Ceridwyn Parr reviews: 100 places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, by Susan van Allen

Susan van Allen fell in love with Italy at a dining table in New Jersey, an Italy of gorgeous food, sumptuous art and bel canto , an Italy which she got to know through her Italian family.

She has been fortunate enough to make countless returntrips : her roccoco passion for Italy is evident in every word. Her delightful book is one to take to bed very night for a month before you leave, with a map alongside, to mark all the places she describes which you simply cannot miss. Read more

What a splendid holiday! I could talk about the food, or the landscape, the culture, the history or the converted mill we stayed in – but in the end, it comes down to you two: your expertise in cooking, devising great itineraries, history…..; your flexibility and good humour. Thank you both so much. Lois Cox

Doesn’t that sound like a great recommendation!  I want to join one of these tours – Lyn and Chris are two New Zealand women who are passionate about Italy, and are also great chefs.  They are based near Akaroa, New Zealand but spend several months a year guiding trips in Italy. You can enjoy a luxurious stay in their historic house on the Banks Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand -  The Gables Country House, but its these Italy trips which grab me.

In 2012 they are spending three weeks in Tuscany, three in Puglia and three in Piedmont, and they invite up to 6 people each week to join them.  See their latest list of tours are on the Women Travel the World Tour Calendar
What bliss -  if you are in any doubt, read the comments below. Read more

Our womens Tour Company Venus Advenutures said that we could get some clothes made in Hoi An – or even a whole new wardrobe, and between the 6 of us I think we pretty much have made it a whole wardrobe!

Hoi An used to be a great trading port, now Da Nang has taken over that role, and left Hoi An to be a beautiful small tourist town which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and we have three days to explore the heritage, the clothes and the beaches. Our base – another fantastic boutique hotel called Ha An. Read more

The Night Train

Last night we caught a sleeper train from Hanoi about 9pm to Lao Cai, very close to the China Border – in fact this town was decimated when the Chinese invaded 1979. Its a junction point rather than a destination, and its just a 45 minute drive to Sapa – and serious mountains.  We arrived at 5.30am, so we see the sun rise and the light filter into the valleys as we zig zag our way into the hills.  The clouds hide the mountain tops, and rice terraces line the lower slopes.

Sapa itself is a town of 30,000 hanging off the side of a mountain and looking down into the valley of minority villages with their huts and rice fields. Venus Adventures for Women have booked us into the Cat Cat View Hotel overlooking the valley that leads to Cat Cat village which we will visit later in the day. Read more

It’s winter here in New Zealand, and I have started thinking about planning a vacation.  As a woman travelling solo, the first place I look in the Women Travel the World website, and in particular their amazing Calendar of Tours for Women available for women from a range of companies around the world.  Joining a small group tour like these is the perfect option for a solo traveller.  Over 270 tours are listed, I decide it is Asia I want, there are 76 on offer, and Vietnam is my first choice and there are 5 to choose from.  Venus Adventures is my choice today – I have travelled with them to Morocco, they are a NZ based company and the dates suit.

So I am off to Vietnam – there are spaces available – why not join me?

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Dianne Sharma-Winter reflects on a NZ icon. Before gourmet food stores, restaurants and magazines (and we have some great ones), there was the honesty box by the side of the road – and its still there! Read more

Kimchi is fermented cabbage, a Korean delicacy and when a co-worker offered to give Rachel Morgan a lesson making it, she could not resist – here is the lesson for others: Read more

Julie Paterson, owner of Venus Adventures for women writes

“There Bulgaria Church. There Golden Horn. There Yeni mosque. Mosque, mosque, mosque. Too much mosque!”

The cab driver turned off the meter, insisting on a free guided detour across Istanbul back to my hotel. In broken English.

