Keeping the travel dream alive
Here at Mary Rossi Travel, we live, breath and dream travel!
Right now we have had to put our travel plans on pause, so we’re coming up with ideas of how to keep our travel passions and dreams alive. Here’s some of what some of our staff are doing below. Maybe you have some ideas of your own? Let us know..
These uncertain times are not here forever and we will be exploring our backyard and the world again.
In the meantime, keep dreaming.
Your Mary Rossi Travel advisor is ready when you are.
Michael Schischka – Manager
“There are so many ways to explore the world from home. While not as exciting as being there in person, right now, it’s the next best thing. I have been enjoying some of the fabulous online virtual tours of attractions and galleries around the world – minus the crowds.. two of my favourites include The Vatican, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.” Google also has plenty of resources to help you explore.
Kate McLean – Travel Advisor
“I have been learning German at the Goethe Institute. My lessons have now gone online and I’m loving the extra time I have these days to practice and improve my language skills.
One of my favourite European cities is Berlin. Hopefully I’ll get there again next year – I’m really looking forward to practicing my German in Germany! I’m hoping to stay at Oriana.Berlin a gorgeous Virtuoso hotel and to catch up with some of the wonderful guides we recommend to our clients in Berlin. ”
Carina Tanna – Travel Advisor
“Right now I’m really enjoying catching up on some travel shows I’ve been planning on seeing for a while. I’ve just finished Simon Reeve’s The Americas, a 5 part BBC series exploring the length of the Americas.. I’ve really enjoyed the sights but also his insights of how climate change has affected the local populations.
Another BBC series I’ve enjoyed is Rick Stein’s Long Weekends. It’s inspired me with some new recipes and has added to my travel bucket list – top of the list now is Toulouse Market.
What’s next on my list? Joanna Lumley’s The Silk Road..
Marcela Hrncir – Travel Advisor
“I’ve been making a vision board. It’s my way of keeping my plans alive and making sure they happen in the future. While I can’t travel right now, I like to visualise where I have been and start thinking about where I’d like to go next. It’s also always positive to be surrounded by beautiful travel destinations – it keeps me happy.”
Gai Campbell – Travel Advisor
“I’ve been watching lots of travel and food series and foreign films. One Netflix series I’ve really loved is “Call My Agent”. It’s typically French and with 3 seasons will keep me busy for a while!
In keeping with the French theme and my love of France, I’ve just finished reading “The Paris Secret” by Karen Swan. It’s based on a real apartment discovered in 2010, untouched since WW2 – fascinating! I’ve just started “Lavender & Linen” set in Provence, by Henrietta Taylor, an Australian woman originally from Mosman.
Other than that, I’m taking this time to keep in contact with all our hoteliers and contacts from around the world. There is real comfort in solidarity..”
Sally O’Brien – Travel Advisor
“We’ve got some great jigsaw puzzles at home with some beautiful travel destinations. They’ve been sitting in the cupboard for a while and I’ve just pulled them out. I think they’ll keep us busy for a while – one has 1,500 pieces but is a gorgeous photo of Positano so I’m looking forward to challenging myself with that one. It may well inspire me to visit Italy again..”
Esther Fraser – Travel Advisor
“I’m still talking about and planning future travels with my friends over a glass of wine using the online meeting app Zoom. We’re all chatting about where we’ll be going once we can travel again, and which cities we’ll be meeting up in to enjoy a wine together. I really think it’s important to keep the ideas flowing and plans evolving – just without a timeline or locking in a date.
I’m also enjoying a bit of armchair travel – here’s a safari from Singita that I think you will enjoy – click here.
It won’t be like this forever and I’m really looking forward to heading out again..”
Melissa Ferguson – Travel Advisor
“One of the things I love most about travel is the different foods and cuisines you get to experience – from simple street food to extravagant fine dining experiences.
At home, we have been using this time to attempt to cook meals inspired by different parts of the world from scratch. Some of our meals so far have been Sushi & Crispy Skinned Teriyaki Salmon with noodles (Japan), Cape Malay Curry & Rice (South Africa), Hummus and Spiced Lamb (Middle East), Nachos & Fajitas (Mexico) and not forgetting Camp Oven Damper & Steak from the Aussie Outback.
There’s so many recipes available on line now, so when it’s our turn to cook we find our inspiration there – then try to recreate it at home…”
Jane Walsh – Reception and Administration & Ruth Walsh – Travel Advisor
“Every year at Easter time our tradition takes us back to our family roots in Latvia. We start by dying eggs using natural dyes which are then used in an egg fight. The fight isn’t like what you would think – the intention is to break the shell of the opponent’s egg. The belief is that the one who has the strongest egg – The Champion Egg” will live the longest life.”
Nicole Booker – Consultant Support
“I’m planning to take off on one of the Great Walks of Australia as soon as is possible. While I’m deciding which one, I’m keeping my fitness up by doing lots of walking in the Garigal National Park near my home. One part has 225 steps down to a lovely little beach – a few trips up and down keeps me pretty fit.
While I can’t earn frequent flyer point by jumping on a flight, I found the Qantas Wellbeing app and it tracks my steps and earns me QF points at the same time. I’ll save these up for my future trips – or maybe I’ll start using them to buy some wine for happy hour..”
Caroline Wilkinson – Marketing Manager
“At home, we’re going through photos of our past trips. We have thousands sitting on our computers and have been planning to do this for ages. It’s also a great opportunity to re-live our holiday memories.
Our big project for isolation is to turn our favourite photos into photo books. We’ve done these in the past but life has got in the way and we haven’t creating any for our most recent trips. Snapfish is a great online tool that we have used in the past, but there are plenty of other great options available.”
