Welcome to our October 2011 Newsletter
This article starts by reflecting on the gregarious nature
of mankind and our natural tendency towards curiosity and learning; we have a
need to satisfy that curiosity; and we do this through learning and exploring; and
exploring involves travel, be it next door, to other Provinces in Canada,
across the Oceans or to a new travel frontier, outer space.
Travel; an integral part of human nature
In last month’s article I cited an extreme case of
exploration: that of oceanographers’ research into the events of Earth’s past
using the ocean’s floor as a repository. Through research, insights were developed
into Earth’s evolution over millions of years, enabling predictions into its
future. Research and exploration share a common ingredient; that of our need to
belong to something. We “belong” to family, tribe,
nations, interests, political parties, communities, ethnicity, associations or
clubs. Combining this sense of belonging with our innate curiosity has driven us
to explore ... and travel ... from the beginning of time. Some Canadians travel
to find out more about themselves; they are drawn to their families’ roots,
most times abroad. Others, like the oceanographers above, seek information, and
yet others are driven by curiosity to exotic destinations such as the Far East,
regions in the southern hemisphere, or just pristine beach resorts anywhere. We
at Clarkson have taken these aspects, our curiosity, our passions, and our
sense of belonging as the core criteria for developing our group travel
programmes.
Change is constant
Straights of Magellan as a reference point
In January this year, Zaneta and I sailed through the
Straights of Magellan at the bottom of South America. Prior to Magellan’s
discovery of this Inland Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, ships made
this journey by way of treacherous Cape Horn, oftentimes with disastrous
results. As we sailed through the
straights, we marvelled at the dexterity of the ship’s navigation, and thought
of Magellan. When he traversed this inland route it was uncharted, he relied on
wind-power, and his knowledge of the constellation. And Magellan likely took
four to six months to arrive at the Atlantic side of the straights.
Key events; leading to feasibility of global travel
I suggest three past events that greatly contributed to dramatic
improvement in the desire for travel and the speed of travel: (1) discovery the
world was round, not flat, in Columbus’ time; (2) discovery of flight (Wright
brothers) (3) the recent exploration of space. (There were other events and
discoveries that are not dealt with in this article; such as Marconi’s wireless,
and chip technology. Space technology gave us GPS’s in cars which are so
effective many consider them essential and some of us have already lost our
ability to navigate from maps! And similarly, captains of ships benefit from
these technological advances.)
Group Tours at Clarkson
Group tours at
Clarkson offer a promise of travel with like-minded travelers, the start of new
friendships, learning from guides, and amazement at the ingenuity and
resourcefulness of generations long past. One oftentimes observes Maslow’s
theory at play; for example, systems and inventions developed in medieval times
for safety and survival such as fire lookouts and protection against floods; or
levels of self-actualization achieved as evidenced by elegant, immense and
elaborate building structures.
Music and cultural events: desirable content of our group tours
Our working
relationship with the New Classical 96.3FM radio station is not accidental as we
are ardent lovers of music. Whenever we can, we include a musical component in
our group travel. Most times, we include performances at historic venues such
as State Opera Houses or at festive events featuring folkloric
performances. All our group travel
packages, including their day to day itinerary and prices can be viewed at www.clarksontours.ca . While you’re on
the website, have a look at our Special Offers for individual travel.
We benefit from escorting you, our fellow traveler, on these
voyages. By escorting, we benefit by keeping up to date with destinations, observing
attention to detail, and facilitates our understanding of your feedback and
suggestions; many of which we implement.
Groups to be escorted by Zaneta and Joe
Zaneta and I are
escorting two musical voyages in 2012, and in addition two “destination”
experiences. The musical voyages feature onboard and onshore performances and
are:
·
March 31,
2012, “Classical Music Delights on the Danube” accompanied by Bill Anderson
on Lueftner Cruises’ ms Royal. We
start in Ljubljana, Slovenia and end in Prague, Czech Republic. CLICK HERE to view Bill's video.
·
September
15, 2012, “Iberian Interlude” from London (Southampton) to Barcelona on Regent
Seven Seas Cruises’ Voyager. This is our annual opera cruise with Regent Seven Seas.
“Destination” experiences, to explore, learn and understand
the history and culture of places visited are:
·
February
14, 2012, “Australia and New Zealand” starting in Cairns, Australia; ending
in Auckland, New Zealand. Your bookings will not be wait-listed; we have cabins on reserve.
