Sean Simmons Travel Newsletter June 2013

turbulence t ravel ne ws th at wi l l e xc it e y o u

J u ne 2 0 1 3

We are proud to announce that our fearless leader, Sean Simmons, is a finalist in the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) for “Best Travel Agency Consultant - Corporate” These prestigious awards, sponsored by AFTA (Australian Federation Of Travel Agents) are the premier industry event of the year.

Sean is competing against 4 other consultants for the title, which will be announced on 20 July.

We will keep you posted!

A fun wardrobe makeover for Westpac Staff The staff at Westpac’s Wales Corner branch, located at the intersection of Swanston and Collins Streets in Melbourne, chose blue & white over the in-house red on Fridays! By slipping into smart & chic SST shirts, of course, as part of a month-long campaign in May! And boy, did they look the part!

ONLINE STORE NOW OPEN

Enjoy 30% off EVERYTHING

SPOTLIGHT: SECRETS OF JAPAN Get a rare glimpse into the old & new sides of the “Land of the Rising Sun” – from the cuttingedge technology of a Toyota plant to turning back the time in the old town of Takamaya which is known for its expertise in carpentry & private houses that are deemed cultural artefacts.

And the best part- the second person flies free!#

HIGHLIGHTS:

• 15 days, 14 nights from $6995*pp

• W itness Japan’s cutting-edge technology during a specially-arranged visit to the Toyota manufacturing plant.

• S mall group journey with Western Tour Leader^ and local English-speaking guide

• S oak up the old-world atmosphere of the Kiso Valley wandering the villages of Magome, with broad stone walkways lined by restored ancient houses, and Tsumago –the town where the ambience of the Edo period can be felt even today with power cables kept concealed and cars forbidden on the main street during the day!

• V isit Tokyo, Hakone, Kiso Valley, Takayama, Kanazawa, Hiroshima, Nara and Kyoto

• 1 3 nights’ hotel accommodation, 1 night Ryokan accommodation • Daily breakfast, 2 dinners

• T ransport by air-conditioned vehicles including day trains • E ntrance fees, luggage transport included transfers.

• T ake a romantic train journey to Arashiyama Valley and stroll through the bamboo forests. The valley is a nationally-designated historical site.

• E njoy an exclusive Maiko dinner and performance in Kyoto, and learn about the lives of the apprentice Geishas.

• T raditional-inn stay near Mount Fuji at Hakone, its symmetrical cone continuing to remain one of the major symbols of Japan.

*Conditions apply. From price is based on 08 Jun 2013 departure, land only. Fly free offer is valid for travel on all 2013 departures. # Flights are in economy ‘S’ class with Cathay Pacific for departures from Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney and are subject to availability and booking class. Once class is sold out surcharges apply. No refund once ticket is issued. Flights for all passengers travelling must be booked with Travel Indochina. Offers end 30 June13, unless sold out prior. Single and willing to share discounts are available on request. ^Western tour leader based on a minimum of 10 travellers.

CONTACT The Sean Simmons Travel TRAVEL TEAM ON: Phone: +61 3 9429 3294 (local) Fax: +61 3 9429 3293 Suite 6, 53 Coppin Street, Richmond VIC 3121 ABN 48153795129

Toll Free: 1300 391 590 (interstate) Email: enquiries@seanstravel.com.au seansimmons travel.com.au

TCF 10343 TRAVEL AGENT LICENSE VIC 33025 IATA 02-3 6275 4

With more than 180 branded products from the Antler & Go Travel range, we are delighted to announce that our online shop is now open for business! And to celebrate this grand occasion, for the month of June, we are gifting all our members with a MASSIVE 30% discount on EVERYTHING!* Simply login or register (become a member for free) at seansimmonstravel.com.au and head to our SHOP! Enter coupon code SSTJUNE2013 at the SHOPPING CART or the CHECKOUT page to claim your discount!

Ever had trouble recalling the code for a numberlock or found their dials too small to read or handle?

We have TSA approved locks with bigger dials and letters replacing numbers!

Hunting about for a check-in luggage that doesn’t eat up your airline weight allowance? In our Checkin Baggage range, we have three 82cm cases weighing 3.8kgs or less!

