You Travel Agents go on so many famils and attend so many events that we’ve had to create a whole new section dedicated to your awesome adventures. And we’re jealous just reading it.
Check out what consultants got up to over the last seven days below, or click here to check out last week’s pics and snaps.
1. SPOTTED… on an epic tour of Tokyo
The Bullet Train, Mount Fuji and the Imperial Palace are all iconic attractions, but as a group of Australian Travel Agents recently discovered, if you want a truly memorable Japanese experience head to Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and step inside the living video game they call the Robot Restaurant.
The fantasy-themed cabaret venue, which opened in 2012 at a cost of around $100 million, is famed for its gigantic fem-bots, bikini-clad dancers, LED walls, lasers and anime-style murals.
TravelCube’s Tanya Blaxill – who led the group of 10 Victorian Agents on the eight-day journey to Tokyo and Hong Kong – says that an evening in the restaurant is best described as “beyond crazy”.
“At one point there was a huge robotic snake, and a chick was riding it as it battled a steampunk vehicle with machine guns being driven by an evil warrior, who later took on a robotic eagle,” says Blaxill. “It was exactly what we envisaged the fun, quirky weirdness of Japan would be like, with absolutely nothing making sense – we loved it.”
Almost as fun, she says, was Shinjuku Golden Gai, which is located close to the five-star Hilton Tokyo, where the Agents stayed.
“It’s a small area made up of a network of narrow alleys where you squeeze into tiny shanty-style bars and eateries,” says Blaxill. “Each of them was no bigger than a bedroom and they usually only sit between four and eight people, so it took a little while to find somewhere that could squeeze in all of us.”
The Australian consultants – guests of TravelCube and Cathay Pacific – also enjoyed a selection of Tokyo’s more conventional attractions, and embarked on a day trip to Hakone, part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and Mount Fuji, which hid stubbornly behind a veil of clouds.
The group travelled home via Hong Kong, where they stayed at the beautiful East Hotel and took a cruise on Victoria Harbour for a view of the city’s famous skyline.
2. SPOTTED… Travel Agent winning ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’
Agents have gone head-to-head in a two-month long battle in a bid to claim the top spot and secure themselves one million ‘Passport to Rewards’ points with leading travel company, Globus family of brands.
The NSW and ACT based incentive enticed travel consultants to book as many Globus family of brands trips as they could, which in turn, opened the door to discussions about what they can do with their ‘Passport to Rewards’ memberships and points.
Unlike having to answer puzzling questions to secure their million points, agents simply had to book and deposit a minimum of ten passengers during the incentive period to qualify, and go into the draw for the million-point prize.
Earlier this week, winner Debbie Haley from Andy’s World Travel in Maitland, NSW was randomly selected from the pool of qualified agents and presented with her one million ‘Passport to Rewards’ giant cheque.
‘Passport to Rewards’ has a huge catalogue of items including the latest Samsung Galaxy S8, a MacBook Pro, a Weber Barbecue, Samsonite Luggage, an Armani Exchange watch, a Fossil handbag, Circulon and Raco cookware, an LG 65” 4K Ultra HD television, a huge variety of vouchers (such as David Jones, Myer, Endota Spa, Rockpool restaurants and Freedom Furniture), or even a cubby house for the kids.
3. SPOTTED… at Brisbane’s exclusive over 50s travel expo
While there are many Travel Expos held in Brisbane, there is only one targeted exclusively at the over 50s. Held on Saturday, 9 September at the Hilton Hotel, the Travel Team Expo for Over 50s offered travel enthusiasts over 50 the opportunity to research and compare hundreds of holidays, from luxury world cruises to authentic Aussie adventures – all in one place, on one day.
The event opened from 9am to 2pm with over 25 major exhibitors at the Expo, including Scenic, Evergreen, Princess Cruises, APT and Trafalgar, to name just a few.
Visitors to the Expo also took advantage of exclusive ‘on-the- day’ only deals and went into the draw to win a $2,000 travel voucher. Plus, there were many more prizes to be won on the day.