Latest news with #InsightVacations
CNA
08-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Travel agency Trafalgar and sister brands launch 16 new tours, including to villages of France and the Balkans
Trafalgar and sister brands Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold will be launching 16 new itineraries for travel in 2026, marking the largest introduction of new trips in the past seven years. Spanning five continents from Patagonia to Portugal, and the Balkans to the Great Lakes, the newly announced trips aim to meet evolving traveller desires for immersive, personalised and culturally rich travel experiences. The tours will feature a mix of nature escapes, culinary explorations, heritage-rich adventures, and women only departures, offering something for every kind of traveller. 'Asian travellers are looking for more new and meaningful experiences. With an audience that has matured in terms of travel styles and taste, we find that more travellers are embracing a slower, more mindful pace of travel,' said Nick Lim, chief executive officer in Asia for The Travel Corporation, in a press release. 'Our new itineraries are designed to reflect this evolutionary shift.' NEW 2026 TOURS INCLUDE: Trafalgar: • English Adventure – A family-friendly trip through castles, countryside, and culture. • Villages of France – Slow travel through storybook towns, vineyards and rustic cuisine. • Best of South Korea – A modern-meets-traditional tour through Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan. • Best of Sri Lanka – A second, alternate route exploring the island's southern treasures. • Scenic Great Lakes with Mackinac Island – An inland North American gem featuring charming towns and freshwater beauty. • Spain, Morocco & Portugal Whirl – A cross-continental adventure connecting three dynamic cultures. • Best of Romania, Transylvania & Hungary – Gothic castles, medieval villages, and hidden Eastern European treasures. • Balkans Coast Explorer – Discover Albania, Croatia and Montenegro's rising-star coastal charm. Insight Vacations: • Adriatic Escape – Explore coastal gems from Dubrovnik to Montenegro, combining culture, cuisine and sea views. • Wonders of Sri Lanka – A journey through ancient cities, lush highlands and sacred temples. • Soul of the Deep South – Discover soulful cities, civil rights history and iconic music trails. • Soul of the Deep South (Women-only) – Meet the women who championed songwriting, civil rights and cuisine across the soulful cities of the South. • Heart of Patagonia – Traverse one of the world's last great wildernesses between Argentina and Chile. • Contrasts of Brazil & Argentina – Samba, steak and the soul of South America. Luxury Gold: • Spectacular Scotland – From lochs to legends, an in-depth look at Scottish heritage. • Ultimate Portugal – From Porto to the Algarve, a journey through wine, architecture and coastlines. These new trips are available to book now for 2026 departures. Visit the individual brand pages or head to the roadshow at Nex shopping mall from now until Jul 13 at level 1 atrium for more information.
Independent Singapore
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Jeanette Aw joins Insight Vacations for first-class adventures
Photo: Facebook/Jeanette Aw SINGAPORE: In a recent Facebook post, Singaporean celebrity Jeanette Aw shared her experiences with Insight Vacations, a travel company that organises business-class tours. She highlighted the comfort and quality of their accommodations and the slower pace of their tours, allowing more time to explore. Photo: Facebook/Jeanette Aw She has specifically shared photos and posts about a trip to Switzerland, including her time with the Matterhorn. Slower days, sweeter moments 'Slower days, sweeter moments. More time to explore, snap that perfect photo, or stumble on the best gelato in town,' Aw wrote in the Facebook post. She added, ' Even with a tour group, there's still space for me time. #InsightVacations isn't just about the service, it's about travelling at a pace that lets it all sink in.' In other travel-related news, Aw enjoys visiting Japan. It turns out her trips to Japan aren't just for sightseeing. Back in 2019, as CNA reported, the actress, author, and filmmaker actually spent three whole months at Le Cordon Bleu's Tokyo Institute to master the art of Superior Patisserie! So, she's got some serious culinary skills to go along with everything else she does. See also Ariana Grande asks to be photoshopped into BLACKPINK photo After her role in Eric Khoo's movie Ramen Teh (also called Ramen Shop ), she was actually appointed as a PR ambassador for Takasaki back in 2018. That's a city just an hour outside of Tokyo by bullet train, so she must have made quite an impression. Patisserie pop-ups across Japan Showing off her baking talents, Aw, who is also a skilled baker, actually held pop-up patisseries for her 'Once Upon A Time' creations all over Japan in 2024 and 2025. She brought her delicious treats to cities like Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, and, of course, Tokyo. 'I'm in Japan at least once a year. As far as I can remember, while most of them were for work trips, I'd usually extend my time there to explore the city,' recalled Aw. 'It's a beautiful place with so much to offer. The sights, the food and the people. You get such different vibes city to city, town to town. I can't pin down my favourite city, but I do love Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. There are also some other very quaint places that I really love as well, like Kamakura and Hakone.' See also Adam Cheng, 73 reveals how he stays youthful Keeping warm Aw knows the importance of keeping warm when she is in Japan during the winter season for her patisserie pop-ups. Aw also mentioned that besides gloves and long socks, a good scarf is a must-have to fight off the chill. 'Seriously, keeping your neck warm makes a big difference,' she added. When it comes to clothes, she always packs the basics like a good jacket or coat, pants, sweaters, and thermal layers. Plus, since she's often in Japan for extended periods, Aw let on that she usually brings two wardrobes so she can have some variety while she's there. And Aw's newest trick? Popping thermal insoles into your shoes is a game-changer for keeping your feet toasty.
