The best Travel Advisors are those who have been there, done that and with Travel Associates celebrating 25 years in 2023, that is a lot of advisors who have travelled around the world and are happy to use their experiences to book clients the perfect trip. We asked 15 of our advisors to nominate their favourite personal travel experience … and here they are.
Adam Crossman
TRAVEL ASSOCIATES GLENELG, GLENELG
“I have been in travel now for 30 years and nothing compares to a private safari through Kenya and Tanzania with my wife. Travelling privately is the best option as from the time you are collected from the airstrip your guide will design your daily activities around your preferences. We were able to experience so much more than the Big 5. When we got back to our lodge of an evening and compared stories with other travellers, what we had experienced blew people’s minds as we reported multiple leopard, lion and wildebeest encounters. The lodges we stayed in were perfectly located and all inclusive, and going in April was perfect.”
Christine Bottrell
ASHMORE, HARRIS & JAMES TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, CANTERBURY, VIC
“Iceland is truly a spectacular destination. I was in awe of the dramatic landscape with volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, waterfalls and lava fields. Highlights for me were snorkelling between two tectonic plates in what has to be the clearest water in the world. It is so clear you can see up to 120 metres. It is called the Silfra Fissure and it is breathtaking. Another highlight was descending in an elevator 120 metres down into a dormant volcano. Thrihnukagigur Volcano is the only spot on earth where it's advisable to explore a magma chamber from the inside. The volcano has not erupted for 4,000 years.”
Jo Kennedy
KENNEDY & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, BRISBANE, QLD
“A helicopter tour from our hotel to the Skeleton Coast along with a touchdown in the sand dunes for cocktails was such a special experience. We were mesmerised by the sorcery of the red sky setting. On the way back, weaving around the shoreline, we saw thousands of seals, the white sandy beaches with rock formations, then flew over the red sand dunes including Big Daddy and also Sossusvlei Salt Lake which is incredible to see from above. Even more so because the day before we had climbed Big Daddy and walked on the crusty Salt Lake, with the crunching sound of the salt echoing with every footstep we took.”
Ian Carswell
CARSWELL & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, COFFS HARBOUR, NSW
"One of the most enchanting travel experiences in the last 25 years was a winter escapade to Prague with my family and close friends. The magical atmosphere of the city during the Christmas season is truly unparalleled. We strolled through the charming cobblestone streets, explored the festive Christmas markets, and indulged in the some of the very best Czech cuisine. The combination of historical architecture draped in snow, the joyful atmosphere of the markets, and the warmth of sharing such moments with loved ones created a truly unforgettable and heartwarming experience. It's these cherished moments that exemplify the joy of travel and the richness it brings to our lives.”
Becky Kent-Perchalla
PERCHALLA & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, HYDE PARK, SA
“Going somewhere you have never been before is exhilarating. The voodoo festival in Ouidah, Benin, West Africa is definitely unlike anything I had ever seen before. The festival had about 10,000 people, mainly from Africa, along with around 100 tourists – including me. We met heads of villages, witnessed traditional voodoo practices, danced in the sand and ate the juiciest chilled mangos which really hit the spot after being in the African sun all day. I finished the day on the beach, facing west towards the sunset with a cold local beer in my hand and bare feet in the sand. It was perfect.”
Stewart Evans
EVANS & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, MOSMAN, NSW
“I took myself out of my comfort zone on a trip to India this year with Taj Palaces and Hotels with Peirce and Leslie. I travelled to a place I had not considered on my radar with long bus trips and early rises, but it was astonishing. Watching the sun setting on the Lake Palace in Udaipur while staying the Maharaja's rooms at USD$10,000 a night; riding on a rickshaw through Old Delhi, and even the experience of driving between each city, was as intoxicating as it was dramatic. To top it off, we went to Rambagh Place in Jaipur, the world’s best hotel.”
Meaghan Wolf
WOLF & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, BLACKBURN, VIC
“I would have to say my favourite personal travel experience was travelling back to Sri Lanka to recreate a childhood photo with my children. I travelled widely with my Mum and had memories of a huge rock that I had climbed with a swimming pool (of sorts) at the top. At the time I didn't know many kids with swimming pools let alone imagining there would be one carved out of rock on top of a mountain. It was the enchanting Sigiriya. I took the children there, and had had a photo of myself nearly 40 years earlier and had my children stand in the same place. Thankfully, there were a lot more safety barriers in place this time around.”
Mark Langhorne
FREEDMAN, LANGHORNE & JAMES TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, SANDRINGHAM, VIC
“My wife Jo and I did a cruise from high up in the Arctic Circle in Canada, across to Greenland and then back to Iqualit in Canada. When we got onto the ship we were told that we were too early in the season for the Northern Lights and we would be very lucky to see them. But three nights on our journey down the Greenland coast, we were woken by the captain at 2 or 3 in the morning to pop outside onto the deck to be confronted with an amazing display of the Northern Lights. They were in full force dancing through the night sky. We will never forget it.”
