Category Archives: archive

Other travel clubs

Other travel clubs that might have a similar ethos to Globetrotters 🙂

  • www.bootsnall.com – online travel guide, trip planning resource, and network for the independent traveller
  • Women Traveling Together – membership organization specializing in small group travel for women. Also offers assistance in locating travel companions.
  • Camper Clubs of America is designed to help web surfers find the best outdoor sporting equipment online
  • World Travelers of America (WTA) offers newsletter, several discount programs, travel advisory and safety brochures, and more.
  • South American Explorers – looks like a treasure trove of South American information
  • Women Welcome Women World Wide; fondly referred to as 5W.  This is a club for women (mates and children are usually welcomed) who are interested in meeting and greeting new friends from different cultural backgrounds. Founded and headquartered in United Kingdom.  Has lots of international European Union members.  All the particulars can be found on the internet.
  • The Affordable Travel Club is based in Washington, USA.  Host/Hostesses provide overnight or more lodging and breakfast for visitors.  Can be more if guest clear in advance with host/hostess. Particulars can be found at internet address provided.
  • The Evengreen Club: is very similar to the affordable Travel Club.
  • CouchSurfing.  This group tends to on the young side and into roughing it if necessary in order to have a place to sleep and bathing accommodations.
  • http://www.travellerclub.org/ – Austrian travel club has been a travel community since at least 1996
  • https://globetrotter.org – German Globetrotters club, has been holding active meetings since publishing the “Trotter” magazine since 1974
  • http://www.swisstravelclub.ch/ – venerable Swiss Travel Club

Keep those suggestions coming… The Ant

Write in (2)…GTs and social media !

Club member Agata Zborowska has spent time & effort trying to raise GT’s profile and wants to tell you about:-

Globetrotters Club finally has an active Facebook Page and Group.

Globetrotters Facebook Page

Globetrotters Page is there for anyone from general public who can ‘Like’ our Club if they find it interesting and enjoy our talks. It is regularly updated with upcoming talks, news and links for our speakers. If you are on Facebook you can like it as well and invite your friends to do the same. The more of us the better!

facebook.com/pages/Globetrotters-Club/224228294327796

 Globetrotters Club Group

Globetrotters Club Group is there for all current members who can share links, experiences and thoughts. This is only accessible for Globies with active membership

facebook.com/groups/6943552924

Write for the eNewsletter

If you enjoy writing & travelling, why not write for the free Globetrotters eNewsletter !  The Ant would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 15,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter eNewsletter.

Email The Ant at  theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be approximately 1000 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

November meeting news from the London, UK branch by The Ant

With Jacqui at the lectern, we had two contrasting talks geographically & politically:-

  • Andrea Orban and Laurence West – An independent canter through Libya. Andrea & Laurence spent four years living & working in Libya, right up to the point that the recent overthrow of Gaddafi & his regime engulfed the country and this talk led the audience chronologically through its history. For example did you know Libya is 99% desert and is three times the size of Texas ? Or that the country has no rivers that drain into the sea ? Waves of peoples have forced their imprint onto Libya – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Islamists, Ottoman Turks, Italians & the World War II conflict. Many have left monumental traces, such as the Cyrene & Leptis Magna. The country is famed for oil but also the best Olives in the Mediterranean countries.Our speakers couldn’t totally avoid the modern day troubles of Gaddafi, even though they enjoyed their lives. Travel was only made easy through the use of letters of introduction by government officials, discussing politics was taboo (people were never sure who was listening !) and our speakers were working with organisations approved of by the regime.

    Overall Andrea & Laurence’s talk was well received and gave many of us a good context of Libya & its continually changing history 🙂

  • Jacqui Trotter – Summer in southern Scotland. As a last minute stand in for the published second speaker, Jacqui leapt to the aid of the audience with a whistle stop tour of southern Scotland ! En route to a friend’s wedding, Jacqui fulfilled a long held travel wish to visit a swathe of key destinations – Glasgow, Stirling, Glencoe, Oban & Inverary. Scottish National Trust properties came & went at a rapid rate of knots & Jacqui attempted to soak up as much detail as possible in a few days And she still made it to the wedding on time !! Well done, as ever Jacqui 🙂

Write for the eNewsletter

If you enjoy writing & travelling, why not write for the free Globetrotters eNewsletter ! The Ant would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 15,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotter eNewsletter.

Email The Ant at theant@globetrotters.co.uk with your travel experiences / hints & tips / questions. Your article should be approximately 1000 words, feature up to 3 or 4 jpeg photos and introduce yourself with a couple of sentences and a contact e-mail address.

