2018 NEW YEAR EDITION
TRAVEL In Style
TASTE VIETNAM OF
A JOURNEY FOR FOOD LOVERS
6 Essentials TO PACK FOR YOUR SOUTHEAST ASIA ADVENTURE
In The World of Luxury Travel:
5 TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2018
Set at the white sand-beach of the southern part of Bali, Tanjung Benoa, Grand Mirage Resort & Thalasso Bali boasts a family all-inclusive resort in Bali with an extensive selection of activities featuring 380 rooms and suites with lawn garden or ocean view. Another wing of the resort, famously known as Family Paradise is a complex uniquely designed as Kid’s paradise with its rooms & suites, playground, pool water slide, kids club, mini water park and many others. Guests may experience Grand Mirage Resort & Thalasso Bali as the whole new level of luxury family friendly resort.
Grand Mirage Resort & Thalasso Bali Jl. Pratama 74, Tanjung Benoa - Nusa Dua 80363 | Bali - Indonesia p: +62 361 771 888 | f: +62 361 772 148 | e: mail@grandmirage.com www.grandmirage.com Grand Mirage Resort
@grandmirage
@grandmirageresort
Welcome in the New Year With These Delicious Songkran Delicacies Page 42 Taste of Vietnam - A Journey for Food Lovers Page 46 Making Che Troi Nuoc - A Sweet Soup from Vietnam Page 52
TABLE OF CONTENTS
In The World of Luxury Travel: 5 Trends to Watch in 2018 Page 8 Water Festivals Celebrating New Year in Southeast Asia,Will You Be There? Page 14 ‘Refill Not Landfill’ - How Your Responsible Travel Can Save Cambodia’s Country Land Page 18 The Most Romantic Retreats in Thailand Page 22 Southeast Asia’s Extreme Adventures Page 28
Invoking Happiness - Bhutan's Magical Mask Dance Page 56 Which Traditional Games Cambodian People Play during Khmer New Year? Page 60 Dong Ho Painting - The Vivid Symbol of Vietnamese Culture Page 64
The World's Most Scenic Train Ride - from Ella to Kandy Page 38
6 Essentials To Pack for Your Southeast Asia Adventure Page 58 10 Vietnamese Hill Tribes Textiles You Will Love Page 72 Multiple Ways to Use Your Scarf While Travelling Page 78
Dear Travellers, We are so happy to see you again with our new magazine which seems very appropriate to the New Year. Many of us are busy with plans for the year ahead: maybe finding more time to relax with friend and family, registering a yoga class or learning to cook a new dish (for example “che troi nuoc” which you will find on page 52). But we’re sure that all those things won’t diminish your passion for exploring the world. New Year! New You. We all need somewhere amazing and uplifting for 2018, somewhere with lots of exciting festivals, somewhere like Southeast Asia. Is the crazy Water Festival in Thailand attractive to you enough to plan a trip? How about a Magical Dance with Masks in Bhutan? Or you need some Extreme Outdoor Adventures? If you’re not entirely convinced, let’s take a look at 5 Travel Trends in 2018 on page 8 to be inspired. One destination that you shouldn’t miss in 2018 is Vietnam. But this time, we want to introduce a different aspect of this compelling country through a journey of food and its folk paintings. We will take you to Dong Ho village, about 25 km from Hanoi, where the local artists are enduringly preserving the traditional painting methods dated back more than 500 hundred years ago. My dear ladies! We always have a special corner of warmth and love for you. Therefore, in this New Year magazine, we want to share with you a numerous of tips for your perfect Southeast Asia trips. However, weather might be still rainy and little bit cold, please don’t forget to bring a scarf. You will never know how a small scarf can do to your outlook. Read our article on page 78 to find out Multiple Ways To Use Your Scarf while traveling. As the year comes to close, we hope that you will find some inspiration from our magazine’s articles for your coming trips. If you still can’t make up your mind, remember that our travel experts are always here to listen and help you to make your 2018 more exciting.
Exotic Voyages Team
TRAVEL IN STYLE It’s all about new! New hotels. Hot destinations. Trendy activities and experiences. Be inspired by our latest travel ideas and inspiration.
IN THE WORLD OF LUXURY TRAVEL: 5 TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2018 PLANNING A VACATION FOR 2018 AND LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION? COMING OUT OF 2017 AND HEADING INTO NEXT YEAR, MOST TRAVELLERS ARE FOCUSED ON TAKING A SLOWER PACE AND REALLY DELVING INTO AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES IN REMOTE PLACES. HERE ARE THE TRENDS WHICH EXOTIC VOYAGES HAS IDENTIFIED DURING THE LATTER HALF OF 2017 AND WHICH WE FORECAST WILL CONTINUE TO GROW NEXT YEAR.
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1. RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL Right now there is a real focus on going green in every aspect of life, including travel. Tourists are beginning to realize that truly meaningful travel means accepting a responsibility of stewardship for the beautiful places that they are visiting. Indeed, Sustainable Travel International and Mandala Research have reported that 60% of leisure travellers from the US have been on a “sustainable� vacation sometime in the past three years. That means staying in eco-friendly hotels which use sustainable materials, eating fresh, locally-sourced produce, and drinking from refillable water bottles. Travellers also are touring in small groups so as to minimize their footprint. Ecological conscientiousness is only one aspect of responsible travel. Tourists also are becoming more culturally aware, taking time to learn the history of the areas they visit to preserve and respect cultural traditions.
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2. REMOTE LUXURY While it is wonderful to live in an interconnected world thanks to the web and mobile devices, more travellers than ever are looking to “switch off” and make a true escape. So another growing trend is for remote travel. Indeed, luxury resorts are cropping up in destinations which are hard to reach and which have limited or no cell phone reception. Some examples are tree houses in Thailand and Indonesia and wellness treats throughout Southeast Asia. These accommodations allow travellers to soak in unparalleled tranquillity, restoring body, mind and spirit. Indeed, around 17 million travellers have said that they are focused on “health and well-being.” 40% of these travel on a regular basis.
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3. LONG AND WELL-PLANNED TRIPS Traditionally, most people have planned trips that last a week or less—two weeks at the most. But it is hard to really let go of day-to-day life and fully immerse oneself in a new experience with such a short duration. That is why trips longer than two weeks, sometimes a month or longer, are becoming more common. Indeed, some travel companies report that bookings for these types of trips have more than doubled between 2017 and 2018.
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EXOTIC VOYAGES TRAVEL www.exoticvoyages.com +1 (888) 497-0068 (Tool Free) T: +84 (0)24 39 33 62 60 / F: +84 (0)24 39 33 62 61 E: inquiries@exoticvoyages.com
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