Sydney to host open air opera event

The iconic Sydney skyline.

From 24th March to 20th April 2012, Sydney will be hosting ‘Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’, a collection of large-scale productions performed on a purpose-built floating stage right in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Continue reading »

Make Holidays Greener Week

Make Holidays Greener Week 2011

This week the sustainable tourism charity, the Travel Foundation, has launched their ’Make Holidays Greener Week’ campaign, and here at Audley we are keen to get involved.

Make Holidays Greener Week is all about making small changes whilst you are on holiday that will benefit local people and help protect the environment in your favourite holiday destinations. Whether you know this type of holiday as responsible travel, an eco holiday, or sustainable tourism, it all refers to the same thing: a holiday that helps protect the environment, protects wildlife and habitats, lets families that live in holiday destinations earn a fair living, preserves local cultures and traditions and recognises that water and energy should be used carefully.

If you already have your holiday planned for this year why not get involved? Here are three simple things you can do to make your holiday greener:

1. Buy locally: By buying locally made souvenirs, or eating and drinking in locally owned bars and restaurants you are contributing to the local economy.
2. Remove all packaging before you travel: By removing the packaging from items you take on holiday you are helping to reduce pressures on local sanitation services and landfill. Many countries are currently unable to cope with high levels of waste and do not have recycling services as we do in the UK.
3. Turn off lights and air conditioning: decreasing energy consumption wherever possible will reduce the pressures placed on local supply and help ensure you have power when you need it.

Responsible Travel is an integral part of any trip organised by Audley and we endeavour to make a positive impact on the destinations we cover, whether this is by using quality local guides, characterful and locally owned accommodation or simply by offering our clients the opportunity to carbon offset their air travel. Visit our Responsible Travel section to find out more about responsible travel through Audley or take a look at some of our responsible travel itineraries here.

Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about Make Holidays Greener Week, visit the Make Holidays Greener website, where you can enter a competition to win a trip to Thailand.

Ashmolean 2-for-1 ticket offer for Audley clients

Heracles to Alexander the Great at the Ashmolean

Running until 29th August 2011, the Ashmolean latest exhibition, Heracles to Alexander the Great, has been hailed ‘the show of the summer’ by the Sunday Telegraph.

With over 500 pieces on display, many of which have never been seen before, the exhibition is bound to be a popular one, and Audley clients are being given the opportunity to visit the collection using exclusive 2-for-1 passes. Simply download the 2-for-1 voucher here and present it at the Ashmolean Shop Ticket Desk to receive your tickets.

Here is what the Ashmolean has to say about this intriguing exhibition:

In the groundbreaking exhibition ‘Heracles to Alexander the Great’ the Ashmolean is showing more than 500 extraordinary objects, most of which are on display for the first time anywhere in the world.

These recent finds were discovered in the royal burial tombs and the palace at Aegae, the ancient capital of Macedon. They rewrite the history of early Greece and tell the story of the royal court and the kings and queens of Macedon, descendants of Heracles whose rule culminated in the empire of Alexander the Great. Aegae remained relatively unknown until 30 years ago when excavations uncovered the unlooted tombs of Philip II and his grandson Alexander IV.

Recent work at the site by the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, has continued to unearth a startling wealth of objects – from beautifully intricate gold jewellery, silverware and pottery, to sculpture, mosaic floors and architectural remains.

For more information on this exhibition and all of the events at the Ashmolean, visit the Ashmolean website.

Into the wilderness in Alaska

A bald eagle in Prince William Sound

As many of our clients will know, Audley’s country specialists return to their chosen areas regularly in order to keep up to date with the latest products and information, but what you may not know is, sometimes, non-sales employees are invited to join them on these research trips. And in May I was given one such opportunity when I was invited to join Lucy, one of Audley’s Alaska specialists, on her latest tour of the U.S’ largest and most remote state.

Having managed the Alaska section on the Audley Travel website for over a year I was aware that Alaska was home to stunning scenery and abundant wildlife, but it wasn’t until I got there that I really began to appreciate all that Alaska has to offer. Continue reading »

‘Best Expedition in the World’ along the Great Barrier Reef

Best Expedition in the World

You may remember a story that hit the headlines in 2009 about the worldwide search by Tourism Queensland to fill the position of the ‘Best Job in the World’. This job was a six-month contract working as the caretaker of the idyllic Hamilton Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

After beating 34,000 other hopeful applicants to the position, Brit, Ben Southall took up his role on the island in June 2009, where he lived in a £2.5 million beachside mansion and enjoyed a salary of £74,000!

