What a terrific way to celebrate our 20th year in business! Thanks so much everyone for coming to our party – all 120 of you! We felt really loved – and slightly hung over the next day!
HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY PARTY!
16 August 2017
Also a big thank you to Trackcare WA for organising the yummy ‘sausage sizzle’ & to our talented mate Rob Sefton for the great music. And who knows? With cryogenics, plastic surgery & advanced medical procedures, we could be celebrating our 50th anniversary & leading you all on ‘gopher tag-along-tours’ in 2047!
MOTORHOME MADNESS FROM MULLEWA TO MOROCCO!
Australia’s going mad over motorhomes, caravans & camper trailers! The year ending September 2016 recorded the highest overall number of trips and record annual growth since data was first collected!
To cater for this growing market we’re offering not one but TWO exciting escorted motorhome/caravan safaris in 2017/18! On the first you can admire West Australia’s wildflowers at the peak of the season with a travelling floral expert. Join us from August 2 – 10, 2017, to visit such botanical hot-spots as Hi-Valley Wildflower Farm, Coalseam & Kalbarri National Parks, Mullewa, Paynes Find, Kirkalocka Station, Dalwallinu & more. There will also be lots of fun activities such as Pot Luck Suppers; Open House viewings; star-gazing evenings; guided bush walks & towing seminars.
Your convoy leader will be one of the State’s best tour guides & we’ll give you a comprehensive Pre-Departure Kit & cover the cost of powered campsites & national park entry fees. Although the tour is self-catering, we’ll also provide Welcome & Farewell Dinners. Numbers will be strictly limited! To book, check out: Wildflower Caravan Safari Sorry! This tour has been cancelled.
Our second motor-home safari (this one in October 2018) will take us to – wait for it – Morocco! Wow! How can you resist an awesome 22-day adventure exploring one of the most exotic & romantic destinations on the planet! Especially when you’ll be travelling in the comfort of a hired home on wheels - independent but not alone!
As Humphrey Bogart might say - ‘Play it again, Sam!’ Or in this case, play it again Jeremy & Jan, who will be personally escorting the tour. This will be our second joint project with our friends at Self Drive Adventures who are coordinating our Namibia 4WD expedition (which was sold out within weeks!). Details are still being finalised but we can only take 8 vehicles in the convoy so express your interest now!
Mmmm…Morocco, Marakesh, motorhomes. Here’s looking at you, kid!
THE LATEST BUZZ ON MOSQUITOES!
There are over 300 species of mosquito in Australia but less than 20 of these represent a risk to humans, either as nuisance-biting pests or carriers of disease. Here are some facts & fiction about these nasty little guys courtesy of the Department of Medical Entomology, University of Sydney & Westmead Hospital.
FACT: Blood feeding on humans or animals provides the protein required for egg development, therefore, only female mozzies bite; mosquitoes are primarily attracted to carbon dioxide & the smell of our skin; people can vary in both their attractiveness to mosquitoes & their sensitivity to a bite; any activity that increases body temperature or causes sweating (such as exercise or drinking grog!) may increase the likelihood of being bitten; pregnant women may be more likely to be bitten due to increased body temperature; repellents don’t kill mosquitoes - they inhibit the mosquito’s stimuli for blood feeding.
FICTION: Here are some mythbusters! Eating or drinking a particular food or drink or taking Vitamin B can reduce the likelihood of being bitten or lessen the reaction to bites (nope, sorry!); mozzies can transmit HIV (no they can’t!); people with certain blood types or skin colour are more likely to be bitten (wrong! mozzies are equal opportunity eaters!).
PREVENTION: To minimise the chances of being chomped, wear long sleeves, long pants, socks & shoes, be particularly careful at dawn & dusk, sleep under a mozzie net if one is provided & use an effective repellent. There is a perception that synthetic repellents such as DEET or picaridin can be toxic to humans, but despite the widespread use of such products internationally, very few cases of adverse reactions have ever been documented. Serious reactions generally result from product misuse such as ingestion, eye contact or excessive application. Mozzie, mozzie, mozzie! Oy oy oy!
CARAVAN & CAMPING SHOW REPORT
We were delighted to once again be invited by the Caravan Industry Association to present a series of educational towing demonstrations at this year’s Perth Caravan & Camping Show. This year’s event was one of the most successful ever with almost 48,000 people coming through the gates!
We held four 20-minute demos every day of the Show with a total attendance of more than 800 happy caravanners! We’ve subsequently had dozens of people purchase our towing DVD & book in for our private half-day towing training courses.
We also ran a competition giving away five free towing courses. We asked entrants to tell us why they wanted to win a course & got some great responses! Our favourites were: “Because I wrote off my first van!”; “I’ve had my caravan for 10 years & still can’t reverse!” & “So we can keep travelling without getting a divorce!”. We guarantee that all these folks will be happy campers once they complete their training sessions!
JOIN US FOR NEW YEAR CHEER IN MYANMAR!
Bored with mundane New Year’s Eve parties? Tired of spending the Big Night at home watching strangers celebrate on TV? Hey! Here’s a fun idea – join us for New Year’s Eve in Myanmar!
Our 12-day ‘discovery’ tour from Dec 28, 2017 - Jan 8, 2018, will begin & end in Yangon (formerly Rangoon).This catered, accommodated & affordable Asian adventure escorted by Jan & Jeremy & local English-speaking guides includes transport in a comfy coach, most meals & quality hotels.
