For 3 episodes, Tyra Banks and America’s Next Top Model will be in New Zealand. The show airs Wednesdays on the CW, culminating on May 12th, 2010. In this promo video, Ms. Banks talks about the exciting and exotic culture of New Zealand, noting delicious food, edgy fashion (including Karen Walker), and the warm, pure disposition of the people of New Zealand.

For more information on the program, visit GoNewZealand.com, or visit our New Zealand vacations page for travel information.

Instead of pairing wine with just food,
pair it with your vacation!

When taking a vacation to Australia, one of the first great realizations is that there’s delicious Australian wine wherever you go.

Australia has a rich and intricate history of award-winning winemaking that began in the early 1800s. Boasting some of the oldest vines in the world, Australia’s varied and nuanced terrain allows for a wide diversity of flavors and textures of wine.

Australia has become the 4th largest exporter of wine in the world, behind powerhouses France, Italy and Spain. And while Australia’s largest exports are Chardonnay and Shiraz, Australian winemakers are becoming wold-renown for all varietals of grape.

Yellow Tail may be the most popular brand of Australian wine in America, but there are arguably many other overwhelmingly delicious offerings. Australian wines have come to enjoy a higher profile in some of the finest and most popular restaurants across the world. With so much excitement coming out of the various wine regions of Australia, what better way to celebrate than by melding two of our favorite activites: vacationing and wine.

Take time to explore these popular regions of Australian winemaking, and then decide which Australian wine vacation you think would be most suitable for your discerning pallette. Cheers!

Australia Wine Region #1:
The Yarra Valley
…paired with…
Southern Australia Nature Adventure

With over 90 wineries, the Yarra Valley is the state of Victoria’s oldest wine region. With its cool climate the Yarra Valley boasts a wide variety of wines including elegant sparklings, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, to complex pinot noir, rich cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and more. Our Southern Australia Nature Adventure includes a hot air balloon ride above the Yarra Valley, plus tours of Sydney, Melbourne and more. This Australia wine vacation package can be customized to include other wine regions of Australia as well.

For more information about the Yarra Valley visit the Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association.

Australia Wine Region #2:
The Barossa Valley
…paired with…
A Nature and Epicurean Journey

The Barossa Valley is Australia’s best-known wine region. It has a typical Mediterranean climate with dry summers and mild winters. The region is best known for its shiraz, and as such has helped solidify Australia’s worldwide reputation for superb winemaking. Every other year, the region showcases its winemaking with the week long Barossa Valley Vintage Festival. Our Barossa Valley wine vacation package can be customized to include other wine regions of Australia as well.

For more information about the Barossa Valley visit the Barossa Grape & Wine website.

Australia Wine Region #3:
The Hunter Valley
…paired with…
Culture, Food and Wildlife

The Hunter Valley produces some of the world’s finest semillon and shiraz. Just a couple hours drive from Sydney, the Hunter Valley is an accessible and delightful excursion to include in your vacation to Australia. The area boasts 120 wineries, and is Australia’s oldest wine region. This Australia wine vacation package can be customized to include other wine regions of Australia as well.

For more information about the Hunter Valley visit the Hunter Valley tourism website.

Many folks often wonder, will I be able to handle the flight to Australia? How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Sydney? From Los Angeles to Melbourne? Will I be too jet lagged? While Australia is a fair distance away, the flight is not nearly as daunting as you may think.

The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney is around 14 hours, and the flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne is around 15 hours. When travelling to Australia from the United States, Los Angeles and San Francisco are your only 2 departure options. As far as airlines, there are a total of 6 carriers that offer flights to Australia from the United States. Qantas, United Air Lines, Delta, and V Australia offer direct flights. Air Pacific offers service via Fiji and Air Tahiti Nui offers service via Tahiti.

While 14-15 hours may seem like a long time to be on a plane, the airlines are aware of this perception, and offer amenities that make your journey more comfortable. Flight departure times are typically later in the evening, and dinner is usually served once a comfortable cruising altitude is reached. Many of the airlines have individual touch-screen television monitors installed in the headrest in front of you. Via the touch screen, travelers can browse a list of movies (usually around 40-50 titles are available), television programs, music, games (that can be played against other passengers) and even chat rooms.

We at SeeANZ think a good strategy when flying to Australia is this: eat dinner, then try and stay up for as long as you can. Read for awhile, then try and watch 2 or even 3 movies. By then you should be pretty well tired. If you can knock off for 6 or so hours (as we all know sleeping on a plane is not always the most comfortable situation), you should be doing pretty well. Consider sitting in a window seat, as it affords you the convenience of leaning your head and pillow against the airplane’s cabin. If you can afford it, look in to flying premium economy or first class, as the seats and amenities there are even more luxurious.

When your flight is a few hours from Australia, the crew will bring the lights up and serve breakfast. After a few hours of sleep and a fresh cup of coffee, you’ll find yourself landing in Australia usually around dawn, 2 days after you left (this is because your flight crosses the International Date Line). While we know it’s not this simple, the idea is that you’ve just had “a late night” on the plane, and that you’ll hit the ground running when you arrive in Australia.

