Wren Elite Travel

Win A dream holiday to Malaysia at The Luxury Travel Show

If you take the time to visit the Luxury Travel Fair on the 6-9 November 2008 at London’s Olympia this year, you will have the opportunity to win a dream holiday to Malaysia courtesy of luxury bespoke tour operator Bailey Robinson, and the ‘Unmistakeably Malay’ Tanjong Jara Resort.

Bailey Robinson (stand P40) has teamed up with the award-winning resort and Spa Village, voted the ‘Best in Asia and the Indian Subcontinent 2008’ by readers of Condé Nast Traveller, to offer an exclusive five-night holiday to visitors who enter the prize draw on their stand.

Southern African ivory sales spark controversy amongst conservationists

It's a strange paradox - stockpiles of Southern Africa's ivory will be sold off at auction to China and Japan, to raise funds for elephant conservation projects within Africa, in the first officially sanctioned sale of ivory in nearly a decade. Yes, that's the news that has appeared on the BBC website today and any traveller interested in wildlife and conservation will certainly see irony.

Elephants that were hunted and killed for ivory will be helping to save elephants that exist over Africa today - it doesn't quite make sense, but at the same time, if raised funds will do some good, rather than those elephant lives be wasted, is it a sensible thing to do?

Escorted touring specialist Collette Worldwide launches new Small Group Tours!

The 2009-2010 Collette Worldwide brochure introduces a brand new collection of escorted tours for groups of between 16 and 24 people. Called Explorations by Collette, the smaller groups will mean that travellers can enjoy a more personalised trip with greater free time, more adventurous and energetic ‘on tour’ options and a choice of smaller, more intimate but always excellent quality hotels.

With the smaller groups also comes the chance to include a range of experiences that are harder to organise for larger numbers, visits to projects funded by the Collette Foundation (see below); cellar tours of California’s famous vineyards; family farm visits in Nova Scotia.

Book now for 25% discount at Sandals Luxury Included® Resorts!

Don't miss out on the fantastic savings of up to 25% that can STILL be had on fabulous 'Luxury Included®' Sandals Resorts in the Caribbean, for travel up to the 26th December 2008.

The up to 25% discount offer (bookable on the the all-inclusive element) has been extended on selected Sandals Resorts until the 18th November 2008 – and in selected suites at some resorts, there are even FREE nights to be had!

With Sandals 'Luxury Included®' Resorts, exquisitely created for Couples in Love, you can revel in some of the world's most breathtakingly romantic beachfront settings, choose from an unparalleled array of gourmet á la carte restaurants, and embrace unimaginable luxury in incredibly lavish, innovative and exquisitely stylish suites.

Get in the festive mood with a Christmas Market Short Break!

There is nothing quite like the intoxicating aromas and cheerful lights of a Christmas Market to bring on the festivities of the December holiday season, and short break specialist, Kirker Holidays, has now published the 2008 edition of its popular Christmas Markets brochure, offering you even more choice.

Featuring 19 of Europe’s most festive destinations - from the snow-capped mountains of Salzburg and canal-side beauty of Bruges to the majestic city streets of Budapest, you can now also book a break to Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Strasbourg and Warsaw, as well as a twin-centre itinerary that combines Berlin’s city chic with the riverside splendour of Dresden – home to Germany’s oldest Christmas market and just two hours by train from the capital.

When a cheap airline deal is not so cheap...

There was a great article in the recent November issue of the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, about how the so-called 'cheap' airlines can end up out-pricing the others, once you've added everything else on, including putting luggage in the hold, meals and credit card fees.

On a random sampling on one date for a family of four for flights to Alicante from London, 'low-cost' airline Ryanair came out as the most expensive option at £703.56 - almost double the price of a British Airways flight for the same route, which was the winner with a total cost of £346!

Back from the ABTA Travel Convention 2008 as a TTG Roving Reader!

Last week was a great time for me at the ABTA Travel Convention 2008 in Gran Canaria, as I was hosted by the travel trade magazine TTG to act as a Roving Reader - with duties to report on a couple of parts of the Convention.

It was great fun - a lot of camaraderie amongst the other Roving Readers and a wonderful opportunity to network and build up contacts. I met many fabulous people, as well as found there was a lot to learn, see and do.

The parts of the Convention that I reported on particularly were two of the Master Classes - Selling Luxury, and Finding & Reaching the Baby Boomers, which can be read on my TTG blog.

Gran Canaria Tourism also offered wonderful hospitality - particularly the grand dinners and spectacular entertainment!