For both savvy world travelers and those wanting to be.

In this issue…As recommended by TODAY Show’s Peter Greenberg, AirTreks can take you Around-the-World, anyway you want to go.

New York - London - Frankfurt - Windhoek - Cape Town - Overland on your own - Johannesburg - Hong Kong - New York

Once again, AirTreks was recommended by TODAY Show’s travel editor Peter Greenberg as "the place to go" for planning and purchasing your around-the-world journey. The TODAY Show's annual week-long series “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” recently wrapped with Peter Greenberg explaining how you could actually fly around the world on a little more than what a round-trip to Dubai in high season would cost. Sure you may need more than a week to do this type of travel, or you could just feed your travel bug and attempt a similar trip to Matt Lauer’s quick one week circle of the globe. Whatever travel length is desired, AirTreks strives to meet the needs and challenges for all of our travelers, and we value each opportunity to help make their life-changing custom trips become a reality. Creating custom trips of 3 or more international stops are at the core of what we offer. To map your own around-the-world and multi-stop international trip please go to our website airtreks.com and price out your very own trip with TripPlanner.

It is important to note that while Matt Lauer’s trip included a stop in Bhutan, visitors must either be guests of the government or tourists. All tourists (group or individual) must travel on a pre-planned, prepaid, guided, package tour, or custom designed travel program; Independent travel is not permitted in Bhutan. If Bhutan is unattainable then Kathmandu will certainly be a valuable alternative destination.

For this newsletter we have put together a trip that complements Matt Lauer’s trip and Peter Greenberg’s statements on the TODAY Show. It will take you from New York – London – Frankfurt – Windhoek (Namibia) – Cape Town – Overland on your own to Johannesburg – Hong Kong – New York.

We all know that London is a cultural hotbed and is home to people from all over the world. Many travelers’ itineraries will include London not only because it is one of the world’s most popular stop-over hubs but also due to the city’s grandeur and long list of things to do. It’s a contagious place that deserves more time than the typical stop-over.

Not far from London is Frankfurt, a beautiful city with an interesting mix of old buildings and churches adjacent to modern day stainless steel and glass architecture. One can start with a two-hour tour and see the impressing spots of the popular Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s birthplace (one of the greatest German poets), the 14^th century old city hall, medieval houses, coronation site of the old German emperors, a functioning monastery right in the midst of the commercial center, the old city gate and endless tall modern banks and offices. The true spirit lies within the people that make up Frankfurt – Germans, and immigrants from Italy, Spain, Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Iran, Lebanon, Europe’s largest Korean community and countries from North-Africa.

Traveling south to the center of the South African country Namibia, the capital city Windhoek is a nice addition to this RTW itinerary. There are influences from Germany’s former occupation in the late 1800’s, and the early settlements were a result of the water from Windhoek’s hot springs.  

Further south, and originating from the phrase ‘Cape of Good Hope’ for its great optimism created during European attempts to establish a sea route gateway to the Far East, Cape Town is immersed with loads of history and various cultures from Khoisan and other African tribes from the north, and German, British, French, Indonesian and Dutch settlers.

The Harbor and Table Mountain distinguish Cape Town’s beauty from any other coastal city in the world. From its pristine coastline and thriving Cape Floral Kingdom to its jazz cafes, restaurants, theaters, flea markets, classy casinos and nightclubs, the area attracts people looking for both nature and late night occurrences.  

There are numerous overland adventures for people to take from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Once there, hip restaurants and a burgeoning cultural scene have helped reshape the nature of Johannesburg. It is located on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills, which is host to large-scale gold and diamond trade. Gold Reef City, which is a large amusement park, museum and casino, is a great destination for families looking to see another side of Africa.

Our last stop is in Hong Kong; the energetic pace there is the perfect remedy to recharge one’s soul with its sheer speed becoming apparent when arriving from a smaller city or island. A former AirTreks traveler (jtaps) once wrote in her AirTreks Trip Journal;

“…I experienced culture shock in reverse. After spending six weeks in the Third World, such a cosmopolitan city felt overwhelming…I soon discovered Hong Kong’s saving grace. It came in the form of inexpensive, delicious sushi at the supermarket. The smallest things mean the world to a traveler.

To continue mapping out and pricing a Multi-Stop International or Around-the-World adventure visit us at airtreks.com or by calling one of our Personal Travel Consultants at 1-877-AIRTREKS (+1.415.977.7100 outside North America).