Dear Kumuka Traveller

The other day I warned my 2.5 year old son not to stand on his bike seat as he may fall off and hurt himself. What do you think he did? He stood on his bike seat, fell off and hurt himself. In the ‘how to be a mum’ book they talk about cause and effect and the goodness of experimentation. I think a more apt explanation is that we, as humans, enjoy a bit of adventure, thank goodness as we grow older we develop skills in risk management!

Travelling is the perfect platform to tap into these inbuilt desires, one of the great things about Kumuka’s adventure trips is that we have been out there and fallen off the bike for you, we know what does and doesn’t work and how to enjoy your adventure whilst minimising the risk, so all you have to do is get on board with us and enjoy!

Happy travels
Meg Hall

More, More, More

The first words often spoken by babies, besides “Mama” and “Dada” are “more” and “no”, if you think about it, couple that with a pointed finger and that’s about all the communication we need when it comes to getting what we want.

You could use these puerile techniques when sitting at a travel agent with a bundle of brochures in front of you pointing at various images and deciding on your journey

More: Sunny weather, beaches, tropical rainforests and unusual animals.
No: Snow, dog sleds or igloos.
More: Exotic culture, friendly people, history, good food and great music.
No: Locals who look like your neighbour, bangers and mash or Friday night bingo.
More: Local interaction, experienced guides, highlights and inclusions.
No: Big invasive groups, tacky hotels or theme nights.
More: Local hotels, personal time and like-minded travellers.
No: Following the nose, gaudy matching backpacks or name badges.

And there you have it, Kumuka Worldwide’s, 15 day Samba and Falls tour of Brazil - too easy!

Keeping things simple and listening to clients “more” and “no” comments is exactly how Kumuka have arrived at the place where we are today, surviving this ever changing tourism market for the past 25 years, I’d like to add in a big thank you, to everyone who has taken the time to say “no” or “more” to Kumuka over these years, as without this input we wouldn’t have the successful tours we have today, in reality it is our travellers who built Kumuka.

What we have found over the years is that Kumuka travellers want more from their journeys, people spend months, even years saving up for what can be the trip of a lifetime, something they will draw on for years to come so they want to get it right first time.

In short our clients want:

• More inclusions – hidden expenses payable on arrival leave the traveller open to currency fluctuations, unexpected price rises and who wants to carry wads of cash around?
• More free time – the sites are important as are the back streets, you need time to explore the road less travelled.
• More choice – who wants a group meal every night, who wants group activities every day, who wants to start the tour in the same city as everyone else?
• More information – free time is good but so is sightseeing with informed local guides, a balance is necessary.
• Less people on tour – this is the perfect example where more actually = less.
• Less impact on the environment – leave only foot prints, buy local produce and use local guides.
• Less pinch on the wallet – add it all up and you will find we are extremely competitive when it comes to price.
• Less hassle – from the minute you pick up the phone to speak to Kumuka, to the minute you return from your journey we look after your wants and needs.

It’s a tough game out there when it comes to standing up amongst our competitors, who take away inclusions and lure travellers in by flying the “budget” flag. We wont to buckle to a perceived price war and skimp on inclusions, we want you to come back!

So don’t look at the Kumuka site if you are after a bucket priced basic journey, where you will need to fill your pockets with cash in order to fully experience a destination when you get there. We are all about venturing a little further and giving you more right from the very beginning! We say “no” to you working whilst on holiday, juggling your finances. Plan before you go and relax when you get there.

Want more? Visit the Kumuka Worldwide site and venture a little further

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Meet Mel Atwell, Operations and administration manager.

Born in Zimbabwe, Mel spent the next 14 years of her life in Malawi before heading to the UK for boarding school and university, frequenting Africa during her holidays. After university, Mel hit the road and managed to travel to six of the worlds continents, before meeting the love of her life and settling down in Australia. Mel has been with Kumuka in various countries since 2000, she loves her job and the challenges that come with such high responsibility keeps her on her toes and constantly learning.

