Bon Voyage in 2012.

Alan Wilson, here, Managing Director of Bon Voyage.   I wanted to bring you up to date
on some of the new ideas and happenings for holidays this year to the USA and Canada.

Our Route 66 holidays go from strength to strength.  Since the Billy Connolly TV series last year we have been inundated with people wishing to make this most famous of all American road trips from Chicago to Los Angeles.  For me one of the great attractions of the trip is that it begins in the great city of Chicago, with its music influences, chequered history and amazing architecture and finishes in the fabulous California beach resort of Santa Monica, of Baywatch fame.  Add to the mix the nostalgia of the sights and scenes along the way, the opportunity to take detours to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas and it has all the makings of a truly wonderful adventure.

For many, a road trip is all about your wheels and this is where we have exciting news.  For the first time we’re able to offer the iconic Ford Mustang convertible as a guaranteed option on Route 66. I should emphasise that the Mustang is a two person experience but there’s nothing quite like an open top on the open road.  Well I say there’s nothing like it but actually our next option is Route 66 on a Harley Davidson motorbike, or even a trike like the one Billy Connolly rode in the TV series.  We will tailor-make your own journey or we can arrange for you to join a group departure.  Give us a call for all the details and prices.

Other new or nearly new thoughts for your next Bon Voyage holiday include a bicycling tour in New England, log cabin stays in the Great Smoky Mountains or maybe one of the great North American rail journeys.  For me there is nothing to beat the thrill of a trip like the Coast Starlight journey all the way from Southern California and up through Oregon and into Washington State.  There are the dramatic snow-covered peaks of the Cascade Range and Mount Shasta, lush forests, fertile valleys and long stretches of Pacific Ocean shoreline.  Having feasted on the views by day and dined well you retire to your very comfortable sleeping car and awake to the drama of Puget Sound and arrival into the superb city of Seattle.  Magical.

Finally let me mention some important information for those of you planning a holiday to North America in the near future.  Right now and until close of business next Tuesday 24^th January our prices are based on air fares that have been reduced by up to £200 per person.

In order to get the New Year off to a great start we negotiated these lower rates
for British Airways, Virgin, United, American – in fact almost all the big TransAtlantic airlines.

To take advantage of the reduced prices we have to have your booking in by next
Tuesday.  I don’t want to rush you into anything if you’re at the early stages of planning a
trip but if you have reached or are close to deciding your travel plans for this year, it will make sense to speak to us in the next few days.

The team are waiting to help so call us free on 0800 980 7091 or email Bon Voyage.

Happy New Year to you from everyone at Bon Voyage.

A Weekend in Washington

Bon Voyage Director, Phil Newcombe, revisits Washington D.C. for the first time in more than a decade to see what all the fuss is about. He discovers that things certainly “ain’t what the used to be”.

OK. Hands up all those who knew what an outstanding city Washington DC has become. Anyone? Just a few of you then – thanks for keeping that little nugget to yourselves!

Come on, Irene!

Bon Voyage Managing Director, Alan Wilson, reflects on a busy few days at Bon Voyage HQ in Southampton.

How was your Bank Holiday weekend?  Hopefully you didn’t spend too much of the last Bank Holiday until Christmas stuck in motorways queues or dodging the showers.  We had a fairly eventful few days here at Bon Voyage headquarters in Southampton, not so much dodging showers as trying to help our customers to dodge a hurricane.

Are We Different When We Travel?

Waiting for me in my inbox this morning was a message from our partners at the city of New Orleans. A simple message on the face of it – New Orleans has produced a new short video to promote itself to international visitors, and would we like a copy to put on the New Orleans page of the Bon Voyage website to help highlight its attractions to would-be travellers? So I watched it. And I like it!

Hog Heaven – Where Eagles Ride.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, 46C, busted starter, motor ticking over rock steady. “Hotter than a snake’s ass in a wagon rut”.

This article was written by Bon Voyage customers – Geoff and Ali Cadman – who travelled on an “EagleRider” organised Harley tour of western America in 2004, and is reproduced on TheBonVoyageBlog with their kind permission. The stunning photographs are their own, and all rights are reserved.

I think Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” was much better than their more popular song “Born to be Wild”, which was rather hi-jacked by the media to become something of a cliché when dealing with any story that revolved around the motorcycle `lifestyle`. I suppose it’s just that I am a dedicated biker and have been one since just before the release of the iconic film  `Easy Rider`. I’m also English, I ride a Harley Davidson, but I also own a BMW motorcycle so I’m not the sort that would ordinarily get all misty-eyed when a travel programme does a motorcycle feature and uses the obligatory, `Born to be Wild` as an intro! I reiterate, not ordinarily.

Travel Trade Insider – New England Summit.

So just how glamorous is a life in the travel industry? Well, take last weekend for instance. It’s Saturday 2^nd April and I’m sitting in a large comfortable chair sipping champagne and nibbling on freshly prepared sushi. In front of me stretches a long, groovy cocktail bar lit with neon colours and adorned with every spirit you can think of and some even I have never heard of. To my left is a contemporary open-plan eatery where couples are dining in plush, leather booths. To my right, in a snug area, is a handsome guy in expensive jeans relaxing in a huge, clear plastic bubble chair hanging from the ceiling like something out of Austin Powers. I finish my bubbly and stroll over to the far corner of this vast area where there is a beautician. I book a manicure. “Would you like a haircut too?” enquiries the receptionist. Why not, indeed.

Dallas Returns

Platform shoes, Van McCoy’s “The Hustle”, Parma Violets and the TV Series, Dallas. These are all the things I loved about the ‘70’s.

So now I’m like the cat that got the cream to learn they are bringing back Dallas to our screens this year. Better still, some of the original crew will still be gracing our sets such as devilish JR, slurring Sue Ellen and Bobby “The Shower”.  The original series ran from 1978 to 1991 – 325 episodes. I watched them all.  I understand the new version will focus on the Ewing offspring; J.R. Ewing’s son, John Ross, and Christopher, the adopted son of Bobby and curvy Pam Ewing.  The two smouldering beefcakes from Desperate Housewives will be playing the leads.

Lords of The Arctic

Everyone has a bucket list, right? I was contemplating whether to have chops for tea when no.7 on my very own bucket list appeared in my inbox.

“Attention Karen Niven – Product Manager, Bon Voyage Travel & Tours. You are cordially invited by Travel Manitoba to Churchill, The Polar Bear Capital of The World”.  Crikey!  A rather large smile spread over my face and I felt the need to jump up and punch the air..

Book ’em, Danno!

In the mid 1970’s the weekly viewing of Hawaii 5-0 was a ritual in our house. My Dad would come home from the pub especially. The oh-so-catchy theme tune burst onto our screens, and the room grew quiet in anticipation.  This was our weekly Tropical Treat.

Once my parents actually made Hawaiian punch to enjoy during the programme. They even had the umbrella cocktail decorations (a la Only Fools and Horses). We lived on the edge in those days.