The Independent
10-02-2025
- The Independent
The flight-free coach holidays that are actually fun
Forget cramped flights and airport stress – it is time to rediscover the joy of travel with a coach holiday. Offering a comfortable and convenient way to explore iconic European destinations, coach tours are making a comeback. With spacious seating, ample luggage space, and numerous pick-up points across the UK, they provide a stress-free alternative to flying. Here are some top coach tour options for your next getaway: Dordogne, France Indulgence is at the heart of a new tour covering the most popular region of the Dordogne. Travel on the Truffadou Train, once used to transport Martel market's famous truffles, and enjoy a wine tasting and picnic lunch on the family-run Domaine du Siorac vineyard in Bergerac. Based at the Auberge de la Petite Reine in the heart of the Périgord Noir region, there are multiple opportunities to sample local food and drink during nightly four-course dinners – with a free bar from 6pm-10pm included in the price of the holiday. In between meals, sightseeing excursions include trips to picturesque towns and villages such as Rocamadour, Martel and Bergerac. Stop at the medieval Chateau de Beynac, an impressively well-preserved castle on a limestone cliff. Famed for its 600 cave paintings estimated to be up to 20,000 years old, the Lascaux cave complex is another highlight of the tour. End with stops in Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion to stock up on fine wines to take home. How: Just Go Holidays ( offers a nine-day Journey through the Dordogne tour from £1,399pp (two sharing), including half-board accommodation, ferry crossing and coach transfers from various pick up points in the UK. Various departures from between May and September. Enjoy a ' Thelma and Louise' road trip on a larger scale in the company of a coach filled with women – even down to the tour leader and driver. Part of a new female-only portfolio of trips offered by Insight Vacations, a tour of Europe's Bel Paese covers many of the country's highlights with a feminine touch throughout. Visit an Umbrian winery run by the matriarchs of a family who pioneered modern Italian oenology and are champions of sustainability. Learn about the art of loom-weaving from a women-owned-and-run weaving association, and join local artist and environmentalist Allison Zurfluh on a Prosecco-fuelled boat ride around Venice. Insight Vacations ( offers a 16-day Country Roads of Italy, a Women-Only Tour tour from £5,378pp (two sharing), including coach transfers, B&B accommodation and some meals. Flights extra. Departs on various dates from May to October. Yorkshire Dales Nothing evokes the nostalgia of travel quite like a train journey. Connecting peaceful valleys, rolling hills and enticingly vast moors, two key rail track experiences form the crux of a new break through the Yorkshire Dales. Chug through tunnels and viaducts in a vintage carriage while admiring the beauty of the English countryside. Pulled by a steam locomotive, the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway runs for four miles, while the Settle-Carlisle Railway travels through the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct. The trip also explores the city of York, including a visit to the National Railway Museum. Just Go Holidays ( offers a five-day trip York, Yorkshire Steam Train and Settle to Carlisle Railway trip from £389pp (two sharing), including half-board accommodation, train journeys and coach travel from various pick up points. Various departures. Ireland Discover Ireland's equivalent of the Lake District on a trip to County Cavan and County Fermanagh. Start in Enniskillen, a town set between the upper and lower Lough Erne, and explore shops selling traditional goods in the Buttermarket. Fans of English literature will appreciate destinations which inspired one of Ireland's greatest sons, the poet and writer WB Yeats. The fishing village of Mullaghmore is memorable for its views of the North Atlantic and Ben Bulben Mountain. In Sligo, the red brick Victorian Yeats memorial building has a library and a photographic collection of Yeats and his family. End in Dublin where the famous artist – awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 – was born. Leger Holidays ( offers a six-day Ireland's Ancient East & Lakelands tour from £1,199pp (two sharing), including half-board accommodation and coach transfers. Various departures.