Shopping fervently around for transparent, 100% waterproof pouches for your phone, tablet, camera, iPod or MP3 player? Check out our “Dry” series; the one for the iPod/MP3 player has an earphone jack too!

Prefer an all-in-one adaptor? Browse through our Electrical & Electronics range which includes a worldwide adaptor for the globe-trotter in you! *Please note that shipping charges are not inclusive of this discount.

CLICK HERE TO sign up

as a member to get access to exclusive travel deals and discounts on branded luggage

INDUSTRY NEWS Virgin Australia starts BrisbanePerth A330 service Virgin Australia launches the first of its Airbus A330 ‘Coast to Coast’ flights between Brisbane and Perth, with two out of three weekday return services to be operated by the big bird.

Virgin’s Brisbane-Perth flights have previously used only the smaller Boeing 737-800 planes, which offer less space in both business and economy.

Virgin has four of the newer and more comfy A330s in its fleet, twice as many as the older models.

Virgin Australia’s Melbourne-Perth flights are already an “all A330” affair, with the airline considering converting its Sydney-Perth route to exclusively use the Airbus A330 with the arrival of a seventh new A330 later this year.

Langham Place hotel opens in New York The acclaimed Langham Place hotel brand plants its feet in New York with the opening of Langham Place, Fifth Avenue.

It’s pretty hard to top that iconic address, while the specific location – 400 Fifth Avenue, on the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 36th Street – puts the Langham Place close to the Empire State Building plus New York’s financial and commercial hubs, not to mention the shops, restaurants and many funky corners which make NY one of the world’s most exciting cities.

Regular visitors to New York may recognise the address – Langham Place, Fifth Avenue is in fact a rebranding of The Setai Fifth Avenue. Langham Place, Fifth Avenue will boast 214 guestrooms and suites claimed to be among the largest in the city plus a number of well-planned spaces for executive meetings and social events services.

“The pièce de résistance is the unrivalled gourmet experience found at Langham Place, Fifth Avenue’s signature, Michelin-starred restaurant Ai Fiori” the chain promises. “An elegant fine dining restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Ai Fiori – which means “among the flowers” in Italian – features a menu that celebrates the French and Italian Riviera, courtesy of the world-renowned Altamarea Group and Chef Michael White.”

There’s also the Measure lounge “featuring a menu of American and British comfort food re-imagined with a modern twist by Chef Jeffrey Seizer, formerly of Maialino and Union Square Café.”

Food and drinks will be served throughout the day at Measure, starting with a continental breakfast in the morning, while the evening closes out with live jazz performances starting from 8pm alongside a seasonal cocktail menu. Still to come will be an update to the hotel’s lobby décor and, next year, Langham Place’s Chuan Spa.

Singapore to get new T5 ‘mega-terminal’ Singapore’s sprawling Changi Airport is set to get bigger – much bigger – with the opening of a new T5 terminal built to handle as many as 50 million

passengers per year although the terminal won’t open until sometime in the next decade.

Construction of a fourth terminal for the airport is still underway, with T4 – built on the footprint of Changi’s old Budget terminal – due to begin operation in 2017. Specific details on T5 are expected to be unveiled by year’s end as part of Changi’s long-term master plan.

Singapore Airlines is likely to be T5’s foundation customer, in which case T5 would also be the natural home for SQ’s Star Alliance partners such as ANA, Lufthansa, SWISS, Thai Airways and United.

SUPER SPECIAL CRUISE DEAL

Plans are also being drawn up to expand the airport’s third runway, which is currently dedicated to the Singapore Air Force, for use by commercial flights.

Sale until 17th June 2013. Save up to 55%* off launch fares as well as receive up to $800* onboard credit & a free bottle of champagne!^

Dubai Airport gears up for massive Terminal 1 make-over

Cruises to New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti & South Pacific, the Mediterranean, South America, Panama Canal, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Coastal California, Canada & New England!

Now that Dubai Airport’s Emirates & Qantas allAirbus A380 concourse A is open, attention is turning to the major upgrade for the older Terminal 1 at DXB. The extensive revamp is expected to be completed by the end of next year. In the meantime, be sure to allow yourself extra time when transiting the terminal while it’s under construction. Once it’s finished, transit passengers can expect a brand new baggage system, more space in the departures hall, better signage, and a general facelift of the whole connections area.

