There’s a new Wanderer in town!

Nicola Arnold with her host sister Yogita

Yes. Robyn’s Wanderings is growing by one! Nicola Arnold has now been roped into writing every week about her adventures and basically anything travel related!

So you’re sick of me?! Cool. Meet Bermudian and enthusiastic traveler Nicola who will be sharing with you every Saturday. Here’s her first post:

Season’s Greetings! This is Nicola Arnold and it has been 65 days since my last travel adventure… that is, if you don’t count excursions to the local beaches and parks as being an adventure-worthy.

Living in Bermuda has its perks – as a recent graduate from the University of Guelph, Ontario, I have thoroughly enjoyed returning to Bermuda to spend my summer playing beach volleyball, walking past Johnny Barnes at Crow Lane Roundabout as he declares his love for me, and even pretending to be a tourist in Dockyard in order to sample some of the delicious rum cakes over at the Rum Cake Factory!

So who is Nicola?

My story so far is a ‘mixture’ of my family background intertwined with my travel experiences. Therefore it seems like a good idea to share these ‘ingredients’ of my life with you:

¼ cup Croatian grandparents

¼ cup British grandparents

½ cup parents from Zimbabwe

2 T. cousins in South Africa

3 T. cousins in Australia

1 pkg. of Rotary exchange in France

Whisk in some studies in Canada

4 T. summer student in Bermuda

5 oz. semester abroad in Paris

9 oz. study abroad in the French Alps

1 tsp. volunteer trip in India

Dash of travels in Japan, Greece, USA

These ingredients have led me to my path of study, encouraging my development in international education and will be the basis of my career… (yes dad, a JOB!!):

From high school at Mt. St. Agnes Academy in Bermuda to university in Canada, my ever-growing love for

France ultimately pointed me in the direction of completing a B.A. in European Studies, complete with a

Nicola in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan for our overnight camel safari... a thrilling adventure for sure

“highly recommended” study abroad for a year in the foreign language being studied (le français, bien sur).

At university, I became a Peer Helper at the Center for International Programs (CIP), so I had the joy of informing and preparing other students for studying, working & volunteering abroad.

Needless to say, I’ve been able to hone my packing skills for last-minute weekend trips, backpacking in the Indian desert on a camel safari – and learnt to be ready at a moment’s notice to dash for trains in the process.

What’s the plan now?! As I’m enjoying the mild Bermuda weather, I’m actively searching for jobs in Canada in the international education field – working with international and/or exchange students. It has been great networking with contacts both in Bermuda and Canada, while keeping my skills sharp through volunteering and getting involved in different organizations and events.

And surprise, surprise… my family and I will be travelling over the Christmas holidays to visit family and wander around Europe a bit. So far, our plans include stops in London, Rome, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Amsterdam and Paris – all in the space in 3 weeks. Sound interesting? Stay tuned for more!

Japan for one?

 

Japan for one?

 

Yep. You read it. Japan for one on this one-time only basis. Well not really. Ok definitely not, but at least some tour operators are starting to catch-on that people travel solo.

What am I talking about? Have you ever tried to book a tour? They usually try to quote you a double room for the cruise or land-tour as it were. So I’m solo and I have to pay for two?

Uh…not going to happen.

Which is why Tauck Tours has introduced solo pricing for their tours in 2011!!! Can you believe it? Well if not you need to contact CTravel because they have all the details.

Which include this trip to Japan which reveals the essence of Japan through its temples, shrines, Shinto gates, feudal castles, and perfectly preserved villages. In Tauck’s Japan travel on the fascinating island of Honshu to off-the-beaten-path spots, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the vibrant cites of Tokyo and Kyoto for a full cultural immersion.

Experience ancient traditions firsthand when you stay in a ryokan-style hotel, attend a tea ceremony, and soak in hot spring baths. Tour legendary samurai residences and the Geisha district.

