3 Tours in 2022: Australia, Morocco and Puglia

Let’s Travel with Safety & Fun in
2022

Fun lunch in the old Chapel of Saint Mary Decugnano at Barbi winery near Orvieto

How’s your wanderlust?

I am longing to go somewhere and I think most people are too. Since my first overseas trip in 1976 I’ve had the travel bug. I have been incredibly fortunate that my professional life (as well as my personal life) has taken me all over the world since my first “journalists’ familiarisation tour” to Morocco in 1994 (though I had previously visited privately in 1978). I’m a communicator and I love sharing the joy of food, wine and travel with people, so in 2015 I was able to channel this into a new field and I started hosting tours. I have since hosted three tours and cruises to the Mediterranean and surrounds, land content tour to Puglia in the boot of the heel of Italy, another trip to Japan and also hosted a Food and Wine Train between Perth and Adelaide. It combines my love of people with the joy of travel as I am able to share some of my personal insights and experiences. I am with you 24/7.

The world has changed for all of us in the last two years. Most of us have had to stick very close to home or been isolating and may not have left our city, region or state or even been on a plane. Yet we love to travel.

We need to be safe and secure in all that we do when we are away from home and so the time has never been more right to consider curated group travel. That is why I am emailing you. Many have travelled this way before. Others may be considering it for the first time. Now, it’s not just about the camaraderie, and having someone else do all the organisation, arrange the itinerary, provide a local tour guide – as well as me as specialist host who is able to arrange additional experiences. That’s great but we all need an organisation to take responsibility to ensure things go well whatever happens and to be able to deal calmly and effectively with emergencies.

I only work with reputable, well-established tour companies who have the infrastructure and resources to assure safety for all. So I invite you to consider joining me this year, either in Australia or overseas in specially curated, limited-number tours with like minded travelers.

Additionally, each tour incorporates experiences which you could not have as a solo traveler. Many of them are built on personal relationships I have developed and experiences I have had in my 30+ years in the business. Please read on?

Lyndey

Hosting my second cruise and tour in 2016 which began in Venice

South Australian Tour
29 March – 3 April 2022

I have not been outside my home state of NSW since I returned from the UK in March 2020. Both my Puglia and Morocco trips have been postponed – twice – so I thought travel within Australia was appealing. This tour came about because the MD of Insight Vacations is a friend and colleague from my days as Food Director of The Australian Women’s Weekly. With her team I have developed this bespoke tour. Insight have other tours to South Australia, but not like this. This tour is not available via travel agents, only via my personal networks. Also, with all the uncertainty with border restrictions, Insight Vacations have promised that should Covid prevent interstate travel, deposits will be refunded in full up until 1 February.

Drawing on my decades’ exploring Australia’s unique food and flavours, I’ve called on friends old and new to help me create this very personal adventure. I’m thrilled that these food, wine and cultural experiences will not only give you a great insight into South Australia’s most outstanding producers, but also into the vibrant traditions, rich histories and passion that make each experience so special.

  • Food, wine and quality time with living legends
  • Meeting, greeting and feasting with my friend Maggie Beer 
  • Learn about Chinese tea and wine at Bai Long Store with the tea master and me (the topic of my recent thesis)
  • Cooking dem and tapas-style feast at the Central Market with local identity Mark Gleeson and me
  • Think outside the square at d’Arenberg where wine meets art, tour with 4th generation winemaker Chester Osborn
  • Taste and learn abut Barossa  smallgoods and wines with David Franz (son of Peter & Margaret Lehmann)
  • Hear a private recital of the Baroque Organ
  • Meet former Young Chef of the Year at the newly opened Arkhe Restaurant. I was a national judge when owner/chef Jake Kelly won Young Chef of the year. See what delicious wrote.
  • Barossa Farmers Market, dinner at Seppeltsfield Winery, interactive gin tasting at Seppeltsfield Road Distilleryextensive tour and lunch at Yalumba and much, much more with some suprises along the way. Lots of meals included as they are specially planned.No more than 22 (plus Insight travel host and me). Cost is $4,4495 twin share ($925 single supplement).
If you would like to join me in March 2022 on a close to home journey to explore behind the scenes in Adelaide and the Barossa Valley, follow this link for the brochure, and different contact details for the holiday season email directadmin@insightvacations.com.au or PH 1800 001 778.

