Did you miss the March 17 meeting? Did you attend, but need to refresh your memory? The March 17 Travel group meeting is now on YouTube, see it here. 

Coming soon! Zoom travel meeting at 1 pm on Friday, March 17 with Jay of Collette. Find out more about 2023 trips and plans for 2024. Register here. 

Exploring Greece and Its Islands, Oct. 9-24, 2023. Discover the magnificent ruins of ancient Greece and bask in the brilliance of the Mediterranean. This comprehensive journey explores Greece's most important ancient monuments, including the famed Temple of Zeus, the archaeological site of Olympia and ancient artifacts of Delphi. Explore Athens on a comprehensive tour of the incredible Acropolis. Visit a local farm in the countryside to see how olive oil and wine are produced. Learn how to cook traditional Mediterranean cuisine during a cooking demonstration. Wander the winding streets, vineyards, marketplaces and beaches of Mykonos and Santorini. Explore the excavations of the ancient city at Akrotiri, the most important prehistoric settlement found anywhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. Learn the history of this fascinating country from local experts on guided tours of Athens, Meteora, Delphi, and Olympia. Throughout your journey, experience the iconic sights of Greece's Classical age with ample time to explore on your own. 

Cool breezes, sandals and sandy beaches. I'm going, are you? https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1125159 

From medieval architecture to ethereal waterfalls, coast along the sparkling Adriatic Sea and experience the best of Croatia. Jumping off a yacht into the sea - how bad can that be? Enjoy a memorable 7-night cruise on the Adriatic Sea along Croatia’s coast aboard a privately chartered ship. Tour the Old City of Dubrovnik and walk along the picturesque cobblestone streets. Visit the island of Biševo, home to the mystical Blue Cave. On Brac Island, take in the “Golden Cape” of Bol. Discover the ancient palace of Emperor Diocletian in Split. Stand in awe before the cascading waterfalls of Krka National Park. Get to know Zagreb, the illustrious capital of Croatia. See the country’s immaculate beauty as you cruise its vibrant waters and step into its rich history. Still working on a date, let me know what you think!

South Africa. 2/2-2/15.  Summary 

This was a terrific, wonderful trip.  22 travelers (20 UC, 2 from Florida). Two travelers did the pre trip to Dubai.  8 returned to the US  on 2/15 ( myself included), 12 continued on to Victoria.  

Itinerary:  Johannesburg, Sandton, Soweto. Kruger National Park Safari Game Drive. George, Knysna, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Cape Town

The Safari Drive was outstanding terrific once in a life time. All type of animals were like up close and personal. We had wake up calls for 3:30 am on the safari drives. Everyone got there on time no one was ever late. 

Tour Guide: Chris Macwilliams

The Positives:  Chris was absolutely outstanding. He knew everything about South Africa. We even got on-bus lectures. Our first nite he arranged a welcoming dinner where we all introduced our selves. I gave a short speech about Covid: wearing your mask and using  sanitizer.  He put together his own itinerary, which was written down to the exact time we would meet, and depart, eat dinner etc.  It was like "the bible” we all carried around.  One of our UC travelers had a birthday on the trip and Chris arranged for her to have a special ice cream sundae and he got a card for all of us to sign for her.  She was thrilled!

Hotels:  all 5 star hotels. All the travelers were very impressed with the hotels where we stayed

Buses:  we had buses that were for about 30 people. The driver cleaned the busses every nite the busses had a bathroom and we had bottles of cold water daily.

Lunches:   Were provided on the safari drives and they were impressive. Sandwiches, cold drinks, snacks, dessert and fruit.

Everyone got along great, no problems. We were all becoming good friends, and wanted to travel with each other again.  The couple from Florida asked if they could join our travel group.

Trip idea for 2024: Alpine Lakes & Scenic Trains. Ride three legendary train routes – the Golden Pass Panoramic Train, the Glacier Express, and the Bernina Pass Train. Explore Lucerne, the "Swiss Paradise on the Lake.” Relax in some of Europe’s most stunning and exclusive resort villages, including Zermatt, St. Moritz and Lake Maggiore, Italy. Spend time at a family-owned farm where you sample their handmade cheeses paired with local wine. Let me know if that appeals to you! 

Treasurers of Egypt is good go with an exciting cruise down the Nile and a post trip to Petra  and the Dead Sea (extra). So many archeological things to see and a once in a lifetime trip. There will be 18 travelers on the journey, all from different UC campuses. Frank Trueba will be the UC escort.

Spectacular South Africa has 22 adventurous retirees. I will be the UC escort on the trip.

Shades of Ireland has SOLD OUT. Due to popular demand we have put together a second trip for September 24 to October 7. There was a short waiting list for the first trip and now those travelers are going over to the added date. Vickie Lowe will be the UC escort for both trips. See the listing on the upcoming trips page.  

Other escort news: I will be the UC escort for Greece and Its Islands; Sandra Norberg will escort the Music Cities tour in December. 

Did you miss the October Zoom meeting with Jay from Collette? You can still see it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m8SAe46LmDo

We're looking forward to more travel in 2023. "Shades of Ireland" is already sold out!

Our September Canadian Rockies trip has been a huge success! One more Collette trip to go for 2022, the cruise down the Danube and Christmas Markets. This trip is now sold out, I am so into the terrific Christmas gifts we will find there. I’m your UC escort on this trip and can hardly wait! Thank you once again to all those retirees, friends and families who have made our travel group so successful. And also for being “repeat travelers” on our trips.

Where  has the summer gone? Football season is almost here! (I come from a total sports family.)

Our second big trip is coming up September 4-12, Canadian Rockies by Train. Would you believe we have 25 UC retirees /friends and family on this trip? I will be the UC escort on this adventure and I can hardly wait! I have heard from so many of the travelers and excitement is in the air.

Please join us on our next end of the year trip: December 2-10, Danube River Cruise and Christmas Markets. There are only a few cabins left. Please see gateway.gocollette.com/link/1055724.  

Our 2023 trips are filling fast!