Is there something happening this week that I should know about?

Oh yeah, it's Christmas. That time of year (again). The silly season. Great time to catch up with family and friends, talk about your travel plans for next year and rally up some crew for a holiday (you know you deserve one!).

It's also a time to think about how we can be better global citizens. Not that this shouldn't be on our minds during the rest of the year - but this is a time when, generally, we've got a bit of time to reflect and wind down.

On this note, if you're still stuck for Christmas pressies, and can't muster up the courage to brave the barrage of commercialism, tinny carols and frazzled shoppers, then have a look here for some great gift ideas that will contribute to our global community, such as this bicycle ambulance in Malawi.

New tours galore!

As we've just launched our new website, we're constantly adding new travel experiences to give you so much more to choose from.

Coming to the web soon are these trips (we thought we'd give you a little sneak preview):

> Himalaya on Two Wheels: Ride a classic Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle through the Himalayas, from Delhi back to Delhi, India.

> Bike the Andes: Cycle through the Andes mountain range, from Mendoza, Argentina to La Paz, Bolivia. It's not just cycling, though, with loads of great exploring and sightseeing to be had along the way.

> Trans Mongolian Railway: A must-do trip of a lifetime! from Beijing to St Petersburg, through China, Mongolia and into Russia. You won't forget this in a hurry.

Want to be the first to know? Contact us to make sure you get hold of a Fact Sheet as soon as they're available.

ROC Tours Gibb River Road - FULL in 2010!

Already our popular ROC Tours Gibb River Road trips, both Bungle Bungles and Mitchell Plateau, are FULL for 2010!


But don't despair, as we've got a swag of great ROC Tours trips to whet your appetite.

Have yourself a little squiz here and see what other ROC Tours trips you can treat yourself with for 2010.

Ciao for now.

Have a Rail Trail adventure this New Year!

The Otago Central Rail Trail is NZ's cycling secret. A wonderful cycling experience that takes in so much more of this stunning region on the South Island.

Spend three days cycling the famed Otago Central Rail Trail from Clyde to Middlemarch, staying in historic gold mining towns plus plenty of side-trips to visit some of the hidden secrets off the trail. The tour ends with true southern hospitality with a sumptuous celebratory lunch on a historic farming station before catching one of the world’s great train trips – the Taieri Gorge Train through to Dunedin. This tour is fully-supported; all accommodation, most meals and activities are included as is cycle hire. A pre-tour extension combining Queenstown and a day trip to Milford Sound is also available.

Limited places are available for our Wed 06 Jan - Sat 09 Jan 2010 departure.

Find out more about the Otago Central Rail Trail Adventure here, or contact us for more information!

Travel Collective on TV

If you live in Australia, tune in to ABC's Midday Report on Monday 7 December 2009 for an interview with Travel Collective's CEO, Peter Solly.

The report looks at the effects of the Australian dollar and the global economic situation on a boutique tourism company.

For program details visit www.abc.net.au/tv/

New website to be launched!

We've been slogging away at our new website, and we are stoked that the day is almost here that our new website, www.travelcollectivegroup.com will be launched!

It's never a simple task, but we're positive that the new layout, fresh look and feel and easy-to-navigate set-up will make planning your travel experiences a dream...