While travelling internationally always tends to cause a little jet lag, we think these few tips can help make your flight to Australia a comfortable one. Besides, once you arrive, the energy and beauty of Australia will lift your spirits high!

The Yasawa Island Resort in Fiji will be closed for a few months to repair damage caused by fire. A fire on December 24th, 2009 damaged the resort’s main complex which housed a restaurant, bar, kitchen, stores, boutique, offices and library. No one was injured during the fire. The resort did not specify the cause. The Yasawa Island Resort hopes to reopen by October 1st, 2010.

The Yasawa Island Resort was chosen for the Tripadvisor Top 10 Exotic Beach Destinations in 2008, was the Leading Spa Resort of the 2007 World Travel Awards, and was voted Conde Nast magazine’s Most Romantic Hideaway, South Pacific, Caribbean, Altantic 2006.

The Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa in Queensland, Australia has won two categories in the Word Travel Awards, including Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel and World’s Leading Eco Lodge. The Daintree Lodge and Spa is a small family owned and operated property. Set in Daintree National Park, the world’s oldest living rainforest, the lodge has but 15 private villas, offering visitors the ultimate in privacy and seclusion. The resort is only 40 minutes from the Great Barrier Reef as well.

To celebrate this prestigious award, we invite you to explore our Australia Nature and Dive Expedition vacation package that features the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa. You can view our Australia nature vacation package here. It spans 15 days and 12 nights, and includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Sydney, 6 days of diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and 3 secluded days at the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa with breakfast daily.

Please connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/seeanz. We invite you to share your thoughts on what you like most about South Pacific travel, your own personal photos, or what you’d like to see in a South Pacific vacation package. We’ve also got quite a few photos up of our March 2009 vacation to Tahiti. Thanks!

You’re all packed and ready for the vacation of a lifetime. But there is one thing you may have overlooked that can protect you and your wallet before, during and after your trip, namely a travel insurance plan.

On some level, the type of travel insurance policy you need depends on your existing insurance coverage. Your personal health, homeowner’s and auto coverage offers some protection. Also, credit card companies provide travel benefits for lost bags, car rental mishaps and missed connections. U.S. airlines also will pay up to about $1,500 (U.S.), depending on currency fluctuations, for bags that are lost, stolen or damaged on international flights.

But none of these policies and benefits compare with travel insurance in covering your real costs in time, expense and inconvenience when the unexpected happens.

So there is good reason to consider a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will protect your travel investment against a wide range of potential problems like lost luggage, rental car accidents, delayed or missed connections or trip cancellation due to sickness, injury or death.

Because all travel insurance companies are not alike, SeeANZ has partnered with CSA Travel Protection, a company that insured more than 1.7 million travelers in 2007. In our experience, we believe CSA delivers the best overall value in terms of customer service and claims handling for:

• Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
• Supplier Bankruptcy and Default
• Emergency Medical Transportation
• Coverage Before, During and After Your Trip
• Trip Interruption at 150% of the Trip Cost
• Collision Damage Waiver

To buy travel insurance online, click here to visit CSA directly.

Honeymoons and High Wedding Fashion On Display at Navy Pier

Sunday, October 18th, 2009,
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

We’ll have our finest honeymoon vacations on display at the 2009 Bridal and Fashion Show and Expo sponsored by Chicago Bride Magazine. Join us at the Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier for a bridal show that showcases some of Chicago’s top wedding vendors.

This wedding fair will feature expert bridal advice, product samples, discounts, and prizes.

Email us for more bridal show information.

View Larger Map

See Australia, New Zealand Offering the Best Vacations

Travel + Leisure Magazine recently issued their 2009 World’s Best awards. Hotels from the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific region were split into 2 categories: Resorts and City Hotels. The properties were determined by Travel + Leisure readers via questionnaire. Out of the 35 properties named, See Australia, New Zealand offers packages to 13 of them. So, based on the survey, here are our…

13 Best Vacations to Australia,
New Zealand,Tahiti and Fiji

• Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa (Australia):
  Luxury City and Country Escapes
• Hayman Island (Australia):
  Sydney and Hayman Island Package
• Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Bora Bora, Tahiti)
• Voyages Lizard Island (Australia):
  Outback, Reef, Rainforest and Sydney
• Huka Lodge (New Zealand):
  Deluxe Self-Drive New Zealand
• Kewarra Beach Resort (Australia):
  Outback, Reef, Rainforest and Sydney
• Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa (Fiji):
  Westin Resort and Spa and Likuliku Lagoon Resort
• Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa (Tahiti):
  Tahiti and Moorea
• InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa (Tahiti):
  Tahiti and Moorea Honeymoon Package
• Observatory Hotel (Sydney, Australia):
  Ultimate Australia
• Park Hyatt (Sydney, Australia):
  Cosmopolitan City and Outback Adventure
• The George (Christchurch, New Zealand):
  Deluxe New Zealand
• Hilton (Auckland, New Zealand):
  Deluxe New Zealand