Lucky for Ben he must have done a good job, because in May this year he embarked on his latest Queensland adventure, which runs until September! As part of the ‘The Best Expedition in the World’, Ben will be kayaking and sailing over 1600 km from the town of 1770 on the Central Queensland coast, north to Cooktown in Queensland’s Tropical North and writing about his experiences along the way. Continue reading »

Tunisia reopens it doors to tourists

The amphitheatre at El Jem

Way back in December 2010, Tunisia was the first of the countries across North Africa and the Middle East to be hit by popular uprisings. This unrest lead to the collapse of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime and ended his 23-year rule of the country.

As a popular tourist destination that relies heavily on inbound travellers, Tunisia’s tourism was badly affected, but in the last couple of weeks the country has been encouraging people to venture back to its shores, embarking on a brand new (and some might say, slightly controversial) marketing campaign targeted at travellers from the UK and other countries.

This is great news for tourists who wish to visit the country as it shows Tunisia is well on the road to recovery and is keen for travellers to return after a difficult couple of months.

If you would like to find out more about arranging a tailor-made trip to Tunisia, visit the Tunisia section on our website, or call our Tunisia specialists on 01993 838 445.

A specialist in Morocco

Steve during his trip to Morocco

Steve Howes, one of Audley’s Morocco specialists, recently returned from a trip to the lesser-visited northern region of Morocco, where he spent time exploring the  cosmopolitan cities and quaint fishing villages of this relatively untouched area. Here, he talks about his trip in detail: Continue reading »

Celebrating the ‘Best of British’ at Audley

Amy and Jenny showing their support for Wimbledon

Think Wimbledon, Winston Churchill, Pimms on the lawn and afternoon tea. Today at Audley we will be celebrating the Best of British with our latest employee social event taking place in the New Mill grounds after work.

In true British style the evening will kick off with Pimms & Lemonade and G & T’s on the lawn before the highly anticipated duck race takes place on the river. The festivities will continue with welly wanging, a tombola and of course, food, before the highlight of the night, the rounders tournament, in which four teams of Audleyites will complete for the illustrious title of ‘best rounders team 2011′.

With some members of staff already getting into the spirit of things and wearing their best British get-up, the celebrations are already underway!

Good luck to all of those taking part in the competitions and may the glorious British sun continue to shine well into the evening!

Audley launches new website!

Audley launches its new website

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were launching our previous website (in fact, it was the beginning of 2010!) but in the web world things move quickly. Never ones to rest on our laurels, the web team here at Audley has been hard at work planning an even bigger and better Audley Travel website!

How could we possibly improve on a website that has already won nine awards, I hear you cry?! Well, by listening to our clients and colleagues as well as a lot of time and effort spent brainstorming, we have come up with what we believe is a wonderful improvement.

Key things to note on the new site are its easier navigation, even more destination information, additional images and maps and an upgraded ‘Inspiration‘ section where you can download desktop wallpapers for your computer, discover ‘Travel Ideas by Month’ as well as ’Ask the Experts’ travel-related questions and receive in-depth answers to your queries.

We hope you like the new website as much as we do and we are keen to hear your feedback. Use the red feedback button on the left-hand side of every page on the Audley Travel website and let us know your thoughts?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Dwarf minke whale sighting – first of the 2011 season

Poseidon guests enjoy the first sighting of the 2011 season

This week we received some interesting news from one of our Australian suppliers, Poseidon Cruises, who operates boat trips from Port Douglas in Queensland. On one of their recent cruises they spotted their first dwarf minke whale sighting of the season. Here the team at Poseidon recount their sighting:

Poseidon was at the second site of the day when two large minke whales approached the vessel. Delighted guests put down their lunch and jumped into the water. Holding onto the float line, snorkellers had an experience of a lifetime when the curious minkes swam in close proximity.

Poseidon is one of only three day boats to hold a special permit to allow their passengers into the water to swim and interact with these amazing creatures.

If you would like to join Poseidon on one of their cruises as part of a tailor-made itinerary to Australia, speak to one of our Australia specialists on 01993 939 810, or visit the Audley Travel website for more information.