Greetings from Puglia, Italy!
A bit of a change of scenery for me as I'm back in Europe - on the backside of Italy's stiletto - after finishing up our incredible 'Dunes & Delta' program through Namibia & Botswana.
I tried to capture some of the experience in last week's newsletter while still in the thick of it, and reflecting on it now that's over I pretty much find myself at a loss for words. Just...wow. It was truly, truly a spectacular adventure. One of those up close and personal experiences of nature that our group will never forget.
It's all swirling around in my mind as I make my way around Italy once again, where I'm doing the reconnaissance for next year's Southern Italy Sojourn program, which will combine some time in the Amalfi region with some exploring here in Puglia.
While Amalfi is obviously quite well-known to most travellers, Puglia is much less so, and while the world of travel remains overbooked post-pandemic, these lesser-known places are I think exactly where you want to go to get that slower, more immersive experience that's becoming more difficult to find.
I haven't been back to this region for nearly 30 years, so I'm quite keen to see how it all has changed and chart us an optimal course through the region and her highlights. More to come on this when we release this program in the weeks ahead.
In the very next week ahead we'll be back on the webinar wagon, as the wifi here in Italy is (generally!) more reliable than what we had out in the game reserves of Africa, so do join me for one or several of those if you're curious about the programs or you'd like to catch up on some of the banter.
I'm also pleased to release two new trips this week - our long-awaited Australia program for 2024 and our return to the fjords of Norway for 2024, where a group of W&A members is somewhere along that majestic coastline as I write this.
Both of these destinations were very popular pre-pandemic, and they've only become moreso nowadays. Australia in particular was a challenge to pull together as they were overbooked for ages and hotel space was very difficult to lock down amidst roaring demand.
In both cases we've been able to secure space for the time being, but as with some other destinations, I fear we will have a hard time holding on to it for too long before we start getting calls from hotels and operators to give it back.
Such is the reality of travel these days, and rather than resist we must just flow along...so do get in touch sooner rather than later if either of these destinations is on your list for 2024.
Lots more coming in the weeks ahead - be well and stay tuned for the next serving of adventures to come.
Cheers!
Leave a comment!