Sheena travelled to the Jaipur Literature Festival 2014 and had an incredible experience listening to the world’s most respected writers and artists during the week-long celebration. Here she shares the highlights of her adventure.
Latest Posts
Can you help? We’re raising money for schools in Myanmar
We’re walking 40km on the south downs, whatever the weather!, and we need your help! We want to raise £1000 to contribute to education in Myanmar. Will you support us in our aim?
Top 8 alternative experiences in The Maldives
The overwhelming majority of tourists travelling to The Maldives just stay in a resort. What is less well known is the real culture behind this fascinating country. After developing a range of distinctive activities that let you discover Maldivian culture, we’ve listed our top 8 experiences.
Meet Ut, your guide to Southern Vietnam
We asked one of our guides from Vietnam to talk a little bit about his life and motivations. Here, Ut explains his background, best memories with our travellers and interests.
Laos’ top 10 experiences
Hidden in a landlocked region between China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, Laos is one of the last hidden gems of Asia. To help you with inspiration for your trip to this mysterious country, we’re listing our top 10 experiences in the country that you can tailor to your itinerary. I hope you will be inspired.
Top 5 new Myanmar experiences
In 2011 Myanmar (Burma) opened to the world but there was little infrastructure to cope with the influx of tourists and few had had the chance to research experiences beyond the main sites. Five years on, this has all changed. Across the past few years, we’ve sent five of our country experts on reconnaissance missions to explore the best ways to get you under the surface of Myanmar, here travel specialist Matt shares his top 5 new experiences.
How a Myanmar holiday changed Duncan’s life
We invited Duncan, founder of our destination charity: Heal Kids, to talk about how travel inspired him to set up the foundation. On his visit to Bagan, he met a group of streetchildren all wishing they could go to school. Struck by their drive to learn, he went back out just a month or so after returning from his holiday to make a difference and start empowering locals to improve their own lives.
Revisiting my young life in Ceylon
Judy’s Sri Lanka story is truly remarkable. Growing up in Ceylon, here she talks about her holiday with us to the country, revisiting her childhood haunts, the smells, the images, the food, the people. With an incredible insight into the country’s history and changes over the years, here she reflects on what makes her visits there so special
Discovering India’s National Parks
Mu explored the wild and varied nature of India’s famous national parks. Spotting wild peacocks rooting at the side of the road, to hearing the chattering of Nynah birds to close encounters with rather confident monkeys, here she shares her experience:
Mark’s story: Eating Vietnamese food as a job
Mark is our expert streetfood tour leader. Made famous within his field by his blog ‘Sticky Rice’, now he and his team of foodie experts guide our travellers to the best stalls to try the most delicious food. Here he explains how he became interested in Vietnamese cuisine and why he does what he does.
Cambodia with our country expert Jake
When designing our signature experiences in Cambodia around Angkor and beyond, we sought out the expertise and suggestions of old friend and country expert Jake. Travelling around Southeast Asia when he was younger, he fell in love with Cambodia and developed an incredible knowledge of how best to experience the country. Here he talks about his work with Experience Travel Group and love of travel.
Restoring Fort Bazaar in UNESCO heritage Galle
Teardrop hotels feature some of our most popular boutique properties in Sri Lanka, including the stunning boutique heritage villa the Wallawwa. We’re incredibly excited about the recently opened Fort Bazaar, lovingly restored by the group. Here, we invited Henry (Managing Director) to talk a little bit about his interested in Sri Lanka and the process behind restoring this heritage property. Over to Henry:
Sarah’s Indonesia & Myanmar Adventure
Sarah went on a trip of a lifetime to Indonesia and Myanmar (Burma) September 2015. From meeting local celebrities of the Malang football team, to spotting beautiful orangutans in the rainforests, to escaping unusually strong forest fires in Borneo – it was an experience full of adventure and discovery. Here she shares her story:
New experiences in Myanmar: Matt on Loikaw
Travel expert Matt has researched new experiences in the eastern states of Myanmar (Burma), largely untouched by tourism. From discovering Kayan tribes in remote villages, to absorbing the stunning terraced landscape for rice cultivation, here he describes the findings from his trip to Loikaw.