Bryan Wye
WYE & JAMES TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, TURRAMURRA, NSW
“Of all the places I have been, my trip to Bhutan has inspired me the most. Nowhere on Earth is like it. There are restrictions to the number of visitors permitted to visit each year and this ensures the destination remains niche and not fundamentally or adversely tourist affected. The culture and religion are unique and unchanged over centuries. We experienced some of the luxury offerings of various COMO and Taj properties in Paro, Thimpu (the capital) and the Punakha Valley, and our adventures took us above 4,000 metres elevation for a trek and also a downhill bike ride from there back to Paro at 2,000 metres. Exhilarating! I left this place feeling very challenged, enriched and fulfilled by the whole experience.”
Craig Martin
MARTIN AND TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, ALBANY, NORTH ISLAND, NZ
“On my first trip to Egypt, we had just pulled into Aswan and took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. The driver asked if we would like a tour around Aswan at night. We said yes, and then he asked if we would like to go to his brother’s wedding. Slightly nervous, we said yes. After a drive down the back streets of Aswan and an anxious walk down an alley, suddenly, it opened up to a big courtyard and 100 kids dressed in multi-coloured traditional dress, ran up to meet us and dragged us into the middle of the dancefloor. We spent the night eating, dancing and meeting the amazing extended family before returning to our Nile cruiser later in the evening. A truly unexpected but completely unforgettable experience.”
Gillian Woodley
TRAVEL ASSOCIATES SANDY BAY, HOBART, TAS
“I have never forgotten an African Safari, where we jetted in to a private airport in Hoedspruit and spent three days enjoying amazing game drives and seeing Africa in all its stripped-back beauty. We then experienced the Blue Train straight to Pretoria with incredible food and drinks in the club car, personalised butler service and all the history of this iconic train as it gently passes through the African countryside. We then finished it all with a drive along the Garden Route, with amazing beaches, small historic towns and wineries and then the epic finale … Cape Town, with its beautiful waterfront and incredible views from Table Mountain.”
Paul Egan
EGAN & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, EDGE HILL, QLD
“A favourite travel experience for me was experiencing a festival in East New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The Rabaul Mask Festival in Kokopo really stands out. We thoroughly enjoyed watching groups showing their stunning ancestral and spirit masks. We also got to see the Baining Fire dancers one evening. The dance is performed at night with the dancers wearing big masks and elaborate outfits made of new leaves. Bodies are heavily oiled and glisten in the firelight as each performer is lead out to the rhythmic beat of bamboo tubing pounding a large piece of wood while young men from the Bainings clans dance through fire.”
Sally Stockdale
REIS & JAMES TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, REIS & JAMES TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, MANUKA, ACT
“I have been obsessed with penguins ever since watching the movie, March of the Penguins, so it was a dream come true to visit South Georgia, located in an archipelago located a long way east of Argentina’s Cabo Virgenes. Visiting it on an Antarctica expedition cruise, South Georgia is known for its wildlife, with nick names such as ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’ and ‘Galápagos of the Poles’. It is wild. When I found myself standing among a colony of around 200,000 King Penguins all trumpeting and chicks chirping, I had to pinch myself. It was the most beautiful cacophony ever!”
Vanessa Schmitzer
LEWIS & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, NORTH ADELAIDE, SA
“In 2022, South Africa became the backdrop for an unforgettable love affair with nature and a life changing experience. Picture this: a heart-pounding encounter with a victorious pride of lions on my very first game drive, followed by the embrace of luxurious lodges that felt like a warm hug. But the climax awaited at Tswalu private wildlife reserve in the Kalahari – a haven where enchantment met wilderness. Each moment felt like a shared secret, nurtured by the attentive staff who made us feel like family. From intimate feasts beneath star-studded skies to traversing the savannah guided by seasoned trackers, every experience was a brushstroke on the canvas.”
Michael Lewis
LEWIS & TURNER TRAVEL ASSOCIATES, NORTH ADELAIDE, SA
“My favourite trip would have to be taking a luxury European river cruise that took us to many incredible Christmas Markets on top of the already magnificent experience of meandering down the river in Central Europe, past castles and stunning scenery. From there, we went to Wengen, a picturesque car-free village in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland that has the most amazing views. We stayed in a traditional, family-run lodge and had a magical White Christmas. It was postcard-pretty, surrounded by snow, and looked out over soaring mountain peaks. We also dined out on delicious fondue, and felt so welcome in the Lodge, so far from our normal Christmas Day.”
