TravelManager - Heather Taylor

21/01/2025

🌏✈️ Hello, everyone! I’m back and feeling refreshed after an incredible 3-week adventure through beautiful Laos and Thailand, including stunning Koh Samui and vibrant Bangkok with my family! 🇱🇦🇹🇭

Thank you all for your patience while I was away! I’m diving into the many new inquiries that came in during my travels and am working through them in order of departure dates. Your travel dreams are my priority! 🗓️💼

Stay tuned, as I’ll be sharing some amazing videos from my trip over the coming weeks. Can’t wait to inspire your next getaway! 🌅📸

08/01/2025

Heads up everyone going to the UK from today 🇬🇧
From January 8 (today), Australian travellers will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Austhorisation (ETA) in order to visit England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Approx $20 (10 pounds) the digital permit must be applied for online before entering the UK.

UK travel requirements are changing. Visitors to the UK, including children, who do not need a visa for short stays in the UK will soon require permission to...

24/12/2024

Our top 3 tips for holiday season travel 🎀
1️⃣ The holidays are some of the busiest travel days of the year, so expect longer lines and potential delays. You don’t want to risk missing your flight - arrive early!
2️⃣ Security might need to unwrap and inspect packages, so either ship them directly to your family’s address or wait to wrap them until you reach your destination.
3️⃣ From flight delays to medical emergencies, make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance that covers it all.
And of course, having your personal travel manager on speed dial for peace of mind? Priceless! Without them, you're on your own.
Happy travels!

23/12/2024

🌟 What a remarkable year it has been for my business! 🌟

As we near the end of 2024, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to all my wonderful clients. Your trust in me as your travel manager means the world, and I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Even for those of you I haven’t met in person, your support has been invaluable, and my business wouldn’t be what it is without you! 🙏💖

I’ll be taking an extended break over Christmas and New Year to spend some quality time with my family while exploring Laos, Koh Samui, and Bangkok. I can’t wait to share my experiences with you when I return on January 20th! 🌍✈️

For anyone traveling during this period, don’t worry! I’ve arranged for my amazing colleague Debbie to handle any in-travel emergencies. Her details have been advised to you through the TravelManagers APP.

This year, I welcomed a new team member who has been a tremendous help and am grateful that she will continue to work with me in 2025. I look forward to introducing her to you in the new year!

Wishing you all a joyful Christmas surrounded by your loved ones and a Happy & Healthy 2025 filled with adventures! 🎄✨

23/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!
Day 12: New Zealand 🇳🇿
Our closest neighbours share many of our summer Christmas traditions albeit with some distinctly Kiwi touches. They might switch out prawns for tender Akaroa Salmon or Mānuka honey glazed ham and replace an Emu up a Gum Tree with a Pūkeko in a Ponga Tree but they also love a good Santa parade and will argue their claim over the Christmas pavlova to the very end ☺️

21/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 11: Spain 🇪🇸
In the Catalan region of Spain, kids receive their Christmas gifts from Tió de Nadal (the Christmas log). Tió is a hollow log that wears a traditional red barretina hat and stands on stick legs, usually near the fireplace. From 8th December onwards, kids drape him in a cozy blanket and "feed" him lollies, hoping that by Christmas Eve, he’ll be convinced to "p**p" an assortment of small presents (yes, you read that right). For the best results, children sing the catchy Catalan folk song Caga Tió! while gently hitting the log with sticks. It’s all part of the fun and festive spirit of this quirky tradition!

21/12/2024

... It’s ho-ho-holiday gift certificate! 🎁
If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift, our personalised gift certificates make shopping easy! Plus, you’ll earn some brownie points with the recipient who will have the freedom to choose their next memorable adventure.
✅ Available in any amount
✅ Valid for 3 years
Contact your personal travel manager today.

21/12/2024

✨12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 10: United States 🇺🇸
In the U.S., a quirky tradition on Christmas morning involves a hidden glass pickle on the tree. The first to find it may receive an extra gift or is said to have good fortune for the year ahead. The origins are unclear but it’s believed to have started in German-American communities over a century ago.

Another popular U.S. tradition is Elf on the Shelf, which began in 2005 with a children’s book by Carol Aebersold. The elf reports to Santa on who’s been naughty or nice, and its location changes nightly. Each morning, kids eagerly search for the elf and discover the evidence of its nighttime mischief!

20/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 9: Sweden 🇸🇪
In Sweden, the holiday season starts on 13th December with the celebration of Saint Lucia’s Day. On this day, girls and boys dress in white, carrying candles and singing songs that celebrate the saint as the ‘bearer of light’. Many homes display the seven lights of an Advent candelabra in their window and families often gather to bake gingerbread cookies and/or build beautifully decorated gingerbread houses (pepparkakshusen).

The Yule goat (Julbock) is a traditional Swedish symbol of Christmas made from straw and bound with red ribbons. It can be seen adorning Christmas trees and doorsteps while some towns display giant versions - most famously the world-record-breaking Gävle goat. Historically, the Julbock was thought to ensure that holiday preparations were done correctly. However, the main gift-giver in Swedish Christmas traditions is still Jultomten (Santa Claus) who delivers gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

19/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!
Day 8: Finland 🇫🇮
If you’ve always dreamed of celebrating a truly white Christmas, Finland offers the perfect vision of a snow-filled winter wonderland. You can even celebrate the holiday with the big man and his hardworking elves at Santa Claus Village which is located near the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland.

