The end of Movember

The end of November and the end of fundraising for Movember!

At the beginning of November I mentioned that a number of the male employees at our New Mill offices were taking part in Movember to raise money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer here in the UK.

Well, after 30 days of dedication to what can only be described as a throwback to the 70s, we have ended the month with some  very impressive facial hair and an even more impressive fundraising total!

The Audley Mo’ Brothers’ aim was to beat the £500 they raised last year, and I’m pleased to say they have absolutely smashed this target, going above and beyond anything they could have hoped for. This year’s total currently stands at an astounding £3,075 with the promise of a few more sponsors to come!

A massive pat on the back to all of those involved in this year’s fundraising, you have done yourself proud!

And if you would like to donate to this very worth cause, you still can via the Audley Mo’ Brothers sponsorship page.

Pandas on their way to Edinburgh Zoo from China

Pandas head to Edinburgh Zoo from China

With all the bad news that appears in the press normally, it’s nice to come across a positive, heartwarming story once in a while, and this is exactly what I found when having a look around the BBC news site yesterday.

Two pandas, named Sunshine and Sweetie, are on their way to Edinburgh Zoo from their home in China, in the hope that they will breed. Panda reproduction is notoriously difficult as females are only fertile for one day a year and, as Wei Ming explains in the video, there also needs to be a mutual attraction!

It is costing Edinburgh Zoo a whopping £700,000 a year for each bear, plus another £70,000 to feed their bamboo habit. They will be staying in Scotland’s capital for 10 years and the zoo hopes they will prove so popular that their visitor numbers double.

Visit the BBC website to watch this video and find out more about China’s panda conservation effort.

Saving bears and wolves in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest

Spirit bear in British Columbia, Canada

The Raincoast Conservation Foundation is a charity that we as a company support and a recent update from them shows why their work really is so important to the wildlife of Canada.

In 2005 the charity purchased an area of hunting territory three times the size of Yellowstone National Park in Canada’s British Columbia region, along with a 24,700 square kilometres hunting licence. This meant they had exclusive commercial hunting rights over the area and the purchase ended commercial trophy hunting over this huge region. In 2011, the charity purchased another 3,500 square kilometres of hunting territory and this time the area encompassed a vast amount of spirit bear habitat.

In securing these large areas of land, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation has played a major part in the conservation of wildlife in the area, including black bears, wolves and spirit bears. And while the depleting numbers of salmon available in the area is still a worry, the progress made to protect bear habitat and reduce trophy hunting has dramatically increased the chance of future generations being able to enjoy BC’s wildlife for themselves.

If you would like to find out more about the charities we support, please visit our Responsible Travel holiday guide.

To discover more about the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the work that they do, please visit the Raincoast Conservation Website.

Muscat voted second best city in the world by Lonely Planet

Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman

I’ve just heard from our North Africa & Middle East Regional Manager, Matt, that Muscat has been voted the second best city in the world by Lonely Planet in their ‘Top 10 Cities for 2012′ poll.

This is exciting news, not least because this area of the world has seen its fair share of trouble over the past year - I really think this can be seen as yet another positive sign that travel to the Middle East remains high on the agenda for many tourists.

A number of other Audley destinations were included in the poll too. Santiago in Chile was named seventh best city in the world, closely followed in eighth by Hong Kong. Darwin in Australia completed the list with a highly respectable tenth position.

With thousands of cities around the world for Lonely Planet to choose from, it’s no small feat that these cities made it into the final 10 and we are pleased that so many of them can be visited on a trip with us!

Raising money for Movember

Movember 2011, the 'before' shot

Well, it’s that time of the year again: the leaves are falling, the clocks have gone back and a number of my male colleagues are wandering around the New Mill sporting slightly dodgy facial hair. No, they haven’t forgotten how to shave, they are taking part in ‘Movember‘. Continue reading »

Canada exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery is holding a Canada exhibition until January 2012

From now until 8th January 2012, the Dulwich Picture Gallery will be hosting ‘Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven’, an exhibition which showcases the work of seven of Canada‘s most famous landscape artists.

In the early twentieth century in Toronto, Canada, the first stirrings of a new movement of painting were being felt. A group of artists started to engage with the awesome Canadian wilderness, a landscape previously considered too wild and untamed to inspire ‘true’ art.

Tom Thomson paved the way for this artistic collective, the Group of Seven, and their works have become revered in Canada. This exhibition will reintroduce their stunning impressions of the Canadian landscape to the British public for the first time since the 1920s.

Tickets for this exhibition are £9 per adult and can be booked via the Eventbrite website. To find out more about this exhibition and the Dulwich Picture Gallery, please visit the Dulwich Picture Gallery website.

Japan claims culinary title

Prawn and tuna sashimi in Japan

The culinary king is dead. After a constant struggle for the top spot, France has this year been toppled by the gastronomically-blessed Japan, with the country now home to the highest number of three-star Michelin restaurants in the world!

And it’s not just the country’s capital, Tokyo, where great food can be enjoyed in abundance – Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara have also been described as having, “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.” Just one more reason to visit this wonderful country!

Japan will be officially recognised as the ‘culinary capital of the world’ in the 2012 edition of the Michelin Guide, which is due for release very soon.

To find out more about visiting Japan on a tailor-made holiday with Audley to try out the culinary delights for yourself, please take a look at the Japan section of our website. Alternatively, you can speak to one of our Japan specialists directly on 01993 838 210.

Audley receives wonderful feedback from Japan

Fujiya Hotel, Hakone, Japan

I’ve just received an email from our Japan Regional Manager, Laura, who passed on this encouraging feedback from an employee of the Fujiya Hotel, a property that we love in Hakone and one that we always like our clients to experience if they are in the area:

“I have worked at Fujiya Hotel in Hakone, Japan for nine years now. As the only native English speaker at the hotel I have the privilege of welcoming almost all the guests from abroad. There is something special about the guests that have used Audley Travel. In my opinion, those guests are more relaxed and enjoy their trip more because of the information you have prepared for them. When I see that black binder organised by location with all the pamphlets, directions and tickets, I know that those guests are going to enjoy their trip.

I have also met all the Japan sales specialists at Audley Travel because they stay at the hotel, complete a company inspection form and research the Hakone area. I don’t know of another company that does that so thoroughly.

I just wanted to tell you of the great service you provide for your customers. You may not see it or hear it over there, but on this side of the world I notice it with every guest from Audley Travel.

All the best for your continued success!”

It’s always nice to read such positive feedback!

If you would like more information on visiting Hakone as part of a tailor-made trip to Japan, please visit the Japan section of our website.

A Specialist in Oman

Matt on his self-drive trip of Oman

Oman might not be one of the countries that immediately springs to mind when you think of self-drive holiday destinations, however, with well-maintained roads, cheap fuel and many road signs in English, there is a lot to be gained from embarking on a self-drive tour here.

Matt Vlemmiks, our North Africa & the Middle East Regional Manager has just returned from  doing exactly this, accompanied by Oman specialist Sarah Whatman. Neither of them had navigated the scenic roads that pass through Oman’s stunning desert, mountain and coastal landscapes, so the itinerary was an enjoyable challenge for both of them. Continue reading »

The Audley Food Festival 2011

Audley Food Festival 2011

Friday 23rd September 2011 was the date of the first ever Audley Food Festival and, as with anything food related at Audley, the event was tipped to be a merry affair! Continue reading »