Sure Travel Journey Vol 5.1 Summer 2019 | Page 8

DEPARTURE LOUNGE // SUMMER 2019
© SOKOLOVSKA/ADOBESTOCK.COM
SAFFAS FEEL MORE GUILTY
ON HOLIDAY | South Africans just
G o
News on the
NEW CHILEAN HIKING ROUTE
LINKS 17 NATIONAL PARKS
08 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
HONG KONG TO CHINA AT HIGH
SPEED | Travelling between Hong Kong
and China by land is now quicker and
easier following the September launch of
the Hong Kong Express Rail Link. It links
the city to the rest of Mainland China’s
25 000 km-long national high-speed rail
network for the first time.
Also known as the Vibrant Express, the
high-speed train operates at a maximum of
200 kms per hour, connecting Hong Kong
with Guangzhou in just 48 minutes (down
from two hours) and Beijing in nine hours
(down from 24 hours). Tickets start from
HK$274 (R45) to Guangzhou South and
HK$1 240 (R2 315) to Beijing.
WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I?
I’m home to the most geographically
isolated population centre on Earth –
more than 3 215 kilometres from another
landmass. My people’s traditional alphabet
has just 12 letters: A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M,
N, P and W. I was once a sovereign nation,
ruled by a strong monarchy, until my queen
was ousted in a military coup in 1893. Not
long after, my lands were annexed and I
was made an American state in 1959.
I am snake free, and am the celebrated
(and proven) birthplace of former US
President Barack Obama.
Think you know the answer? Flip the
page and find out if you’re correct...
67%
SAFFAS WHO
FEEL GUILTY
IF THEY DON’T
STAY ON TOP OF
EMAILS WHILE
ON HOLIDAY
| Chile is now home to one of the world’s
longest hiking trails – the 2 735 km Route
of Parks running through the Patagonian
wilderness to Cape Horn, connecting
17 national parks, lakes, volcanoes, lush
rainforests and the Andes Mountains.
In the ‘90s, Douglas Tompkins, founder
of the outdoor brand North Face, and
his wife Kristine, who is the CEO of
Patagonia, also a popular clothing and
outdoor brand, bought millions of acres
of wilderness in Chile and Argentina in
order to preserve it.
The undeveloped land has since
become a thriving ecotourism area,
prompting the Tompkins, under their
non-profit organisation, to donate the
land to allow for the opening of the
mammoth hiking trail.
“We want Chile to be internationally
recognised for having the most
spectacular scenic route in the world,
and thus become a benchmark for
economic development based on
conservation,” reads a statement on the
Tompkins Conservation website.
Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia.
can’t relax properly when they’re
on holiday. That’s the verdict of a
recent survey conducted on behalf
of Trafalgar, which found that South
African holidaymakers are less likely to
switch off and are more connected to
work and social media when they’re
on holiday than their UK, North
American, New Zealand or Australian
counterparts.
Teresa Richardson, Managing
Director South Africa for Trafalgar’s
parent company, The Travel
Corporation, says the study was
aimed at exploring what people
believed to be “The Good Life” and
whether travel contributes to it.
Some 63% of South Africans polled
said they felt guilty if they were
not making enough of their holiday
by going to see all the big sights,
compared with 39% of Brits, 49% of
Americans and 43% of Australians.
A further 67% felt guilty about
not staying on top of their emails
while on holiday, much higher than
other markets. Ironically, Trafalgar’s
study found that “Good Travel” was
defined as experiences “when people
seek out sights that others don’t,
switch off and relax, and make a real
connection with the local culture”.
So the next time you’re on holiday,
remember to tune out from the
daily grind and tune in to good
travel experiences.