If you’re staying in Dubai, you’ll emerge from the new baggage claim to reach an upgraded arrivals immigration hall, which the airport authority promises will “improve passenger flow and reduce processing times for arriving passengers”.

After immigration, you’ll find a “reconfigured and expanded arrivals hall” (fully air-conditioned) with new food options and shops. And when it comes time to fly out, there’ll be a completely redone set of check-in desks, “more efficient and streamlined baggage screening in the departures hall”, and “modernisation of all public areas”.

Melbourne Airport gets Woolworths ‘Click, Fly & Collect’ store Melbourne Airport has scored a unique first as home to a Woolworths’ store where travellers can grab their groceries shortly after stepping off the plane, and other airports could follow in its wake.

The Click, Fly & Collect service lets Woolies customers shop online woolworthsonline.com.au or via the Woolworths’ Smartphone app and then pick up their order from the store, which is located in Melbourne Airport’s terminal forecourt.

ABN 48153795129

*^Conditions apply.

Telstra testing 4G ‘small cell networks’ for airports Telstra is evaluating advanced ‘small cell networks’ to cope with the boom in smartphones, tablets and laptops at Australia’s busiest airports.

Known as heterogeneous networks or HetNets, these use a tightly-woven matrix of small 4G mobile phone cells to handle high traffic loads in areas “where it would be difficult to build additional large scale base stations”, according to the carrier.

The trials are part of an ambitious $1.2 billion upgrade for Telstra’s national 4G network which also includes opening a second 4G band to boost the capacity and range of regional mobile broadband services. The new services will operate in the 900MHz band, where signals travel longer and also have greater penetration compared to the 1800MHz band of Telstra’s current 4G network.

Telstra is also trialing the next generation of wireless 4G technology, known as LTE-Advanced, with plans to introduce it later this year in areas with heavy traffic demand over a greater distance. LTEAdvanced uses both the 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands, allowing higher speeds “and unlocking more capacity for mobile use” Telstra says – a move that’s critical seeing that Telstra customers expect to use as much mobile data in 2013 as they did in the past two years combined.

Pickups are available seven days a week from 9am to 9pm; if a flight is delayed and arrived after the pickup point has closed, home delivery or another alternative will be arranged. Woolworths will trial its Melbourne Airport collection store for six months, and then consider rolling out more Click, Fly & Collect points at other Australian airports.

CONTACT The Sean Simmons Travel TRAVEL TEAM ON: Phone: +61 3 9429 3294 (local) Fax: +61 3 9429 3293 Suite 6, 53 Coppin Street, Richmond VIC 3121

Click here for more details. You need to be a member at seansimmonstravel.com.au to be able to access this deal. Login or Register now!

And cruise in style!!

Toll Free: 1300 391 590 (interstate) Email: enquiries@seanstravel.com.au seansimmons travel.com.au

TCF 10343 TRAVEL AGENT LICENSE VIC 33025 IATA 02-3 6275 4

CLICK HERE TO sign up

as a member to get access to exclusive travel deals and discounts on branded luggage

Revive the inner FOODIE in you!

Leisure Vs Time – a tough balancing act, we agree. And that’s precisely why we have looked around & listed some fabulous gastronomic deals which fit within a week!

BITE-SIZE Break: THAILAND 5 days, 4 nights from $498*pp

BITE-SIZE Break: GALICIA 5 days, 4 nights from $845*pp

BITE-SIZE Break: TOKYO 5 days, 4 nights from $1595*pp

An opportunity to sight-see Bangkok & and dine in some of its popular restaurants, experience a Chiang Mai homestay & cook a Khantohk feast!

Situated in the north-west region of Spain, Galicia promises to pique your interest with its impressive architecture, rich history and flavorsome cuisine!

Tour the city of Tokyo & sample what its food & beverage hot-spots have to offer. Get enthralled by the glorious sights of Mt. Fuji and be a daredevil - take on a Sumo wrestler with chopsticks and a bowl of chanko nabe!

