Venus Adventures is a NZ and Swiss based company which focuses on women travellers.  They can help you organise your own custom trip (mixed or women-only) to Morocco! Read more

Hot, tired and sweaty, Daniela and I flopped onto our hotel beds, turned the air con on, smiled and breathed a sigh of relief to be back from “Jungle Boot Camp”. This is the “affectionate” term we gave the three days we had just spent in the Peruvian Amazon jungle at an eco-lodge, where the wearing of gumboots was compulsory and we were “forced” to do all manner of drawn-out jungle activities from dawn til well after dark in the sticky, oppressive jungle heat. Not only that, we had paid for it. You do these crazy things when you are travelling. Read more

Julie of Venus Adventures for women reports that that Emirates has released a special deal for those who live Down Under and who yearn for a trip to Morocco…

“Emirates have released an early bird special for sales in NZ until the 17th of December 2009. For your Morocco trip, a fare ex Auckland would be $2310 including taxes.”

Probably similar deals for Ozzies too …

So what to do now? If you are interested in the Venus Adventures for women 18 day Morocco trip starting 2 April 2010, please let me know asap so we can get you booked and looking forward to an exotic holiday. The sooner I know numbers, the better, so I can get info out to everyone.

Morocco is fabulous – I have did it last year and it is fabulously memorable -  from the food, to the shopping, to the Sahara, the Atlas mountains, the people and the old cities of Marrakech and Fes!

Just do it….

Julie Paterson from Venus Adventures travel for Women writes:

Salam from Morocco!

Well, we have just completed another 14-day extravaganza of Morocco and thought you might enjoy a few photos!

Highlights of the trip were riding camels across the orange dunes of the Sahara whilst the sun set in the distance and then sleeping under an African sky, hiking up into the Atlas mountains to stay in the basic home of a Berber family and see how they live, experiencing the old medinas of Fez and Marrakech, meeting lots of friendly locals including Nezha who is a Moroccan 5W member (5W = Women Welcome Women Worldwide, an international hosting network) who lives in Fez and joined us for dinner one night. It was great to meet Nezha, who is an English teacher at the American school in Fez, and to learn more about Moroccan life from her. Read more

Picture yourself swilling wine in a hot tub at the end of an invigorating day’s bush hike, or relaxing in a country pub having biked the classic Otago Rail Trail, or taking a dip in the turquoise waters of the glorious Abel Tasman after sea kayaking to a golden beach…

do these things sound like something you would like to experience? Well, read on, because your prayers have finally been answered!

As busy women we often have a myriad of (often feeble) excuses why we don’t do things for ourselves. But let’s face it: there is never an excuse good enough for not doing something positive for yourself – like taking a well-deserved short break somewhere!

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women – is now offering a range of short breaks within New Zealand (and Europe) for women who, well, just need a break! The breaks include anything from culture to adventures, and are always a lot of fun, and the website is a one-stop shop for short breaks for women.

The idea behind women-only trips is to help women escape their everyday roles and routines as busy mums, wives or workers, and to get away with the girls and have some fun!

“More and more women are realizing the importance of getting away from it all and letting someone else do all the organizing for a change”; says Julie Paterson, founder and owner of Venus Adventures Trips for Women. “Women naturally bond and network easily. Doing a trip which gets you out of your comfort zone a little is easier in a supportive women’s group. It’s a great environment in which to try new things. But, depending on the trip, we also indulge in fun things like spas and a little retail-therapy! Age also doesn’t matter as long as the spirit is there!”

All you have to do is get yourself to the trip starting point and all the rest is taken care of. So what are you waiting for? Your next adventure is just a mouse click away…for more information visit www.shortbreaksforwomen.com.

By Julie Paterson

Venus Adventures – Trips for Women

www.venusadventures.travel

www.shortbreaksforwomen.com

OK, so have found yourself in a fabulous Arab bazaar in some hot, sandy and exotic country. It is a maze of twisting alleyways crammed with people and intriguing shoplets selling bright and alluring handicrafts: colourfully decorated carpets, lamps, clothes, leather and metalware.

Trapped in shopping heaven, you almost pass out with excitement. Sweet, musky incense wafts through the air, and as you saunter along in the heat, handsome swarthy men try to entice you into their shops with cheesey one-liners “Madame, can I ask you something…?” Read more

Traveling through the colourful Indian state of  Rajasthan you might find your eyes watering:  women saunter through the streets in vivid saris, farmers sport large bright turbans, elephants are painted in rainbow colours, and even the cities are known for their different shades – Jaipur the pink city, Jodhpur the blue city and Jaiselmer the golden city. Read more

The latest from Venus Adventures Tours for Women – Ethiopia

I am just back from a quick trip to Germany where I went to meet up with Firew Ayele, our Ethiopian guide. Firew is an intelligent, interesting man, who is passionate about his country and people – it is a privilege to have him on a trip, and anyone who meets and spends time with him is usually deeply impressed.
Read more

Venus Adventures have had a request by a client to put on a trip to India in November this year. Julie writes:

India is such a treasure-trove of affordable and beautiful handicrafts, for all your shopaholics out there, it would be a great Xmas-shopping trip! But who needs an excuse to shop, that just comes naturally to us women. India is also historically and culturally very interesting – and we all know that Indian food is just the best!

If you are interested please Venus know asap so  – they need a minimum of 5 clients for it to run. See the 16 day India trip on the website for February 2010, we would use the same itinerary.

Jordan is like a sandpit for adults - a fascinating little Middle Eastern country, with lots of great things to do in and around the sand! Travel distances are not long from one highlight to the next, and a lot of the country can be seen in around 10 days.

My journey started in the capital of Amman. Like any big cities, it is a bustling business centre, a mix of old and new, but not a reflection of the true Jordan. I had arrived very late at night, and slumped into my hotel bed. Suddenly I was rudely awoken at around 3.30am by the dawn chorus of muezzins calling all to prayer. I had failed to notice that my room was right next to the mosque, with loudspeaker aimed at my room! I had to laugh. Yep, my fault for forgetting to put my earplugs in. Welcome to Islam. Read more