The latest TripAdvisor poll places Paris firmly at No 1 for world destinations. Barcelona is no 5 ! CLICK HERE TO READ
Paris - officially the World's Favourite Destination
Flights to and from Burma/Myanmar
An interesting answer from Sydney Morning Herald Travel Editor last Saturday in relation to the best way to fly in to Burma. He raised the concerns of many in regard to the safety record of various Myanmar Airlines ( a necessity if flying through Singapore and then wanting to get to Mandalay) and wrote that flying Thai Airways to Bangkok ( from Australia and Yangon ) and the well-regarded Air Asia on the short trip from Bangkok to Mandalay is ‘a better option’. Quite an understatement. We are happy to say that we thoroughly concur..and, that, of course, is what we are doing !! Just 6 cabins left and enquiries coming in daily ! 
The cost of ‘free flights’
Interesting article in last Sunday’s Travel papers. …when ‘free’ is not worth having !!
Rude awakenings
We recently had the pleasure of a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. It was an expensive, all-inclusive trip, marketed “with free flights” – and we all know, or should know, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The cruise itself was just delightful. However, if cruise companies target seniors they should be considerate of their comfort on flights, even “free” flights. At the end of the cruise many passengers had a 3am wake-up call for a 6am flight to Frankfurt; some luckier ones had a 6am wake-up call for a 9.30am flight and they were surprised to meet up with the earlier group who were still waiting because their 6am flight had been cancelled.
We spent an extra week in Budapest but then had the 3am wake-up, 6am flight to Frankfurt of approximately 1.5 hours and a five-hour wait for the Frankfurt-to-Singapore sector. This was followed by a two-hour wait for the Singapore-to-Sydney sector. To deliberately plan a journey of almost 40 hours is thoughtless and I remind anyone thinking of the wonderful experience of a European river cruise to check out the flights to and from the departure point. Make sure you have flights that are reasonable and within your comfort zone – even if they are “free”.
-Margaret Carleton
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/letters-cruising-for-a-bruising-20130502-2iu9y.html#ixzz2SgNT2Lmb
Southern Passion – now on sale !!
We are very excited to report that this tour is now on sale. Read more http://www.operatif.com.au/travel_sicily.html
To complete a contact form, go to http://www.operatif.com.au/enquiry.html
” To see Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all. It makes sense of everything “. Goethe
Come with Jennifer and Stewart on the trip of a life-time, while enjoying opera, classical and folk
performances along the way, as well
as experiencing the ‘La Dolce Vita’. DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
Southern Passion – May 2014 – website update
This tour will be on sale in a week. It is looking fantastic !! Read the updated webpage http://www.operatif.com.au/travel_sicily.html
Along the Road to Mandalay – website update
The markets of Dubai
This fascinating area of ‘souks’, easily accessed from our hotel, is famous for its great prices. Visit the Gold Souk and start bargaining over the unique items all at the ‘international gold price’. Move on to the Spice souk where you will find saffron from Iran and many other items from the old ‘Silk Road’. Later , why not move on to the Bastakiya – the historic area seemingly a million miles from the steepling, modern buildings of Dubai. See the houses of wealthy traders with the roughly clad walls and their ingenious wind tower ‘air conditioning’. For those with more energy and seeking thrills..take the ‘white-knuckle’, dune-bashing 4 wheel drive and desert tour, complete with falcom display, belly dancing, henna tattooing and BBQ in a Bedouin campsite !
4 Wheels and an umbrella ! – a day off in Paris
On our free day in Paris, why not take a 90 minute tour in an old ‘CV2′ with an open top. A great way to see Paris and loads of fun. We have all the details for our ‘Paris to Barcelona’ travellers….if you would like us pre-book.
Air New Zealand – short haul review
For all those travelling to Opera in Paradise — you are in great hands !
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/flight-test-air-new-zealand-20121129-2ah6s.html
To ease your arrival on the plane….
This seems so obvious, but is a great tip and infrequently done from our experience….
When you pack your hand-luggage, put everything you will need during the flight into a nice plastic bag which you will pull out just before you walk onto the plane. Then, when you get to your seat, you place the plastic
bag on your seat, place your main hand-luggage in the overhead locker and take your seat ( all within a few seconds ). No more standing in the aisle pulling out your book and water !
