visit our website to see the range of tours we are able to offer – www.battlefieldexplorer.com

High Euro Means Egypt Will Offer Better Value

A few days ago, the Pound hit an all time low against the Euro which prompted Federation of Tour Operators director-general, Andy Cooper to state that the exchange rate would affect operators deals with hotels, transfer companies and handling companies. The effect won’t be immediate but prices for 2009 could increase by £35 per person on accommodation.

Destinations outside the Eurozone will benefit from the exchange rate. Families are already comfortable with travelling to destinations such as Egypt and as a result of the strength of the Euro, Egypt will become an even more popular destination.

Nile Cruises followed with a resort offer an excellent combination of culture and relaxation and with the introduction of budget airline Easyjet flying to Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, holidaymakers will also find it easier to introduce flexibility into their holiday duration instead of the regular 7 or 14 nights.

For information and advice on visiting Egypt, visit our website or if you have a question regarding scuba diving give us a call or send us an email and we’ll be happy to help.

Red Sea Explorer - www.redsea.explorertravel.co.uk

Don’t forget to visit our new online store for all your scuba gear, beach and swimwear – www.explorertravelshop.co.uk

Source: Travel Weekly

Battlefields and Football - Part 3 Stade de France

Amiens has a magnificent cathedral in the centre and some lovely cafes and bars down by the river. It looks like a lovely place to spend summer evenings. However, it was an early morning in March so all I was interested in was a few pictures before heading south towards Paris and meeting up with my friends for the friendly international between France and England.

The drive down to Paris gave me my first experience of a French toll road. Given that the price of petrol is more expensive than it is in the UK, I can’t really believe the French put up with it (and this is a nation that knows how to protest). Anyway, the roads were fairly clear and Garmin got me all the way to my hotel in Gard de Nor, a very un-exclusive area of Paris. I was quite thankful that the hotel had a secure underground car park.

I make no apologies for stating that I have no love of Paris. I find it incredibly expensive so as I had a couple of hours to spare, I decided to just relax in my hotel room. By about 5pm, I had arranged to meet some friends near the main station which was only 3km from my hotel. It was raining and I didn’t fancy walking so I called a taxi. I should have known better as the meter was already on 8.60 Euros when I got in and the short journey cost me 14 Euros. Thankfully, my friends had found one of the less expensive bars and a beer was ‘only’ 5 Euros.

Its always good to catch up with friends at England matches. We live in different parts of the country so its generally quite rare we all meet up apart from at the games. My hotel was on the way to the stadium so we soon jumped on the metro so I could pick up my ticket. From there, we walked to the stadium. At away matches, I don’t like arriving late. Queues can build up and you never know how the police will react, its not always as calm as it is in England. As it happened, there was the build at one of the gates at the game, tensions rose and police fired tear gas into the crowd. Now these were not rioting hooligans; it was men, women and children. I saw one of my friends in the ground who was caught up in it with his 8 year old son. A gas canister had actually landed at his feet and his son had ended up in the First Aid tent. Thankfully, when I saw him, he was alright although not surprisingly, he’d lost interest in the match.

The game itself was one of the most dull games I’ve ever seen and I won’t dwell on it. We stayed to the end and then walked back to the hotel for a final beer and then bed. I had to be at Bolougne for my ferry home by 12:20 so I wanted to be on my way by 9am. I know what traffic can like in London at that time and I didn’t want to get caught up in long queues in Paris.

As I drove past the Stade de France, the old Blondie song “Dennis Dennis, I’m so in love with you” was on the radio. She obviously wasn’t singing about the area around the stadium which is called St Denis.

Once I cleared Paris, the drive back was good. The toll road north was clear but it did cost me 15 Euros. The most difficult thing is that driving a UK car with the steering wheel on the correct side, it was quite tricky to go through the toll barriers as I had to keep reaching across to the passenger window to put my credit card in the machines.

I got home that evening and taking my car instead of flying was definitely a much better option. I was alone so it wasn’t that cheap but naturally, if there had been 2 or 3 passengers in the car with me, costs would have been split and it would have been a very cost effective way of visiting Belgium and France.