• Trip start: Bangkok, Thailand

• Trip Finish: Chiang Mai, Thailand

• Trip start: Santiago de Compostela, Spain

• Group size: 1-12

• Minimum Age: 12 years

• Minimum Age: 12 years

• A ccommodation: Homestay (1 night), Hotel (2 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)

• Dining: 1 breakfast, 3 lunches, 2 dinners

• Dining: 2 breakfasts, 1 lunches, 3 dinners

Highlights: Galician cheese and wine tasting, traditional Galician dinner & bread making demonstration, regional day trip through Allariz, Churros breakfast, Cocido lunch, guided walk and market visit in Santiago de Compostela & taste tapas in its traditional taverns!

Highlights: Asakusa Guided Walk, Boat trip on Lake Ashino-Ko, Memory Lane Yakitori Dinner, Monja Yaki Dinner, Soba Noodle-making lesson and visits to the Tokyo Farmers Market, Tsukiji Fish Market, Sake Brewery & a Sumo stable!

• Minimum Age: 12 years

• Trip Finish: Allariz, Spain

• Trip start & finish: Tokyo, Japan

• Dining: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

• Group size: 4-12

• Group size: 1-12

• A ccommodation: Apartment (3 nights), Hotel (1 nights)

• A ccommodation: Hotel (3 nights), Ryokan (Japanese Inn; 1 night)

Highlights: Visits to the Railway market, Ton Payom Market, Tha Kha floating market & Ampawa market, Malin night market visit, Khao Soi (noodle soup) demonstration, Khantohk cooking class, Traditional Thai Music and Dance at Homestay!

*Conditions apply. Prices are for land arrangements only, subject to availability.

Please ask for special airfares. Full payment needs to be made 60 days prior to departure. A non-refundable deposit of $250 per person per trip will apply with increased deposit payment applicable on some trips for booking confirmation.

Polar bookings incur a higher deposit. Cancellation & amendment penalties will apply. A credit card surcharge of minimum 1.5% may apply for Visa & Mastercard. We do not accept American Express or Diners.

ONLINE STORE BITE-SIZE Break: VENICE 4 days, 3 nights from $746*pp

BITE-SIZE Break: NEW ORLEANS 4 days, 3 nights from $562*pp

The city of canals & bridges, Venice is a city in north-eastern Italy which provides the perfect setting to enjoy all the finer things in life.

Located in the state of Louisiana & named after a city in France - New Orleans, apart from being the birthplace of jazz, stands out for its French Creole architecture and a cuisine inspired by many cultures.

• Trip start & finish: Venice, Italy • Minimum Age: 12 years • Group size: 1-12

• Dining: 3 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner • Accommodation: Hotel (3 nights)

Highlights: Visits to Bridge of Sighs, St Marks and the Rialto Bridge, Cicchetti (Venice-style tapas) tour, Gelato & cheese-making including tasting, Venetian cooking class, Venice orientation walking tour & Venetian wine-tasting with an experienced sommelier (optional)!

• Trip start & finish: New Orleans, United States • Minimum Age: 12 years • Group size: 1-12

• Dining: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 2 dinners • Accommodation: Hotel (3 nights)

Highlights: Guided Food Tour through the French Quarter & dinner, Crescent City Farmers Market visit, Dinner at Jacques-Imo’s, visits to a 19th century sugar plantation, New Orleans cooking school & Preservation Jazz Hall!

CONTACT The Sean Simmons Travel TRAVEL TEAM ON: Phone: +61 3 9429 3294 (local) Fax: +61 3 9429 3293 Suite 6, 53 Coppin Street, Richmond VIC 3121 ABN 48153795129

Toll Free: 1300 391 590 (interstate) Email: enquiries@seanstravel.com.au seansimmons travel.com.au

TCF 10343 TRAVEL AGENT LICENSE VIC 33025 IATA 02-3 6275 4

NOW OPEN

Enjoy 30% off

EVERYTHING

in our store for the month of June 2013 (excludes shipping). More than 180 products from the Antler & Go travel range! Login or register at seansimmonstravel.com.au & enter coupon code SSTJUNE2013 at checkout to claim your discount!!

CLICK HERE TO sign up

as a member to get access to exclusive travel deals and discounts on branded luggage