Ahhhh, La Fête Nationale! To all our French customers, we hope you party in style today/tonight and knock back a few bottles of wine for the Red.travel team!

And for those who don't know what it is:

"It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution."

View month's e-newsletter on what's new!  

Summer at Songtsam

We have got 3 amazing packages for Songtsamin Yunnan. Check out the photos on their or our website - they're truly breathtaking!

• Parallel Rivers - 4d from ¥6,200 - View package
• Shangri-la and Beyond - 7d ¥10,700 - View package
• Heritage of Yunnan - 8d from ¥13,100 - View package

Hyatt Summer Savings

And that's not all.. we have great deals with the Hyatt in Jing Jin at the moment also but they're all on our home page! Getting there is easy too - you basically train it to the hotel (or we can provide a driver). See the package pricing options for details. Some links! Glorius links...

• Relaxing weekend at Hyatt Regency Jing Jin
• Morning break at Hyatt Regency Jing Jin
• Amour & Hot spring at Hyatt Regency Jing Jin
• Golf weekend at Hyatt Regency Jing Jin

Partners, buddies, friends, coworkers

We're also looking for people: Both partners and staff to help us grow. Choose your link below to find out more and we can get started!

Digging through my PDF book archives on Friday night to fight the usual insomnia I decided to pick up some favourites from 2010. 

First up was "The best women's travel writing 2010". I bought it because I think women travellers experience something men don't. Given the diversity of religion and culture, and not to mention the lack of womens rights in many countries I was putting my mind in a journey of struggle more than fun.

But that's where I was wrong. A few of the stories dig into the politics and culture aspects of being a woman, but it was more about just.. well.. being women who travel. 

Countries covered? India, Burma, Pakistan, Italy, Vietnam, Guatamala, Nova Scotia, Iran, Russia, Germany, Honduras, Ecudador, Israel, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Indonesia, Afghanistan, South Korea, Jordan, China.

Notice the big chunk of Asia in there. Give it a read (Google it!)

The BEST Travel Writing 2010... True stories! True! ... and would you have it any other way? No, we wouldn't! 

Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Panama, Italy, Iceland, Tokyo, South Africa, Philippines, Nigeria, Camaroon, South Korea, Caribbean, France, Grenada, USA, Mexico, Spain, Greece, Hawaii, Uganda & Thailand

What a line up. A mix of The Americas, Africa, Asia & Europe.

What I like about this book is that it's a bit of everything, and a quite varied point of view of all the destinations. You can quite easily travel with any of the writers. It's funny. It's entertaining, and more than anything, it made you long to have the same experience. Each short story is about 3-4 pages and you're not left bored at any point.

I jumped around chapters depending on my continential interests and it just worked for me. Google it, it's worth the buy.

So which one is better? Equal tie I'm afraid. Grab both and fill in your insomnia filled flights or beach time relaxation with a few chapters and you can be in many places at once.

Looking forward to 2011 editions ;)

You think of Bali and its incomparable beaches, its farmers in traditional costumes who cultivate the rice, rituals performed around Hindus temples with sparkling altars?

Bali is the incarnation of the authenticity. But the modern Bali has nothing to envy to the most trendy capitals of the world.

During the day, enjoy the resorts that offer quality services.

At night, the rhythm of the famous electronic music DJ will transport you to another universe.

The most difficult step of any journey is the first

1. The Annapurna region is one of the top 10 trekking routes in the world

2. Nepal is the only country in the world where elevation changes from 60 meters to 8848 meters above the sea level

3. 8 of the 14 highest peaks in the world beyond 8000 meters are located in Nepal, including Mount Everest

4. Nepal is home to 8% of total bird species found worldwide

5. Nepal offers a myriad of adventure activities such as mountaineering, trekking, rafting, wildlife safaris, ballooning, paragliding, flying over mountains, bungee jumping, ultralights, etc.. ..

6. Nepal holds several records:

   • The highest lake on Earth (Tilicho 4800 meters)

   • The deepest lake (145 meters) She Phoksundo high altitude (3600 meters)

   • The deepest gorge (1200 meters) in Kaligandaki

   • The Valley's highest on Earth (Arun Valley)

7. Nepal is a Destination in four seasons

8. Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the apostle of peace. It is also the only country where people worship a living goddess Kumari

9. Nepal has the densest concentration of World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu Valley alone has seven World Heritage cultural sites within a radius of 15 km

10. In Nepal, there are over 100 nationalities who speak over 125 different languages