September 12, 2012, "Enchanting Rhine with Floriade" hosted by Denis Flanagan of Landscape Ontario.
November 2, 2012, “Deluxe Orient Experience” from Bangkok to Singapore by train; then four nights in Bali and two nights in Hong Kong. We have added this new destination.
September 12, 2012, "Enchanting Rhine with Floriade" hosted by Denis Flanagan of Landscape Ontario.
November 2, 2012, “Deluxe Orient Experience” from Bangkok to Singapore by train; then four nights in Bali and two nights in Hong Kong. We have added this new destination.
Groups to be escorted by Natalia, Tal or Victoria
Mairead Dickenson will be leaving our employ to spend more
time at her Florida home and travel. Natalia
Katrenyuk has joined us and will assume Mairead’s portfolio with support and
guidance of all staff including Mairead. Natalia is widely traveled and
possesses over seven years of travel consultancy and tour leadership
experience. Here are Natalia’s, Tal’s, and Victoria’s escorted picks:
·
May 6:
“Greek Glory” from Venice to Istanbul on Oceania Cruises (Victoria)
·
May 13:
“Romantic Danube” from Prague to Budapest on AMA Waterways (Tal)
·
June 11: “Russian Waterways” from Moscow to St. Petersburg
(Natalia)
·
July 18:
“Alaskan Wonders” from Anchorage to Vancouver on Regent Seven Seas Cruises
(Victoria)
·
September
29: “Magnificent Europe” from Amsterdam to Budapest on AMA Waterways (Tal)
Groups departed this month / now on tour
On September 16th, we wished
“Bon Voyage” to our “Magnificent Europe” group; this is one of Europe’s most
popular river cruise tours; all fourteen days are on board, and it is truly a
floating hotel experience! It sails from Amsterdam up the Rhine, crosses the
Continental Divide, then continues down the Danube to Budapest.
On September 27th, Zaneta and I will travel with Marilyn
Lightstone on “Magical Mediterranean Memories”. This voyage with onboard opera
performances sails from Venice to Monte Carlo on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’
Voyager – the “It’s all included!”
cruise line.
On October 10th
our China tour with Jean Stilwell of 96.3FM departs. Our guests will come away
from China with a good appreciation of that country’s
traditions, customs and decorum. In this combined land and cruise tour, the
group will see places such as: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guilin, Hong Kong
and more; also the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terra Cotta Warriors, and the
Three-Gorges Dam, to name a few.
In-store events
You can register your attendance at any event that interests
you by clicking on the event you wish to attend on our “Calendar of Events”
page on our website. We invite you to
the following events:
Date
|
Starts at
|
Event
|
|
Oct 15, 2011
|
15:00
|
River Cruise Presentation; a review of river cruising today and cruise
lines by Joe Rochemont
|
|
Oct 19, 2011
|
16:00
|
Magnificent Europe Reunion
|
|
Oct 22, 2011
|
15:00
|
Magical Maritime Memories Reunion Event; Marilyn Lightstone host
|
About our “Refer a friend” program
We invite you to take advantage of our referral
offer. Refer a friend, have your friend book and earn CAD 150 bonus on your
booking.
Why Cruise Holidays of Clarkson
Cruise
Holidays of Clarkson is an independently owned travel agency specializing in
group and individual leisure travel services. Our business relies heavily on
word of mouth and the promise of a lifetime travel experience.
We consider it
important to understand our clients’ travel dreams, preferences, and needs, to
keep abreast of travel trends, opportunities, and geopolitics, and to deliver travel
services aligned with expectations.
We are part
of the Travel Leaders Group franchised operation and benefit from the scale of that
operation when dealing with suppliers. This positions us to provide significant
value to our clients.
Cruise
Holidays of Clarkson is a member of Cruise Holidays’ President’s Circle (2009
and 2010) and recipient of Royal Bank Insurance’s award for quality business.
For more information on group travel, see www.clarksontours,ca; for individual travel see www.clarksontravel.ca ; or call 905 855 1700 or email info@clarksontravel.ca . Or better yet, drop in at our store
located at 1739 Lakeshore Road West, Mississauga ON L5J 1J4; we have ample
parking at back.
