• ‘Mora Mora’ in Madagascar

    ‘Mora Mora’ in Madagascar

    The best advice I can give anyone considering a trip to Madagascar can be summed up in the local phrase of ‘mora mora’. The closest literal translation is ‘slowly slowly’ but, depending on the particular situation, it could mean slow down, take it easy, be patient, or relax – things will happen when they happen.…

  • Top 5 Reasons to Holiday in Vietnam

    Top 5 Reasons to Holiday in Vietnam

    With a tumultuous history and a promising future, Vietnam is bursting with energy, and a great place to visit.  Why?  The food, the beaches, the history, the culture and welcoming locals are plenty to go on, but now you can also fly there direct from New Zealand.  The real question is “Why not?” EDIBLE VIETNAM…

  • How to make a Mazurek Easter Pie

    How to make a Mazurek Easter Pie

    The mazurek cake  is said to be a variation on a Turkish recipe, and has been a firm element of Polish Easter tradition since the 17th century. ‘Mazurek’ is also the name of a traditional dance, and Mazury (Mazuria in English) is a region in the North-East of Poland, green with forests and blue with…

  • On the Right Track

    On the Right Track

    There’s something refreshingly traditional about travelling by train, and often the rail journey can be a destination in itself!   What’s not to love about train travel – dining cars with full-service meals, uniformed wait staff, fascinating off-train excursions and more! To get you on the right track, we’ve gathered together our top 6 “Great…

  • Rejuvenate for the New Year!
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    Rejuvenate for the New Year!

    Feeling refreshed from your summer holidays and eager to take on the New Year? Or anything but? It’s around this time that a lot of people get in touch with us, wanting the truly relaxing getaway that a frantic Christmas followed by a rainy week at the bach just didn’t provide. Travel can rejuvenate the soul…

  • African Discovery

    African Discovery

    The first of many African countries to gain independence from England in 1957, Ghana is today the most stable and successful of the West African nations. By African standards the country is diminutive at around 80% the land area of New Zealand, albeit with a population of some 27 million. However, what it lacks in…

  • An unexpected Japan
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    An unexpected Japan

    Step outside the cutting edge modernity of Tokyo and you’ll discover a Japan you probably didn’t expect.  My recent journey to the northern region of Japan revealed a land of striking scenic beauty, Shogun history and ancient temples.  Add to that Japan’s amazing foodie culture and unfailingly charming people, and there is plenty to be…

  • Atacama Adventures

    Atacama Adventures

    From the air the Atacama Desert resembles the surface of Mars we have all become so familiar with. The driest place on earth, the land reflects many beautiful hues of orange, red and yellow, dotted with volcanoes and high mountains of the Andes chain. After a flight of nearly 2 hours north from Santiago, you…

  • Exploring the Andes

    Exploring the Andes

    World Journeys Director Chris Lyons is currently hosting a small group of Kiwis on a Grand Tour of South America, and reports back on their experience on the Andean Explorer between Cuzco and Lake Titicaca in Peru. Ten hours sounds like a long time on a train, but in when it’s the very comfortable Andean…

  • Calgary Stampede

    Calgary Stampede

    Unleash your inner cowboy and buckle up!  I recently joined the more than 1 million visitors at the self-proclaimed ‘greatest outdoor show on earth’. The Calgary Stampede is two mad weeks of the world’s largest rodeos, parades, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuck wagon racing and First Nations exhibitions.  It’s Fieldays on steroids! The atmosphere is fantastic, fuelled each morning by pancakes…

  • Good news for Gorillas

    Good news for Gorillas

    When you think of Rwanda, images of its dark past are evoked but as the country looks to its future, the country is making a miraculous transformation. Home to Gorillas, volcanoes, mountains and jungle – it’s one worth considering. Especially to see the Gorillas – what’s not to love about these powerful and striking, yet…

  • An obsession with Alabaster
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    An obsession with Alabaster

    I love cruising on the Nile; a good dose of history and culture each morning as you explore, but afternoons are spent on deck watching fishermen busy with their nets, a farmer with his buffalo staggering up the bank with a precarious pile of sugarcane and young men playing football on a rough pitch overlooking…