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Dear
Kumuka Travellers
Welcome to August, the month that was named
after the Roman Emperor Augustus!
With the Tomatina tomato smashing festival
underway in Spain, the monsoon coming to
a close in southern Asia, the migration
hitting the Maasai Mara in Africa and Kumuka
adventurer’s traversing the altiplano
in South America it’s all happening!
Then again it is always happening in the
wide world of Kumuka Worldwide.
In this month’s Venture we discuss
the generations of travellers, Pedro writes
in from Africa, we hear from Pok in Thailand
and Emma tells us what it is like atop Mount
Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain
in the world.
Happy
Travels
Meg Hall
General Manager
Kumuka Worldwide
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THE WORLD JUST AIN’T LIKE IT USED TO
BE! I
was sitting back listening to a group of
people my parents age (i.e. people in their
60s) natter the other day about their youth
and the activities they got up to. You
know, the old line ‘back when I was
young, things were different’. It
was a line frequently used in the aforementioned
conversation! For most, they got married
and had babies in their 20s, amongst a little
bit of rebelling. Life seemed so much simpler.
OK, by that stage the bra had been burnt
and women had launched into the work force,
adding a little more complexity than the
generation before them, but the ingredients
for life, in general, revolved around marriage,
family and buying a house. I must reiterate
“in general” as the hippy trail
had already been carved by a few, and days
of the wayward traveller was born.
Oh
how different things are today, apart from
that the fact that sunglasses are ridiculously
huge again! Folk in their 20’s
are on one long gap year learning about
the world, the 30’s have replaced
yesteryear’s 20’s, the 40’s
are like the 30’s, and 50 is the beginning
of your life. Less people marry, more people
travel and buying a house is a near impossibility
for many. Our more mature folk no longer
sit back and watch the world go by, they
want to get out there and be a part of it
– if the dead could talk they would
be saying ‘back when I was old, things
were different’.
So
what does the hippy trail look like now?
Well there are definitely more people on
it. The 20’s are finding their feet,
the 30’s are going on honeymoon or
taking a well deserved break from their
career, the 40’s are taking a break
from the kids (or indeed showing their kids
the world) and the 50+ are breaking free
from everything and really getting stuck
into life. So the trend continues until
we are now too old to move; it seems to
be the only thing to stop us from travelling
these days!
So
what does that say about the dynamic on
the trail? Well it’s not so much an
age demographic anymore, it is more about
attitude and travel doesn’t revolve
around marijuana, at least, not with Kumuka!
Some of our 50’s are more
adventurous than the 20’s. We are
constantly contacted by ex hippy trailers
wanting to get back out there but don’t
want a “blue rinse tour”, as
they call them. Then we have the 20’s
contacting us wanting to learn about their
destination, not spend the entire trip drunk.
(Ok, so the occasional trip to the bar is
requested but not the entire tour). Some
30’s like the soft option, some like
the hard core and so the list goes on. There
is quite a mix.
Everyone
is out there in one way or another and today’s
traveller is spoilt for choice. The
world has opened up like it never has before.
With airlines rendering the other side of
the globe accessible within 24 hours, and
a plethora of tour operators at hand boasting
the ultimate journey, there really are no
limits. Long boat journeys to reach one
destination are no longer a necessity but
rather have been adapted to be a luxury,
with cruise liners taking on the voyages
as a tour in itself.
However,
considering the fact that there is so much
choice for the traveller today it can be
a tad overwhelming wondering where to start
looking! It is no longer a matter
of where you want to go, it’s how
you want to travel when you get there and
with whom?
This is what Kumuka has founded their travel
ideals on – you (no matter who you
are) and like-minded travellers. Whether
it is a honeymoon (perhaps leave the like-minded
travellers out of this trip!), a family
trip, trekking, reliving your youth, a group
tour, camping or going solo, there is only
one place you need to look… www.kumuka.com.
We have something for everyone and if we
don’t have what you are looking for,
our tailor made department will find it
for you! Our tours and packages mature with
you. We understand your attitude.
Visit www.kumuka.com
for more information. Or contact
us and chat to a consultant.
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12.5% OFF - Patagonia Express
Tour
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12.5% OFF - Patagonia Wonderland
Tour
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Have
you travelled to Europe or Asia with Kumuka
Worldwide in the past?
If so don’t forget this entitles you
to an automatic 15%
discount from Kumuka Worldwide
Overland tours in Africa,
South
America and the Middle
East click here for more details. |
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Rex
on top of Russia!
Having
conquered the highest mountain in
North America Rex has now topped out
on Mount Elbrus, the highest point
in Russia.
This leaves Rex with only two more
mountains to climb!
Read
about Rex's success on Elbrus
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Australia Only |
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INCA
TRAIL NOTICE: Thinking
about hiking the Inca trail BOOK
EARLY. Due to changes in Peruvian
government regulations, availability of
Inca Trail permits are extremely limited.
Kumuka Worldwide purchase permits for confirmed
bookings in advance, however late bookings
cannot be guaranteed permits. Book early
to avoid disappointment! |
THINKING
OF TRAVELLING SOON, DON’T KNOW WHERE
TO GO?