As with many European countries, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day in Finland. After a hearty dinner of roast pork or baked ham and potato casserole, many Finns love to enjoy a relaxing sauna session - ideally followed with a quick and invigorating swim in an icy lake before heading inside to exchange gifts ❄️🔥🎁

18/12/2024

✨ 12 Days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 7: Ireland 🇮🇪
The Irish are known for their warm hospitality, and on Christmas Eve, families place a tall red candle in the front window as a symbol of welcome to those in need 🕯This tradition recalls the biblical story of Mary and Joseph being turned away from the inn in Bethlehem. The evening is often spent with friends and family, either at home or in a local pub, before heading to Midnight Mass to celebrate.

17/12/2024

✨ 12 Days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 6: Poland 🇵🇱
Poland is filled with delightful Christmas customs, some of which have been adopted worldwide. On Christmas Eve, it's believed that animals have the gift of speech for one night. Many families begin their celebrations by sharing oplatek (unleavened wafers) while making wishes for the year ahead. It’s customary to leave an empty seat at the table for an unexpected guest, symbolising hospitality and remembrance of those who can’t be present 🫶

Wigilia (the traditional Christmas Eve supper) begins when the first star appears in the sky, usually around 5 pm. Red meat is avoided, instead twelve traditional dishes are served, including carp, herring, pike, borscht and pierogi.

15/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 5: South Africa 🇿🇦
Christmas in South Africa is as colourful and vibrant as the Rainbow Nation itself. You can experience traditional Northern Hemisphere elements like twinkling lights and carol singing (such as those seen on Cape Town’s Adderley Street and at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens), while enjoying the warmth of the summer season. Many South Africans spend Christmas Day at the beach, enjoying the outdoors and a festive meal ☀️

A staple of South African culture is the braai: a wood or charcoal-fired cookout where perfectly grilled meat, often lamb or chicken, takes centre stage. Roasted whole suckling pig is another popular choice for some families' Christmas dinner, ideally followed by a generous serving of Malva pudding with custard. Other traditional foods include milk tart, koeksisters and a variety of salads. Christmas in South Africa is a true celebration of summer, family and community

13/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with a unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!
Day 4: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
The English version of a mince pie is the treat of choice to leave out for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve: a sweet pastry treat made with a rich filling of suet, dried fruit, candied fruit peel, citrus zest and a dash of warming brandy and spices. Eating one of these delicious treats on each of the twelve days of Christmas is believed to bring good luck for the coming year.
The fun of pulling Christmas crackers and then sharing the jokes with friends and family around the dinner table is another tradition that we have adopted from the English. They were originally developed in Victorian England by a sweet seller who placed love messages within his wrapped bonbons 🍬

12/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with a unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 3: Iceland 🇮🇸
The festive season in Iceland lasts for 26 days, beginning on 12th December with the arrival of the first of the Yule Lads. Said to be the children of troll-like monsters who live in the mountains, these pranksters leave small gifts in the shoes of children who are well behaved (and rotten potatoes in the shoes of those who are not).
At the centre of Christmas gift giving in Iceland is a tradition known as Jólabókaflóð, which translates as "Christmas Book Flood.” The giving and receiving of books on Christmas Eve, often accompanied by other cosy treats like hot cocoa or chocolates, is a celebration of the ancient Icelandic tradition of storytelling while that Christmas Day will be a day of quiet, cosy togetherness🍫📚🥰

09/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with a unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!

Day 2: Slovenia 🇸🇮
Christmas in Slovenia is about family and creating a sense of magic and wonder, rather than commercial gift-giving. Traditional festive treats include gingerbread cookies and potica: a rolled dough with a filling of walnut or cottage cheese.
On Christmas Eve, Slovenian families enjoy a festive dinner, followed by a Midnight Mass with carols (traditionally), before heading off to bed to await the arrival of Santa Claus (Božiček). The main Christmas gifts are opened on Christmas morning.

The Christmas season actually begins on the night of 6th December, when Slovenian children receive a visit from Saint Nicholas (Miklavž) who leaves small gifts, lollies and mandarins on their plate or Christmas stocking. As an incentive to behave well, a hairy, fanged creature with goat horns known as Krampus roams towns and villages on 5th December as a warning. The Christmas festivities conclude on New Year’s Eve with a visit from Grandfather Frost (Dedek Mraz), who brings gifts to be opened on 1st January (New Year's Day).

02/12/2024

✨ 12 days of Christmas ✨
Let’s countdown to Christmas with a unique festive traditions from a different destination around the world each day!
Day 1: Japan 🇯🇵
Christmas in Japan for most people is less a religious celebration and more a mid-winter celebration of extravagant illuminations and thoughtful gift-giving. The Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture is one of the most famous and spectacular places to see these illuminations, just over an hour’s journey by train from Tokyo. During the spring and summer, the park is famous for its incredible flowers and a 150-year-old wisteria tree. Between mid-October and mid-February, these blooms are replaced by thousands of multi-coloured LED lights which adorn the park’s pathways, trees and shrubs.
Japan has also adopted the European tradition of Christmas markets, with twinkling lights, handmade gifts and live music. Don’t expect a traditional European Christmas dinner of turkey or goose though. In Japan, it’s customary for families and friends to sit down to a family-size bucket of KFC.

01/12/2024

🎄🎄CHRISTMAS TRIVIA PROMOTION🎄🎄
Get ready to jingle all the way with our Christmas Travel Trivia Promotion! Test your knowledge on festive destinations, holiday traditions, and winter wonderlands around the world. Play this trivia game and you could win a $100 eGift Card for yourself and one for me.
Let's win ourselves a voucher to help out with the Christmas present list, all while having abit of fun.
https://www.travelmanagers.com.au/explore/win-a-gift-card/