Highlights will include such intriguing destinations as Bagan, Mandalay, Mt Popa & Inle Lake with visits to rural villages, palaces, pagodas, markets, monasteries & monuments; river cruises; cultural activities & an optional scenic balloon flight. There will also be a special festive celebration on New Year’s Eve in romantic Mandalay – Myanmar’s last royal capital and the country’s cultural centre.
We can only take 12 clients & bookings will be on a first-come-first-served basis, so put on your party hat & book your place today! For more details & to download a tour flyer & booking form, visit http://www.globalgypsies.com.au/tours/International/new-years-eve-in-myanmar. And Happy New Year in advance to you all!
ALASKA’S BEEN CANNED!
For those of you who were keen to go to Alaska with us, we’re sorry to say that like a John West salmon, this tour has been canned.
Once we started doing our research, it worked out to be REALLY expensive, the local operators weren’t particularly cooperative or interested & the exchange rate isn’t great. Also, with the Orange Clown Prince in the White House we thought we’d rather visit a country that was a bit saner, more welcoming & better value for money. So apologies folks, hopefully we can give you a fantastic gypsy experience somewhere else - & there are lots of choices!
BACK TO BOTSWANA SAFARI!
Hooray! We’re heading back to Botswana in 2018! We’re still working out dates & prices with our friends at Safari Guide Services (who we’ve worked with on our previous tours there) but it looks as if it will be mid-year.
This will be our third catered & personally escorted visit to this mind-blowing wildlife heaven (think Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls & more!) & we’re already getting excited! Ellies & others here we come!
Botswana is a safe & sensational destination with David Attenborough-style wildlife sightings & luxurious lodges - it’s an absolute must for all Africa tragics. Numbers will be strictly limited on this super safari so get yourself on the ‘interested’ list today – that way you’ll be the first to hear the news on the jungle drums!
ATTENTION: SCIENCE SAFARI & DIRK HARTOG ISLAND FANS!
We’ve got another fantastic “voluntour” planned with the Dept of Parks & Wildlife Services – this time to Dirk Hartog Island near Shark Bay!
Our friends at DPaW have invited us to help them with their important research & rehabilitation work on this gorgeous island as they attempt to return the fragile ecosystem to its original glory of 400 years ago when it was first ‘discovered’ by the Dutch. Most feral pests have been eradicated & indigenous mammals are now being translocated & monitored so there’s lots of work to be done!
This unique escorted & catered tour will be from Oct 21 – Nov 1, 2017, & includes camping & national park entry fees; TLC by award-winning Tour Guide Jeremy Perks & our Safari Hostess; project coordination, supervision & task allocation by a senior DPaW scientific & research team led by Keith Morris & Judy Dunlop; fun group activities & time to enjoy the exquisite surroundings.
A small group of ‘voluntourists’ will be lucky enough to enjoy this ocean paradise while doing their bit for the environment & getting up close & personal with the critters. Don’t miss out! Request a tour flyer today!
BEST EVER EXOTIC MARIGOLD TOUR – TAKE 2!
Our inaugural Exotic Marigold Tour to India was so fabulous that we’re going to do it again in March 2018! And to whet your appetite we’d like to tell you about just some of the wonderful things that we experienced on this year’s adventure.
The first thing to mention is the great group of people who joined us, most of them long term gypsies. Thank you so much for your company, the fun & the memories to George & Pam Keil from South Australia, & from Western Australia - Ric & Heather Butcher, Penny & Spence Cookson, Liz Gerritzen, Martin Jones & Mary Barton, Barbara Moore, Fred & Sue Noteboom, John & Heather Richardson, Faye Sandy, Pam Vassi & Bruce & Renee White.
To give you an idea of the camaraderie we shared, the group wrote a special ‘gypsy’ song which they performed as a surprise at the Farewell Dinner; there’s also a silly poem composed by gypsy joker Jan that you can read by clicking here.
The second thing you’re probably wondering is ‘did anyone get sick’? Well, apart from a few short-term slightly runny tummies, a couple of head colds & a minor run-in with a camel, we all stayed incredibly healthy! And it wasn’t for lack of scoffing the local food – we ate like maharajahs!
The hotels were terrific, our tour leader, Sanjay from Kipling Travel was outstanding, the sights, scenery & sounds were spectacular, the cultural activities were brilliant, the local people were so warm & welcoming, & yes! we saw tigers! Everybody came home with lots of goodies including carpets, jewellery, scarves, fabrics, wall hangings, paintings & lovely custom-made clothing so we boosted the Indian economy as well!
Highlights included exploring & staying in ancient forts, palaces & havelis; an evening cruise in Varanasi watching celebrations & cremations on the banks of the Ganges; city walks & elephant rides; the original Ghandi Museum in Delhi; rickshaw rides through crazy busy streets; a Bollywood dance class & movie; optional dawn yoga classes; seeing peacocks & monkeys on city rooftops; “Marigold Day” when we rode in festively decorated jeeps, wore flowers & visited film sets; admiring the Taj Mahal by dawn & full moon; thrilling game drives searching for (& finding!) tigers, leopards, a sloth bear & colourful birds; henna hand painting, a home visit & dinner in the desert in Mandawa; houseboats in Kerala & oh! so much more. It was truly fantastic & we can’t wait to go back! India really is a 10-out-of-10 holiday destination & great value, too.
On that happy note we’ll sign off for now! Namaste ya’ll!
Until next time, happy travels from – Jan and Jeremy