Welcome to eNewsletter December 2011

Hello all,

A bumper edition to savour – make sure you leave plenty of time to enjoy this eNewsletter, in between the many festivities that you might be enjoying 🙂 Included this month is:-

  • a stunning article by Jennifer Barclay on her new life on a Greek island ! Jennifer has spoken previously at the London branch and based on this article we’ll be keen to ask her back in the near future
  • a write up by Hanna of the Chester branch on how their November meeting went, in celebration of two years of being an active branch. Congratulations & well done to all involved 🙂
  • Extra 🙂 The London branch are looking for volunteers again to help with the travel advising stand at the Adventure Travel Show (http://adventureshow.com) on Saturday January 28th and Sunday January 29th 2012. If you would like to volunteer again please follow this link below and fill in the form to register…a member of the organising team will be in touch:- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBOZng0MHFNbzZDNHVCaHZHOFlvWnc6MQ
  • Extra, extra 🙂 If you would like to attend the Adventure Travel show but not as a volunteer travel advisor, you can buy advanced tickets at a 40% discount…yes that’s £6.00 rather than £10 ! Send an email to theant@globetrotters.co.uk, stating your membership number and ask me for the reduced price ticket code.

What else is happening across the wider travel world ?

Update from The Ant – the boys & Hannah have now reached Australia & are wondering whether to continue round the world I know which one I voted for on their Facebook page !

That’s all for now, enjoy the read and keep sending me more of your stories, adventures and articles 🙂 Happy 2012 to you all

The Ant theant@globetrotters.co.uk

Write in (3) …Is there a definitive list of worldwide travel clubs?, as asked by The Ant

Update – December 2011

Since raising the subject, I’ve received a few emails noting a few more worthwhile clubs thank you very much & feel free to keep adding to my budding list 🙂

The Ant

  • Spotted by Paul Roberts, the club’s technical guru http://www.saexplorers.org – looks like a treasure trove of South American information
  • From Mary Ogden:-When you request information, what kind of travel clubs are you talking about? Travel clubs that compose a group of people who travel together? Travel clubs that foster new and/or cultural differences and friendships?I know of several and I am a member of the following three:
    • Women Welcome Women World Wide; fondly referred to as 5W. This is a club for women (mates and children are usually welcomed) who are interested in meeting and greeting new friends from different cultural backgrounds. Founded and headquartered in United Kingdom. Has lots of international European Union members. All the particulars can be found on the internet.
    • The Affordable Travel Club: is based in Washington, USA. Host/Hostesses provide overnight or more lodging and breakfast for visitors. Can be more if guest clear in advance with host/hostess. Particulars can be found at internet address provided.
    • The Evengreen Club: is very similar to The affordable Travel Club.I have used all three clubs when traveling and have met and hosted some extraordinary women and men. My husband doesn’t travel but he loves company and has really enjoyed our visitors from all over the world. If you would like more personal input, you can contact me via email.

    Another I am a member of but have never used is Couch Surfer; This group tends to on the young side and into roughing it if necessary in order to have a place to sleep and bathing accommodations. I haven’t written it off as a possible one-time try out because it may prove to be the best one yet.

    Membership in any of the above does not obligate you for accepting guests when it is not convenient. Hosting is completely voluntary. Hope this info was helpful.

    Please respond that you received the email and let me know what you think of the clubs I have listed.

    Respectfully, Mary Ogden

  • From Kevin Brackley, the club’s Membership Secretary:-Hi MattI suppose you could list The Guildford Travel Club, who have been going a long time and where I have spoken a couple of times. Also there is a club in Istanbul, a tiny hole in the wall place that actually has a bedroom upstairs where people who visit can stay a night, not sure if it’s still going.BTW – I started another non yoga blog while I am here just a few photos of Mysore etc. each day www.mysore2011.wordpress.com Cheers Kev

——

Putting together this eNewsletter, I wanted to explore travel clubs around the world, that like Globetrotters promoted independent travel for independent travellers. And so far I have to admit I’m struggling and need your help. Can you tell me about any travel clubs you know of and we can learn more about them (magazines, web sites, meetings etc.) ?

Thus far I’ve come up with the following organisations who represent something similar to GTs:-

GT Travel Award

2011 winners ! In case you have not heard, the club has recently announced two new winners of the GT Travel Award over the summer:-

  • Hilary Clark – “…with her Beyond Tango trip, which she’ll taking in Argentina from April to May next year. My adventure starts in Buenos Aires to learn more about the history of tango…”
  • Nick Hunt – “…exploration is in the footsteps of Patrick Leigh Fermor…Nick will be setting of in December for a year…across Europe from Holland to Istanbul.” Follow Nick’s progress via his blog.

Both Hilary & Nick will return from their travels and recount their adventures to the London branch at some point in the future. We wish them every success…

What is the award ?

Are you inspired by all this talk of travel?

Are you ready for you own independent adventure?

Or do you know someone who could benefit from a helping hand into the wider world?

Each year the club offers up to two £1,000 awards to give out for the best independent travel plan, as judged by the club’s Committee.

The deadline to receive applications for the next award was 31 October 2011, but the club’s Committee are yet confirm that deadline.

See the legacy page on the club’s web site for more details, where you can review previous winners’ trips and/or apply with your plans for a totally independent, travel trip.

If your idea catches our eye we’ll take a closer look at what you’re proposing and give you feedback & maybe a helping hand on your journey of a lifetime!!!]