Kumuka Venture, May 2005, Travel to Europe, Tours with More Free Time

Well, Spring has sprung on the continent of Europe and our first trip for the warmer seasons is underway. Meanwhile, we in the southern hemisphere are rugging up and dreaming about our escape from Winter.

This month we take you to Europe to discover why free time on tour is so important, Annalisa gives us a few tips on haggling and we hear from Peta in Florence, amongst other things.

Keep your eye on your Inbox for the next Rex Express, with more updates and the latest news on Rex as he makes his way up Mt Everest.

Happy travels everyone,

Meg Hall
General Manager

Take time to take it all in. The local radio stations here in Sydney love playing the popular song which purrs a hypnotic mantra “I can’t wait for the weekend to begin… “. Invariably it is played first thing on a Monday, so daydreaming about the weekend starts the minute the working week begins.

No matter how good working life is, we all love weekends. Why? Because it gives us time to do whatever we want, indulge in our favorite activities, run around or just relax. It’s something worth daydreaming about.

Everyone likes to do something different with their spare time. I have one friend who simply can’t sit still. He’s up with the sparrows, surfing, walking, shopping, meeting with friends. He’s a very hard man to pin down. On the flip side I have another friend who will hardly move from her house unless invited to a social outing. She’s an incessant “potterer”, always finding something in the house to occupy her time with. The thing these two have in common, apart from being my friends, is their love of socialising and they get along famously when meeting up at gatherings.

Well if weekends are enticing to the recreational devotee, then holidays must be down right intoxicating. It’s lucky the song isn’t “I can’t wait for my holidays to begin…”. We’d never concentrate on work!

What we have never understood, however, is why some people have a fanatical need to spend their holiday scuttling from country to country, collecting passport stamps but failing to collect memories.

It was with this query in mind that we headed to Europe eight years ago to set up coach touring in Europe, Kumuka style. What we discovered was that there was a need for a tour operator to offer guided tours with more free time built into the itineraries. It was time that the elixir of life was poured into this touring scene. Kumuka to the rescue, and so our Europe product was born. Whilst everyone on tour has something in common – the love of travel and desire to learn about foreign surroundings – the desired activities surrounding this area of interest can differ; a bit like my weekend friends.

When travelling on an intensely packed itinerary, it can almost feel like work. Up early, on the road, sight seeing, lunch, sight seeing, dinner. Up early, on the road, sight seeing, lunch, sight seeing, dinner over and over, then the airplane, long flight home, back to work, daydreaming about the weekend. No matter how enjoyable this is, it is important to take a break. This is why we built mini-weekends into our itineraries - an afternoon off here, a free day there, a late start here and there - is the perfect recipe to break the routine and allow our clients time to do their own thing in their own way. In most major cities we put two nights into the itinerary instead of the standard one. Some like to shop till they drop, some will immerse themselves for an afternoon in a museum, some will head to the local watering hole, and some will just kick back in a café and watch the world go by. Whatever the preference, the opportunity is there on a Kumuka tour.

So when traveling, no matter who it is with, make sure you do find time to yourself to break the routine and you’ll find it allows the experiences to have time to sink in before you move onto the next one. Plus it allows you to add your own flavour to your travels.

After all, it’s a long way to go to suffer from an overdose of sensory stimulation. Take time to take it all in.

Kumuka Worldwide run Coach tours in Europe all year round ranging from 9 – 48 Days

Hi, finally made it. I'm finally here in Florence (or Firenze as the locals say), the birthplace of the Renaissance. This is the city I have dreamed of coming to my entire life and Kumuka have made it happen.

So far, my tour has been unreal. We (my new tour buddies and I) are only 8 days into the tour and I don't want the magic to end. My tour leader is so knowledgeable and shares all her wisdom of Europe with us - both historical facts and urban myth. My driver manoeuvres his bus through the narrow streets and wide boulevards of the continent fearlessly. And - added bonus - they are both super friendly.

I am given all the time in the world. Kumuka gives me the freedom to explore Europe at my own leisure...it's an organised tour but completely un-invasive. I definitely recommend it...you should do one!

I have spent my morning collecting 18ct gold treasures from the gold shops that line the Ponte Vecchio. Did you know that this is one of only 3 bridges in Europe with shops on it?
I've also done a walking tour through the city with our guide Mario. We saw the majestic Duomo, Santa Croce, and the Medici Palace which sits in the Piazza Della Signoria. This Piazza is another postcard in itself. It's like this amazing outdoor sculpture museum. Michelangelo's David rests outside the palace. This one is actually a replica. The real David now lives in the Academia where I will spend most of my afternoon, after leather shopping in the markets of course. I'm told that it's quite hard to tell real leather from fake - the secret is not in the smell as I once believed.

Life doesn't get any better than this. As they say here in Italy, La Dolce Vita. This really is the Good Life. All I need now is a hunky Italian man to sweep me off my feet....ohhhh here comes on now!