Morocco Tour 23 Sept – 4 Oct 2022

Aromatic spices on sale in Morocco

This authentic gastronomic experience takes in the best Morocco has to offer. Visits to ancient palaces and medinas are combined with incredible dining experiences and cooking classes including with a revered Moroccan Dada, traditionally the keeper of culinary tradition.

This trip will see us travel from Rabat the capital, to spiritual Meknes and Fes, and to Marrakech the red city. On the way we will explore the archaeological site of Volubilis, visit a Berber village in the Atlas Mountains, and relax by the coast in tranquil Essaouira. Discover the delicacies of Moroccan and French food, dine in local eateries through to upmarket restaurants, and experience the making and flavours of Moroccan dishes during cooking classes. Luxury accommodation is in charming, authentic riads. sometimes in exclusivity. Only 10 – 12 guests.

Details of the adventure include:

  • Meals as per itinerary: breakfast daily, 9 lunches, 11 dinners with ½ bottle of wine per person at dinner or sometimes lunch
  • Transportation throughout in luxury air-conditioned vehicles with professional experienced English-speaking driver, including related expenses and allowing for physical distancing
  • English-speaking escort
  • English-speaking local licensed guides in Rabat, Volubilis, Meknes, Fes, Marrakech and Essaouira with all entrance fees included to the sites visited with the guides
  • Atlas excursion including mules and the specialist trek guide
  • 3 cooking classes

You can enjoy this one-off experience from AUD $9600 per person twin share (flights from Australia not included). Cost for single travelers is AUD$10,700. Spots are limited and guests are encouraged to book early. Guests can also engage By Prior Arrangement to arrange tailor-made travel experiences before or after the tour.

By Prior Arrangement is highly experienced and well-known in Morocco as Principal, Carol Prior lived there for 13 years and has been arranging tours there for over 30. Talk to her about the trip, or feel free to email me with any queries. I am excited!

Read Where to Eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Rabat.

Puglia Tour October 2022

A happy group in the unique town of Alberobello

Puglia in the boot of the heel of Italy is still relatively unspoiled. A secret Italians tend to keep to themselves, it is a wonderful place to visit and so much less crowded than Tuscany. I first went there with award-winning tour company Southern Visions in 2013. I determined then and there to share this experience with others and host a tour. This came to fruition in 2018 with a wonderfully successful tour. After several postponements, we are repeating this again. It’s an authentic culture, wine and gastronomic experience taking in the best Puglia has to offer, promising an unforgettable week learning the secrets of a deeply passionate and undiscovered region of Southern Italy.

Puglia is the sun-drenched heel of the boot that spans two seas, the Adriatic and the Ionian. Basilicata is its neighbour to the west. Both are agricultural regions with abundant healthy soil, over 50 million olive trees and a tradition of wine growing.

Some of the highlights of the adventure include:
• An in-depth visit to the UNESCO site of Matera (location for the film Passion of the Christ)
• Olive grove tour, tasting and lunch at an ancient olive oil estate with trees 3000+ years old
• Visit to the Trullo Capital, UNESCO Heritage Site, Alberobello
• Bread-making in the traditional way in Altamura at a DOP bakery
• A hands-on cooking class at restored farmhouse Masseria Montenapoleone after foraging
• Insider’s experience of traditional burrata cheese making
• Private lunch at Li Veli winery

Group size: an intimate 8-16 places only so book early
Lodging in authentic, family-run noble estates and palaces
Operated by: Local Puglia specialist Southern Visions Travel: the leading experiential travel company in Southern Italy
Full brochure
 here

You can enjoy this extraordinary experience for just $5499 per person twin share (flights to Italy not included). There is a supplementary $799 for single travelers. Guests can also engage Southern Visions to arrange tailor-made travel experiences before or after the tour.

Read more about my adventures in Puglia
in Selector Magazine
 Puglia, the undiscovered heart
in the Sydney Morning Herald Seven dishes you must try in Puglia, Italy 
Explore Puglia in House & Garden Magazine

Testimonial
I would like to recommend Lyndey’s tour of Puglia which I was on in May 2018.
I loved every moment of the tour, Lyndey is an excellent host, great fun & very  knowledgeable in wine & food while our tour guide, Max, knows the history of Puglia so well, which was great as we visited lovely old towns with amazing old buildings.
Our accommodation was 4 to 5 star & wonderful & we had some truly amazing meals & wines.
The travel plans were up to expectations & Ali Pike from Southern Visions Travel very efficient, we were in a very comfortable bus for touring each day.
Sincerely, Julie Tulloch, Tulloch Wines

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have.

Lyndey

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