Favorite destination: Namibia for its enchanting desert landscape, exceptional wildlife and unreachable horizons.

Favorite restaurant: Le Carnivore, Ndjema- Chad. Best Steak au poivre ever!

Favorite bar: Mikadi Beach, Tanzania.

Best sunrise: Mwanga Lodge, Zimbabwe, watching the mist rise off the dam and the morning rays wake up the baby impala!

Quirky habit: Plane spotting! Love looking skyward wondering where they are going, who's coming home and who's coming to visit!

If you could invite someone famous for dinner who would it be and why: Karen Blixen, to hear firsthand what East Africa was like and the momentous changes that she became a part of.

What would you cook: Roast Beef and all the trimmings followed by White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake.

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• Special Offers - fantastic discounts available.
• Late Deals - last minute offers.
• Early Deals - the early bird gets the worm.

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Do you want to know what it's really like? (Australian Customers Only)

Do you live in Brisbane, Australia and want to know more about Kumuka? Then visit our friends at the Adventure Traveller for a free information evening.

Information nights take place at 197 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington, QLD 4064, Australia

Map - Information night location

To book, click on the links above, email info@theadventuretraveller.com or call 07 3369 0799.

Admission is free and the presentation should last approximately 1 hour.
Bookings are essential.

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Dear Kumuka,

My name is Jack and I am 8 years old. My mummy said that I can tell you that Tang-a-loo-ma dolphin resort is the best. I got to feed the dolphin all by myself. We are now allowed to touch them because they are wild. But it will swim to you and eat the fish from your hand. I can’t wait to tell my friends at school. They also have a school (marine center) to teach us all about dolphins. The beach is so nice and there are so many things to do. We went for a swim and snorkeling by the shipwrecks. There are so many colorful fish and corals. We stayed in big rooms and had a big breakfast in the morning.

We also went to Brisbane. They have a Koala park there. And I got to hold the koala. It was like a teddy bear, but it was not soft. And we stayed on the farm. We could feed the cows and we went on horseback too. This was my best holiday. I want to tell all my friends about it.

Thank you Mr.Kumuka.
Jack and his family travelled on Kumuka’s Dolphins Koala's and Islands family adventure tour

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Dear Kumuka
I need a button greater than excellent to describe our tour guide Kris. She was absolutely fantastic. I'm going to write you a separate email about her.

Christmas on a glacier! I will never forget it. Kumuka was the first ever organised tour in my life and unfortunately for the other tour operators it was my best! This tour was my benchmark and the other tours I went on just didn't compare. Kris was absolutely fantastic and made this experience more amazing. She proved that you don't need a local tour guide. Having the locals for the specific parts of the tour is adequate. She shared her experiences with us all and made us all feel like one family on holiday together - fantastic!

Kris gave us lots of information to make our travelling easier ie. how much money to allow in a particular town on a particular day, the best pizza, best gelato, best beer etc. This was all her own opinions but very valuable when you know no better. Make sure you don't lose her Kumuka - a very valuable asset to your company.

Carol Anastas travelled on Kumuka’s Patagonia Wonderland

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Tips for travelling in Africa

• Bring something to donate. Countries in Africa are poor and appreciate donations, ensure the donations are educational and or useful, eg wooden toys, pens and books. Don’t take balloons or sweets, balloons don’t last and sweets rot teeth.
• Learn to haggle. It is custom not to pay the first price on offer in a market, be that souvenir or produce. Speak to your tour leader about the expected discount on starting price (it differs in each country) and work with these boundaries.
• Do not litter. Africans don’t have a garbage disposal system like many western countries, so create as little waste as you can and do not leave anything lying around, even if the locals are doing it.
• Be careful of what you buy. Do not buy products from endangered species or items that cannot be brought back through customs in your country of origin, check with customs before you leave.
• Before you take a photo of a local ask for permission. Some Africans do not like their photo being taken and can respond with objection if you do not ask first.

Visit Africa with Kumuka Worldwide

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