Ciao Peta

Peta travelled on Kumuka Worldwide’s European Escapade tour from London to Rome.

The Europeans are famous for being business savvy, you can find entrepreneurs in all corners of the continent, in all walks of life from the high rises to the streets. One of the many interesting places for our clients to visit is the street markets. Here all kinds of fashion accessories can be purchased; handbags, glasses, belts, hats, shoes, you name it.

Annalisa Rosadi, Kumuka employee and member of a large Italian family shares with us her tips on haggling.
“ I went to Italy for the first time with my family. Before we went, my Dad sat me down and said ‘Annalisa when you are in Italy and shopping in the markets, don’t buy things for the first price offered, it is a part of our culture to haggle for the best price."

Here are my tips:

Number 1.
Don’t appear too interested
Number 2.
Be confident and try and stay one step ahead
Number 3.
Don’t rush, be prepared to walk away
Number 4.
Halve the cost they suggest then haggle up from there until you reach a price you are both happy with.
Number 5.
Check the craftsmanship and make sure it is good quality.

I didn’t really get a chance to do any haggling on my first visit, firstly I was young and uninterested, plus my Dad always took over – as Italian Dads do! So when I took off on my Kumuka tour I was excited to branch out on my own haggling expedition. I would have made my dad proud. To start with, I felt a bit bad as it’s not something we do back home, but it ended up being a lot of fun. The locals expect it, you can see the glint in their eye and I did manage to snag some great bargains by following my Dads handy tips. Considering I LOVE shopping it was the perfect cultural immersion.

All Tours to Europe with Kumuka Worldwide offer free time to explore local markets.

Meet Kaz Clever

Kaz has been on the road with Kumuka since 2001 leading successful tours in Europe. Originally from London she packed in her office job for the road as she discovered a love for showing people around her back yard; and what a back yard it is!

When on holidays you would imagine Kaz would put her back pack away and take time off, but instead she can be seen traversing the world on new adventures. She was last spotted in the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand, before her eager return to the road in Europe with Kumuka.

Kaz likes:

Pasta in Italy
Her one month old niece
People
Travel
Rubbing olive oil and dettol on her ankles to stop Venetian mosquitoes having a feed.
Her office on the road.

Kaz doesn’t like:

London on a grey and miserable day

Impress your friends at dinner parties with Kumuka facts.

We all watched in awe as St Peters Bascillica in Vatican City was visited by millions following the passing of Pope John Paul II. Perhaps some of our readers were there, if you were we’d love to hear about your experiences. Email us

Once named Man of the Year by Time magazine I thought I’d use this opportunity to share some of the lesser known facts about this amazing icon of our generation.

Did you know that the late Pope John Paul II:

Growing up, had keen interests in backpacking and hiking
Before he died he could speak 8 languages
Was the most extensively travelled Pope in history. He travelled to 117 countries and every continent – including Antarctica.

Something completely different.

Did you also know that because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown further if it is thrown west.

I haven’t tested this fact but would be interested to hear your views. Have a go then write in with your findings, I will publish them on the next edition of “Venture”.

Kumuka Worldwide Coach tours in Europe offer the option to travel to the Vatican City

Comments from ...
Nunz Losanno, from Canberra, Australia who took part in
Kumuka's European Bonanza Tour - 48 Days.

Hi Megstar

Today is my first day back at work and boy am I struggling! I have a heap of work to do already... any jobs for drivers going? I've come back and the guys we met on tour have sent emails and photos which have been bringing back memories of the trip.

As far as the trip goes it was absolutely faaaaaaaaantastic!!!!! Sam and I had a wonderful time with Kaz and Billy (and Frosty) who were brilliant! We were really sorry to say goodbye to them. The trip is undoubtably the best thing we have ever done! Kumuka were fantastic and I'll have to register myself on your email address list so I can keep up to date with the latest trips and specials!

We had a really good group and the tour was really well organised and we did and saw so much. We are really glad we chose Kumuka. We also got an email from Kaz and Billy about the reunion and we will definitely be there so please send through the details (hope you can make it too)!
Anyway have to get back to work to start saving for our next trip.

Thanks again and speak to you soon.

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Kumuka Worldwide has been one of the leading specialists in adventure travel for the last 21 years. Our successful operation spans five continents, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia where we operate exciting tours renowned for their quality and reliability.

Our combined expertise and experience adds new scope to the destinations and styles of trips available throughout the world. Together with the accumulative knowledge of our enthusiastic staff we are able to map out itineraries to 54 countries. Our clients tend to be between 18 and 45 with the average age being 28. It is however attitude that is more important than age and we do take some clients over 45 if the style of travel suits them. In general our clients are professionals with 65% travelling solo.

Visit www.kumuka.com - for more information on the ultimate adventure.