If you are interested in sports travel, why not visit our dedicated Sports Travel website.

Explorer Travel Sports Travel – http://www.sportsfanexplorer.com/

Battlefields and Football – Part 2 The Somme and Amiens

I had a good nights sleep following my early start the previous day and I headed off to the Menin Gate which was just round the corner from my hotel. I wanted to take a few photos and the previous day the weather and light hadn’t been right. I spent around 20 minutes taking pictures and reading some of the names which are carved all over the Menin Gate.

Soon, I was off and heading south towards the area around the Somme. As with the area around Ypres, there are countless cemeteries, often along very small, muddy roads. My first intended destination was the Hawthorn Crater. This was one of the mines that was detonated underneath the German lines at the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The explosion was captured on film and is often shown in documentaries about the Battle of the Somme. After driving around the area for a while, I still hadn’t found it, although I had driven along Sunken Lane which is the access point. Eventually, I came across the Newfoundland Park Memorial & Visitors Centre and stopped there. This was part of the British and Canadian Front Line on 1st July 1916 when the Battle of the Somme commenced. Some of the trenches are well preserved and from the Caribou Monument, you can get an excellent idea of the landscape and the direction of attack. It is also frighteningly obvious how far the soldiers were expected to move across open ground in the face of cannon and machine guns.

By now, I had clocked up quite a few miles on what my SatNav called roads but what were in fact muddy tracks. If you chose to take a self-drive tour, just be aware that a number of roads are not suitable for vehicles, especially in the rainy months.

At Newfoundland Park, I was given directions to help me find the Hawthorn Crater and as it happened I had driven straight past it. It wasn’t long until I was back and found the access point along a very muddy field. At first I was hesitant but decided it was all part of the experience. I got to the edge of the crater but it was very over grown so I didn’t venture too far and I was soon on my way to my next port of call, Ulster Tower. This is a memorial to the Ulster Regiments that performed so well on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The tower itself is home to the Irish couple who look after things. It used to be possible to climb to the top of the tower but sadly due to insurance restrictions, this is no longer open to the public.

Nearby is the Thiepval Memorial which is the largest British War Memorial in the world. Every 1st July, a major ceremony is held here to honour the dead. The memorial can be seen from quite a distance and there is also an interesting visitors centre with information about the battles fought here.

Nearby, is the South African Memorial at Delville Wood. The memorial was to all South African battles, not just those in World War I. One particular story that caught my eye in the visitors centre was that of a soldier in one of the native regiments. He was awarded the Military Medal for his actions when he was a prisoner of war. He was being held on a ship in a harbour. Somehow he had managed to acquire some explosives which he had hidden in a sardine tin. When the opportunity came, he did the explosives amongst some barrels of fuel. The explosion caused such damage and confusion that the ship eventually sunk and the soldier managed to escape. After walking for 23 days, he reached the safety of British Lines.

As with all the memorials, Delville Wood is sacred ground but I found this place in particular to be very peaceful and appropriate. I’m not really sure what made Delville Wood stand out for me but for me, there was just something a bit special about this place.

The afternoon was getting on now so I headed towards Amiens where I was staying that evening. My last stop of the day was a brief one at the site to the east of Amiens where the Red Baron was shot down. There isn’t actually much to see except for a small notice board by the side of the road. The site can be located by a nearby factory with a prominent chimney. The story of the Red Baron is one of the first I heard about regarding World War I so although there wasn’t much to see, it was something that I wanted to do. The Red Baron was a German air ace called Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Between 1916 – 1918, he shot down a total of 80 Allied aircraft and was eventually shot down but ground fire from an Australian unit on 21 April 1918.

By now, the weather was turning bad so I headed off to my hotel in Amiens for the night and my Battlefield exploration was over.

Explorer Travel Battlefields – http://www.battlefields.explorertravel.co.uk/

Must See Recommendations: Newfoundland Park Memorial & Visitors Centre, Lochnagar Crater and Delville Wood.

