Let's Travel - Dec/Jan 2018-9 - PREVIEW

ISSUE 57 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/19 ISSUE 57 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/19 THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Where Beautiful Happens SAMOA AMERICA’S Greatest Festivals Self-Driving OUTBACK QUEENSLAND

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NEW ZEALAND Untamed West Coast

“The reef systems here are some of the most pristine I have seen anywhere in my dive travels around the globe, and Wakatobi resort and liveaboard are second to none. The diversity of species here is brilliant if you love photography.� ~ Simon Bowen

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contents 9 NEW ZEALAND

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31 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 49 AUSTRALIA 65 BEYOND 85 PACIFIC ISLANDS 99 ASIA 113 CRUISING 119 BUSINESS SECTION

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6 www.letstravelmag.com Contents

New Zealand West Coast 10 Christchurch 16 Hotel Grand Windsor 22 Sealink 25 Great Barrier Island 26

Lake Matheson

New Zealand, West Coast www.letstravelmag.com 11

United States of America Texas 32 Festivals 38 North Dakota 44

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 31

Destination USA, Festivals

The Pick of the Litter – Monumental American Events!

By Mark William Sheehan

Burning Man

38 www.letstravelmag.com U.S.A., Festivals

Australia Canberra 50 Tropical North Queensland 58 Outback Queensland 60

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 49

Destination Australia, Outback , Queensland

Waltzing Matilda (Part 1) – Self-Driving Queensland’s Outback Words & images by Shane Boocock

60 www.letstravelmag.com Australia, Outback, Queensland

Beyond Madagascar 66 Haunted Houses 74 Back-Roads Touring 80 Antarctica 82

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 65

Destination Beyond, Madagascar

Campsite

66 www.letstravelmag.com Beyond, Madagascar

Pacific Islands Samoa 86 Vanuatu 96

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 85

Destination Pacific Islands, Samoa

86 www.letstravelmag.com Pacific Islands, Samoa

Asia Wakatobi Resort, Indonesia 100 Vietnam 104 Maldives 106 Singapore 110

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 99

Destination Asia, Indonesia

World-Class Diving Meets First-Class Service Dive vacations take many shapes. For some, it’s all about the diving, and less about what happens during surface intervals. For others, resort amenities and relaxation are as important as what takes place under the water. But no matter whether you are a ‘die-hard aquanaut’ or an ‘easy-living’ holiday diver, Wakatobi Resort has you covered.

Villa 1 deck and pool at sunset Photo by Didi Lotze

100 www.letstravelmag.com Asia, Indonesia

Cruising Tauck 114

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 101

Tauck Tours and Cruises Tauck’s new tour and cruise itineraries are eagerly anticipated by their past guests. In 2019 and 2020 they continue to support this with new destinations, itineraries and more departures.

114 www.letstravelmag.com Cruising, Tauck Tours and Cruises

Business Section SO/ Auckland Accor Hotels Delta Air Lines Philippine Airlines New Products/Giveaway Etihad Airways

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Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 119 New Caledonia

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines is enhancing the travel experience between Australia and the United States with the launch of its upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft on the Sydney-LAX flight on April 18, 2019.

The upgraded Boeing 777 brings more luxury, comfort and choice, and has been retrofitted with the Crystal Cabin Award Winning Delta One suite – the world’s first all-suite business class, and Delta Premium Select, the airline’s new premium economy cabin.

Additionally: • The aircraft features the widest Main Cabin seats of Delta’s international fleet, among other interior upgrades.

• Every seat features individual in-seat entertainment and personal power ports.

The Boeing 777 upgrades are the latest enhancements to the customer experience on the Sydney-LAX route as part of Delta’s multi-billion dollar investment in the overall customer experience. Earlier this year, Delta launched meals curated by celebrated Los Angeles

chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo in the Delta One cabin after customer satisfaction scores skyrocketed in response to their menus on the LAX-New York route. Favourites like Valdivia zucchini spaghetti, braised flank steak and roasted chicken with a warm bacon vinaigrette bring the taste of savoury contemporary dining to flight.

In the past several years, the airline has made significant enhancements to the customer experience including: • Free mobile messaging, free in-flight entertainment and access to Wi-Fi on nearly all flights • Free Main Cabin meals on select coast-to-coast routes in the U.S • Upgraded Main Cabin snacks and refreshed Flight Fuel food-forpurchase options on certain U.S. routes

124 www.letstravelmag.com Airlines, Delta Air Lines

• The addition of sparkling wine • Enhanced blankets • Refreshed TUMI amenity kits with Kiehl›s products and an Alessi-designed collection of serviceware in Delta One Delta and its joint venture partner, Virgin Australia, offer 25 weekly flights between Australia and the US and the ability to connect from more than 45 destinations across Australia and New Zealand to more than 250 destinations in the Americas. Delta operates a daily non-stop flight between Sydney and LAX and offers customers service from Melbourne and Brisbane to LAX through its partnership with Virgin Australia.

At its hub in LA, Delta has been the fastest-growing carrier since 2009 and operates 170 peak-day flights to 70 destinations. www.delta.com