In Turkey you have to live in the moment…if you do, little adventures are sure to be had. The cabbie only had about 20 words of English, but he’s a Turk, which means he can’t help himself: hospitality is in his blood. Read more

Nga mihi nui kia koutou

Mõhio (moor-he-aw) v. is Maori for to know, comprehend, realise. It is the name taken by a the new entity which has emerged from award winning Auckland Maori tourism company Potiki Tours

After beginning the New Zealand company Potiki Adventures Ltd in 2003, much has changed and evolved for what is now a multi award-winning, internationally renowned business. Way back then it started as an Outdoor Adventure business with Maori perspectives – aimed at working with young international travellers. Originally the name Potiki was chosen to acknowledge that the company was the youngest and most inexperienced in the tourism ‘family’, like a last born child – the potiki.

However, over the intervening years the tourism side of the company has undergone massive changes, adapting and changing its direction in relation to target market, style and content of the tours – in particular moving away from adventure tourism. Additionally, in December 2009, Potiki founders Melissa Crockett and Bianca Ranson formally split the company in order to each focus on building businesses based on their individual areas of interest – Melissa taking the Tourism side and Bianca taking the Outdoor Adventure side of the original company. So in January 2010, two new companies were formed – Potiki Tours Ltd (Melissa’s new tourism company) and Potiki Adventures Ltd (Bianca’s new outdoor adventure company).

Under the sole direction of Melissa Crockett, Potiki Tours has continued to provide the existing tourism products sold extensively to an international tourism market throughout North America, the UK, Europe and Australia. We have also developed innovative new products such as the freshly launched Insider’s Guide Tour, a walking tour of trendy inner city suburbs. (Described by the Senior Editor of US Forbes Life Magazine as: “A highlight of my time in Auckland”.)

From its original beginnings providing Maori themed adventure tours for backpackers, this forward thinking boutique tourism company has really grown up. These days the focus is on providing unique interpretative tours of Auckland city and surrounds. These range from small group Maori themed sightseeing and ‘Insider Guide’ tours, through to private contemporary art tours for high net worth international travellers.

So, in order to reflect this change and the related growth of the company, we are excited to announce that we are changing the company name. Taking immediate effect, the new name is:

Mõhio Tours – mohio (moor-he-aw)
meaning to know, comprehend, realise

This name reflects what we believe clients gain from joining one of their interpretative tours. Whether it be an insight into the beauty of Auckland’s landscapes, knowledge of the unique indigenous Maori culture, uncovering some of the best kept secrets about the inner city from Aucklanders ‘in-the-know’, or discovering the links between traditional Maori iconography and contemporary New Zealand art.

It also explains a little of our journey, from the potiki of the tourism industry, to a strong innovative company, who strives to know what will work best for their customers and realises how to deliver those experiences.

We know we have a lot to offer our clients, but we also acknowledge that we will always have plenty to learn. Cultural exchange is about sharing knowledge between both parties – learning about the similarities and differences is often one of the most fascinating things about travel, and this will continue to form a key component of the Mōhio Tours experience.

In addition to the new company name, we have moved offices to a great new location in the CBD. We are in the historic Fire Station building in Beresford Square, just off Pitt Street. However this will be our administrative base, so as per usual we will continue to pick up our clients from city accommodation, or meet them at pre-arranged pick up locations.

Finally – we are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded Enviro-Silver status in our recent Qualmark accreditation!
We would like to thank you for all of your past support and look forward to continuing on our journey with you through this next exciting phase of development.

Mohio Tours website

Mohio Tours on Women Travel

Markets – Beach walks – Almond Blossom Festival – Wine – Galwa – Port Elliot – Cycleways

Markets are HOT in Adelaide and practically mainstream

We are in Adelaide for a winter holiday, but before heading off to our base in Port Willunga, South of Adelaide, we shop up for goodies at the Adelaide Central Market.   Two days later we are at the prize winning Saturday Willunga Farmers Market – smaller and more grass roots local growers. Between these markets we barely need a supermarket and our shelves are stocked with great local produce for the next 10 days of holiday. It would be so cool to live here and have it all so close. Read more