CHECK
OUT OUR
LATE DEALS PAGE FOR OTHER GREAT LAST
MINUTE OFFERS.
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Jambo!
I
have just returned from a month of African
extremes – from the peak of Mount
Kilimanjaro, to the plains of the Serengeti,
my senses have been thrown every possible
scenario East Africa can offer!
To
begin with, I took up the challenge of summiting
the highest freestanding mountain in the
world and the highest point in Africa, mighty
Mount Kilimanjaro. I was prepared for some
tough challenges, but never was I expecting
the obstacles that mountain threw at us
as we toiled our way up her slopes. We were
forced to push our boundaries, mentally
and physically, and cope with almost every
different environment in the world, altitude
sickness, arctic temperatures, frostbite
and sheer exhaustion….. and would
I do it again? Yes!
Our
success was bittersweet at the
time as we stood at Uhuru Peak (5895m) watching
the sunrise over Africa, but in hindsight,
it was one of the best and most rewarding
experiences of our lives.
We
took the liberty of relaxing for the next
3 weeks aboard a Kumuka truck as it wound
through Kenya and Tanzania, saturating us
with culture, local people, wildlife and
landscapes that I will never forget.
Highlights
were lions seeking shade beneath our truck
in the Maasai Mara, seeing ‘Bella’
the leopard from the BBC’s ‘Big
Cat Diaries’, camping in the middle
of the Serengeti, watching the thousands
of Pink Flamingo on Lake Nakuru, and driving
into our Ngorongogo Crater campsite to find
an elephant standing right in the middle
of it.
Zanzibar
presented us with a whole different side
to Africa with its Arabic influenced, historical
Stone Town, spice farms and beautiful, pristine
northern beaches.
Now
it’s back to the ‘real world’
for me, but always with my African experiences
tucked firmly in the back of my mind.
Cheers
Emma Coburn
Emma
climbed
Mt Kilimanjaro before joining
the
African Drums tour
with Kumuka Worldwide.
Do
you have a postcard you wish to send us?
Email
Meg
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 Pack
your bag and go...
Before
you embark on your journey of a lifetime,
you will need to ensure you have the correct
sack for your travel kit.
Many travellers go to great lengths
and expense ensuring they get the ‘best
of the best’, when really they do
not need to.
Here are our tips to assist you
with your purchases.
1. Don’t buy top of the range
unless…
a) you plan to use it again and again.
b) you are embarking on a physical trek
where you need to have equipment fitted
to your body for comfort and safety.
c) You have money to burn and just like
having the ‘best of the best.
2. Read your tour dossier
to ensure you choose the best pack for the
trip; there is nothing worse than turning
up ill-equipped. Eg a suitcase on wheels
in Africa just doesn’t work.
3.
Phone a friend. If you have a friend who
has already travelled to a destination you
are headed to, give them a call and ask
what worked for them. If you don’t
have any friends who have been there, call
our office - we love to talk travel.
4.
If you can, borrow from that friend, it’s
the ultimate $£€ saver.
5.
If you are travelling independently
after your Kumuka tour, consider a backpack,
no matter the style of tour; it is the most
versatile “go anywhere” bag.
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Meet
Teerapong Kunasombat (Nickname : Pok)
Local tour leader, Thailand
Having worked for Kumuka for the past year,
Pok enjoys meeting people from all over
the world whilst on tour.
Pok
believes sharing travels with such a mixture
of people turns a great trip into a brilliant
trip!
In his own
words.
Even though I have the best food
in the world at my finger tips,
I have to be honest and admit that fried
Chicken and rice is my favorite dish.
If I were to tune into my favorite radio
station it could be any kind, just
not Classical or RnB.
I love Thailand, it has so much
to offer, but if I were to choose
a favorite destination in the world, I’d
choose Australia, I have met many wonderful
people from Australia.
The highlight of the Kumuka Thailand
tour is the Bamboo rafting! The
scenery is spectacular and the activity
is always a lot of fun, everyone ends up
wet and we all laugh a lot.
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•
Turtles are deaf
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Starfish don’t have
brains
•
Goldfish turn white if kept
in a dark room.
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Returning from Africa Pedro writes in.
 Travelling
with Kumuka has been great. We have travelled
twice with Kumuka already, and we will keep
coming back for more. The trucks are comfortable,
the guides are more like travelling buddies
and the food is very tasty. We have always
liked travelling to nature destinations,
like Borneo, Tahiti, Seychelles and the
likes.
Overlanding Africa with Kumuka is as good
as it gets. The truck goes to all the nicest
spots! We would do it all over again tomorrow.
Pedro Cunha e Menezes and Ana Leonor
Pedro
travelled on Kumuka Worldwide’s Southern
star
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Click
here and speak to an expert.
Kumuka
Worldwide has been one of the leading
specialists in adventure travel for
the last 23 years. Our successful
operation spans six continents, Africa,
North America, South America, Antarctica,
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 57 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.
www.kumuka.com
- for more information on the ultimate
adventure.
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