Quivertree Family Expeditions July 2013 Newsletter

Dear fellow traveling families,
Another great summer with Quivertree!

Summertime, and the living is easy....

It's summer again, and Quivertree families are traveling all over the world.

The hot destinations this summer include Europe, with Spain, Portugal, France and Italy topping our list. Ecuador and the Galapagos are always very much in demand, while a Kenyan safari is proving popular as well. Monsoon travel in Asia has really taken off, with families touring Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China.

Both Gideon and Philip will be doing some family travel as usual. Gideon and his family will be off to Africa to explore some amazing safari destinations, while Philip - just back from South Africa - will be exploring the Balkans in depth, as we look to expand our destinations beyond Croatia to include Slovenia, Montenegro and Bosnia/ Herzogovina as well.

Philip's sons on top of Table Mountain, Cape Town, last week

We're already looking towards 2014, as travel planning is underway for families looking to travel as far ahead as summer of next year! We're always looking at new and exciting destinations, and we're considering Madagascar, Argentina, Chile and Bali/Indonesia amongst others.

What new destinations would you like to see? Please send us your suggestions! Best suggestion will win a cool travel prize!

Family trip to South East Asia

Bill, Katie and their kids Kendall and Walker recently returned from a Quivertree trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Here is their trip report:

Katie and Kendall in the Mai Chau Valley

Our trip to South-East Asia was great. Our guide in Hanoi was AMAZING. Kind and mellow, and totally understood the pace and abilities of the children. He just made us feel comfortable and welcome. We loved some of the more rural places he took us to and some of the very local things he exposed us to. And we really loved the Mai Chau Valley. It had such an authentic feeling. Plus of course Ha Long Bay was amazing. With the nonstop crazy motor bikes always on the go in Hanoi, walking around the city was quite an adventure!

All of us, but especially our son, Walker, loved the temples of Angkor Wat. Our guide was amazingly knowledgeable. The horseback riding tour was really great, as were the quad bikes.

Incredible Angkor

Overall our trip was fantastic! We enjoyed everything - loved the food, the people, the culture, the landscape, the history. All of it! We look forward to our next Quivertree trip!

Handing out school supplies in the floating village, Halong Bay

Some recent Quivertree family trip photos

We've recently had families traveling all over the globe! Here are a few photos.

Karen, Kurt and their boys visited Myanmar. Karen said: "It was a great trip - thanks for putting it together for us! Everything worked flawlessly, especially being met at the airport by the guides in each city. " We'll have a full trip report in our next newsletter!

Moss and Peg biked around Puglia, Italy where they met up with Philip and his wife, Liora. Here they are with Philip in the fabulous town of Locorotondo. Moss said: "We've traveled all over the world to more than 40 countries and this was one of the best trips of all time. " Here's a link to their trip review which was recently on Tripadvisor. http://bit.ly/143Jotx

Notes, tips and observations

In March, Outside Magazine named Quivertree as the top family operator for South Africa! Here was our press release.

http://createsend.com/t/j-914EDFD8BBACB0AA

We're now offering family trips to Croatia, Cuba, Mexico and SouthWest USA! See our website for details.

http://quivertreeworld.com/other-destinations.php

Philip and his sons enjoyed an amazing experience in South Africa recently witnessing a family of meerkats wake up and prime themselves for the day. Here is a short video of that!

bit.ly/1aCorZL

Train journeys are a great way to see a country. Here are some of the best anywhere!

http://www.roughguides.com/gallery/unforgettable-train-journeys/#/0

We love getting away from the tourists and finding authentic gems in a destination. Here are 10 lesser known places in Italy, including Quivertree favorites Puglia and Basilicata.

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-02/ten-lesser-known-places-to-visit-in-italy.html

For our Top Ten Travel Tips, click on the link:

http://quivertreeworld.com/pdf/Quivertree-Top10-TravelTips.pdf

And finally a few photos that represent the surprises and joys of traveling.