JUne 2011
G'day,
Happy Summer! It sure has been a busy one for us at GoWalkabout
Travel. We are amazed at all the bookings flowing in for early next year
already. For now, here is an update of what has been going on.
1/ The beginning of the year did not have a great start for the South
Pacific. Christchurch is still trying to pick up the pieces and is
having aftershocks. Christchurch lost over 90% of their room capacity
from these quakes. Many hotels are still out of commission, and the ones
that are not have usually been blocked off due to the neighboring
hotels which are waiting to be destroyed being a danger to them.
GoWalkabout Travel is currently trying to avoid Christchurch for our
travelers due to construction workers and other personnel needing access
to all available rooms. The rest of New Zealand is still open for
business though, and with all the bookings we already have for early
next year they will be in for a very busy season.
2/ Australia and New Zealand have both been affected by an annoying Ash
Cloud from a Volcano from Chile. This has caused major grief for
travelers in both countries, especially domestic travel. Whilst everyday
is a new day on who will and will not fly, it seems this Ash Plume is on
its second lap around the world!
3/ Qantas is now up and running with their Dallas to Brisbane Flight,
this then continues onwards to Sydney. I personally love this flight as
it avoids LA airport, it also has great connections with Canada. If you
are planning to take this flight though, here is a tidbit.. if you are
continuing onto Sydney do not bring duty free, it will be taken off you
in Brisbane as you will then be on the domestic flight liquid
restriction.
4/ Accommodation prices in the South Pacific are expected to rise for
2012. We are expecting some quite major price rises in Australia for
sure, hotels in Sydney alone are predicting a 10-15% price increase. If
you are planning to travel next year, then please contact us as we may
be able to speak to our suppliers to see if they will offer you 2011
rates (this would be subject to a deposit and full payment in 2011).
5/ Did you know waiting for a seat sale can quite often cost you more
than just booking early for your trip? Waiting for a Seat Sale for Xmas
travel to the South Pacific is one of the worst things you can possibly
do, these rarely happen, and by the time you realise this you then may
find yourself paying a way higher fare because the cheaper seats were
sold out.
The airline only allocates very few seats on an aircraft during a seat
sale, they also do not follow the same seat sale time each year. Seat
Sales are based on many variables; what is going on in the world, are
there conferences or events in the countries they are flying to, what
are the other airlines doing....
6/ Qantas is now charging a fee to pre-select seats on their aircraft.
This is approx AUD 20.00 per sector per person if you are in economy
class. I would highly advise that for the extra cost you still do this,
especially if you may wish to sit next to each other. We will direct you
on how to do this once a booking has been made.
7/ If you have a young child I would really recommend flying via LA and
then onwards with Air New Zealand. They have really gone all out on
their London-LA-Auckland aircraft with many new features. My favourite
one is the new sky couch in economy class or Cuddle Class as we like to
call it. These seats actually have the foot area flip up so the flat
part of the seat turns into a lay down bed area. It is very tight for 2
grown adults to lay next to each other, but if you have a young child
who you are already prepaying a seat for, then you can flip the seat
open and the child can actually sleep flat. I recently booked a family
of 3 to have a sky couch row on the aircraft and it was only costing
them USD 150.00 total each direction. Sky couches need to be quoted by
us after we have a flight booked and the prices are based on
availability, as these are very limited.
8/ Fiji is hot right now, it seems that the old New Zealand/Fiji combo
is back! Fiji has something for everyone. Depending on what time of
year you go there are different islands you would want to stay on. So
whether you are a family with young kids, honeymooners, divers, or just
want to chill on a beach, let us know and we will help you get to the
island that suits you.
9/ After receiving some damage from the Cyclones that came through
Australia earlier this year, Hayman Island decided to take the
opportunity to close its doors to do some renovations. I am very excited
that this Jewel in the Whitsunday Islands is re-opening its doors in
August! To top it off they have an awesome special where if you stay 3
nights you receive an AUD 400.00 per room credit to be used at the
resort. If you are interested please contact us to find out the terms
and conditions.
10/ We have been given a limited number of free Captain Cook Coffee
Cruise vouchers, to be used on their beautiful Sydney Harbour Coffee
Cruise. For those of you who book their airfare with us between now and
31st July 2011, you we will be given a voucher to be used for 2 people
(subject to supplies). There will be one voucher given per booking until
all vouchers have been given away, so get in quick!
11/ Are you remembering to tell your friends about us? Here is a little
incentive to help you along! :) We are offering a CAD 25.00 per booking
fuel gift card for referrals. Please
see below for more details. Remember to spread the word!
*** You have received this email as you have either been one of our
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**** Fuel Gift cards will be only given out per booking, this means
whether one person or four people to a booking there will be one fuel
card valued at CAD 25.00. This offer is only valid for residents in
Canada. Gift Cards will only be sent out once a booking has been made
and a deposit has been received. Please make sure that you let us know
who you have referred and that the person booking also lets us know that
you referred them.
Referrals must spend a minimum of
CAD 1700.00 with us in order for you to receive the gift card.
Travel must be to Australia/New Zealand/ or the South Pacific Islands,
departing from Canada.
This incentive is valid until 30th Sept 2011.
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