Battlefields and Football - Part 1 Ferries, Northern France and Ypres

My latest trip abroad was one of these things where everything fell nicely into place. The planning started when England announced a friendly against France in Paris. Now as Paris is my least favourite city in Europe, it was always my intention to spend as little time there as possible. A quick bit of research showed that driving was a far more attractive proposition that driving so I decided to combine it with a bit of a self-drive tour of some of the Western Front battlefield sites. On my return journey, I also managed to arrange a meeting with a company which will probably lead to a new venture for my business (but more of that in a later post).

Easter Monday, 3:30am and I’m woken up by alarm and I have to quietly sneak out of the house without waking up everyone. Thankfully, there was little overnight snow so my car didn’t need too much sorting out before I was en route to Dover for my 7am ferry crossing to Bolougne. Everything went smoothly and I arrived in France as planned and headed off towards my first destination, the V2 rocket complex at Eperlecques. This was one of a number of sites in northern France where the Nazis launched V1 and V2 rockets at Britain in 1944. Eperlecques was the target of a massive air raid which destroyed part of the complex. There is a large chunk of the roof that was blown away plus a number of craters in the woods which can still be seen. Entrance to the site was 7 Euros and wandering round, exploring the site and listening to the commentary will take around 30 minutes.

From there, my next stop was to the area around Wormhoud and Esquelbecq where around 65 British soldiers were massacred by the SS after they were captured during the retreat to Dunkirk. The massacre occurred when the men were moved into a barn and grenades were thrown inside. Survivors were shot although 15 men did escape. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any of the memorials so I moved on to Brandhoek cemetery.

Brandhoek is were Captain Noel Chavasse is buried. Capt Chavasse is one of just 3 men to have been awarded Britain’s highest award for bravery, the Victoria Cross. In addition, he was also awarded the Military Cross. I’m currently reading a book entitled “In Foreign Fields” by Dan Collins and it is about soldiers who have been awarded medals in Afghanistan and Iraq. When you realise what a soldier had to do in order to be award an MC, it really makes you realise what a brave man Capt Chavasse was especially when he was a member of the Royal Medical Corps and never fired a shot during the war. His awards were for rescuing men in danger. Brandhoek is one of the countless little cemeteries in the area. At one point, I stopped at a cemetery on the Somme which was in the middle of a farmers field. I scanned the surrounding countryside and counted another 7 cemeteries. Each of these cemeteries could have anything from 500 to 2,500 men buried there so its not long before you start to appreciate the number of men who died here.

My next stop was close to the village of Passchendaele at the largest British Military Cemetery at Tynecot. More than 12,000 men are buried here. From the cemetery, you can see for a few miles in all directions across fields and it seems hard to imagine the carnage that was there 90 years ago. The visitors centre gives a history of the area and the names of some of the dead and missing are broadcast quietly over speakers.

From Tynecot, I started to head back towards Ypres stopping at Hill 61 (Sanctuary Wood) on the way back. There is a small museum and some preserved trenches here. During my trip, the weather wasn’t kind and although it was nothing like as bad as conditions would have been during World War I, the bottom of the trenches still looking pretty horrible. It cost a few Euros to get in and this was the first place I really started to see the effects of the infamous mud

My next intended stop was the Hooge Crater. As earlier in the day, I struggled to locate it but I did find a small independent museum called the Hooge Crater Museum which had a fascinating collection of artefacts including a British Ambulance and a Victoria Cross. By now it was only about 2pm but the snow was coming down quite hard so I decided enough was enough for the day and headed into Ypres to my hotel. However, my sightseeing for the day wasn’t over as I still have to see the famous Cloth Hall which was all but destroyed (since fully rebuilt) and the Last Post ceremony which is carried out at 8pm every night at the Menin Gate. I always find the Last Post a very haunting and moving thing to listen to. After it was finished, 2 wreaths were laid by young British soldiers and this was followed by a recital from Laurence Binyon’s “For The Fallen”

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The last time I had heard that was at my father’s funeral so it was quite moving for me to hear it again.

Must See Recommendations: Tynecot Military Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood, Last Post at the Menin Gate

Explorer Travel Battlefields – http://www.battlefields.explorertravel.co.uk/