Ride the Bullet Train and a boat across a lake. See the Great Buddha, thatched-roof gassho-zukuri farmhouses, serene gardens, and priceless art treasures.

And Tauck has so many more tours than Japan for those on their own! But you have to contact CTravel to find out more.

 

Italy for Christmas and New Years

 

Still looking for that last minute trip this year? Trying to find somewhere for Christmas and New Years?

Why not spend Three days in Rome. A day in Assisi followed by two days in Florence and cap it off with Verona and Venice? For New Years?

Then, well, enjoy these tours brought to you by Globus and CTravel in Bermuda. They are offering the Italian experience over one of the most festive times of year in this country!

Visit the sights in Rome: the Vatican Museums, Colosseum, and Roman Forum. To enjoying a Christmas Eve dinner with wine in one of Rome’s lively restaurants, and spend time exploring Rome or attending Mass on Christmas day.

You’ll also travel to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, and Florence, home to Michelangelo’s David. Completed in 1504, the artist worked over thirty months for a mere 400 florins (roughly $50,000 today). On this tour, you’ll get a chance to see this famous statue. In Venice, see the famous sights, shop for Murano glassware, enjoy a roman- tic gondola ride, taste sumptuous Italian cuisine, and enjoy a drink in St. Mark’s Square. Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Venice

For a price of $2,149 per person you can have all of this!

Swan's Cruises

Or how does sailing around the Aegean Sea for 15 days for just $2,250 sound?

Cruise through the land of harems to the land of democracy and back again and enjoy the crystal clear blue waters of Turkey and Greece from September 30th next year!

Starting in Istanbul and following the coast line of the multitude of islands that litter this sea, the cruise will drench you in both culture and luxury.

Contact Carl Paiva, the CEO of CTravel for more information on these deals and make sure you check back tomorrow for more adventures!

Thursday? Wanna go to Greece?

Athens by Night

For the two of us there were four beds. We thought we had struck a deal with the ticket lady in Venice.

“Sure, sure you can have a private room.”

Now we faced four beds. We were two. We had 48 hours until we landed in Piraeus, Greece and being the backpackers we were we had hit the grocery store for our food.

We spread-out. Opened our food and ate our dinner. But I was sure. I was sure any minute we were going to have another two people knock on our door and demand their trundle beds in the prison-size ship room.

We made it to Piraeus, but it wasn’t pretty. We barely got sleep with zero space. We had a shower that sprayed the entire bathroom. So why not do the trip pretty? Why not live in a luxury that supplies designer soaps, aromatherapy scents and handmade chocolate paired with a chilled bottle of French wine?

And why not make the trip with Silversea Cruises which offer just this luxury with the combination of Venice, Trieste and Rimini in Italy with Dubrovnik, Croatia, Corfu and Athens in Greece? If you book with CTravel before August 31 you will save 60% on your fare and received $500 in onboard credits!

Not fancying Venice? Want something a little less Mediterranean? Silversea Cruises also offers a trip from Bridgetown, Barbados to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 24 for 16 days. This cruise will hit St. Lucia, Grenada, French Guiana and multiple posts in Brazil before finishing in Rio! If you book this before August 31 the total trips will cost $5,798 before airfare from Bermuda.

River cruising more your style? Looking for a vacation for next year? I mean it is August already! Well Tauck Discovery has the gift of time for their European River Cruises in 2011. For previous Tauck clients they will receive two free nights in a hotel at the beginning or end of their trip OR one on each end. New clients will get one free night!

French River Cruising

Of course you have to book before September 30, 2010, but how can you not when the chances of resting gently down the stream through French Vineyards could be a reality? For ten days at $4,490 Tauck travelers can visit Paris, Lyon and Avignon to say the least!

So what are you waiting for?? It’s CTravel Thursdays and it’s the chance to book your next amazing trip cruising in style in the Mediterranean or Carribbean…..river boating it through France in 2011!

On top of that, if you contact CTravel for your next trip you can save!