5 Unusual experiences in Vietnam’s Hanoi
Along with much of the country, Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, has become a booming destination to travel to. But where do you go in a city with so much to offer? Well, trying some of the more unexpected delights Hanoi boasts is a sure way of coming home with some lasting memories. We’ve gathered five of the best.
Discover the Galle Literary Festival
The Galle Literary Festival is a 5 day event starting from 11th January that allows visitors the opportunity to appreciate the works of Sri Lankan and international authors, take part in literary discussions and enjoy a variety of activities.
Best family holiday destinations for Christmas
If you’re looking for an unusual, sunny and exotic destination for your Christmas holidays, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are ideal places to go. With their incredible array of experiences be they wildlife, foodie and or cultural, there’ll be something for everyone. Here’s a list of our best family holiday destinations to consider:
What you nearly missed from our travel event
At the end of June, we held a special event for our travel enthusiasts in central London. To make sure those unable to attend didn’t miss out, we filmed the highlights so you can still experience some of the best moments of the evening.
Toni’s Top 5 Sri Lankan Dishes
Travel specialist Toni gives her insights into the best foodie experiences in Sri Lanka following from her research trip. From fragrant coconut curries, to pancake hoppers, to mellow rotis, she shares the best of the best. Over to her:
Why Experience Travel Group should win British Travel Awards
Co-founder and Director Sams explains in a little more detail why we should win this year’s British Travel Awards for our nominated categories. From our investment in travel experts, guides and importantly experiences, we believe we are a strong contenders to win! We hope you’ll agree and vote for us.
Do’s and Don’ts for Sri Lanka family travel at Christmas
Thushni is our wonderful experience manager which means she’s responsible for making sure all your needs are met whilst you’re on holiday in the country. Here she explains a little bit more about herself and her love of travel.
Co-founder Sam on Sri Lanka’s undiscovered Mannar island
Co-founders Sam and Tom recently visited the off-the-beaten-track region of Mannar, Sri Lanka with travel photographer Damon Wilder. Situated in the northwest of the country, it’s a flat, wild west kind of landscape with an overlooked culture and identity. Here Sam reviews the new holiday experiences we have in development on the island:
Experiencing a Poson Poya Day in Sri Lanka
Travel expert Toni was lucky enough to experience a Poya Day in Sri Lanka on her research trip. Occurring on the full moon, so monthly, it offers travellers a brilliant insight into local life with a festive and jovial atmosphere. Here’s her review:
Cultural experiences in The Maldives
Content editor Philly recently explored new local island experiences in The Maldives. From tucking into delicious local dishes, to exploring important cultural sights to appreciating the everyday life of Maldivians on inhabited islands, here she reports back on her findings that have formed the basis of our new cultural holidays to this fascinating country.
Dinah Jefferies’ Silk Merchant’s Daughter Holiday
In 2015, Dinah Jefferies approached Experience Travel Group to organise her research trip for her next novel. Set in 1950s French Indochina, travel expert Nick tailor-made her an itinerary through Vietnam exploring the best silk workshops and colonial architecture to help her get a better understanding for the context of her story. Here Dinah provides a review of her trip, from exploring the capital Hanoi to exploring sleepy rural corners of the country.
My family’s first experience of Thailand
Erin spent two weeks in Thailand in the Easter holidays 2016. Travelling with her extended family with an impressive age range spanning from 10 to 80 years old, she recounts some of her initial impressions of this beautiful country.
Vietnam Visa Extention
Good news for British travellers, Vietnam has extended its Visa exemption for another year.
Our favourite hotels in Vietnam
From intriguing overnight cruises down the Mekong, to boutique colonial hotels brimful with history and character, Vietnam boasts some fantastic places to stay whilst visiting the country.
How and where to get tailoring in Vietnam
Vietnam is famous for it’s top-notch tailors who can copy your classic outfits, sometimes in a matter of days, for a fraction of the cost. Here, we’re compiling our best advice when it comes to getting items made. Where to go and how to go about it:
Brexit for Experience Travel Group
You’re looking for an Easter holiday getaway but want good weather, some fun, unique experiences and easy flights in and out. This guide will help you to pick the best destination for you and your family.