Due to Corona virus situation, out of an abundance of caution and in consideration of our members who are in the high risk category, the March 20 presentation will be cancelled and postponed till next meeting, which is May 22 (same time, same place).
For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka: hermaneks@yahoo.ca or Bruce: at bruceaweber@hotmail.com. Meetings and travel presentations are held on the 3rd Friday in January, March, May (4th Friday), September and November at 8.00 p.m. at Old York Tower, 85 The Esplanade ( corner of the Esplanade & Church St.) – two blocks east of the Union station. A public parking garage is at the foot of Church Street right next to the Old York Tower.
Members Slides : Around the world in eighty minutes.
10 presentations of 10 slides in 10 Minutes.
Speaking this month in a fast paced journey around the Globe with 10-12 talks of 10 slides.
Speakers to be announced, if you would like to do a talk please get in touch.
Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.
You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.
London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.
There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here
Due to the effects of the Corona virus in the UK now officially a Global Pandemic and bearing in mind our next Chester Globetrotters meeting in just over one weeks time when the contagion will have likely increased, we have taken the reluctant decision to postpone our meeting for Saturday the 21st of March to a future date.
We have spoken to the management of the Grosvenor Museum and have also taken current advice into consideration to limit social gatherings in order to slow down the spread of the virus.
Consequently we have to take positive action at least one week in advance to be able make a timely decision so that attendees and our speakers can be prepared.
This is the first time in ten years that Chester Globetrotters have been forced to postpone an event, and whilst we hope the situation resolves itself quickly we want to err on the side of caution and therefore make a responsible and timely decision.
From all of us in the Chester Globetrotters committee we wish you all the best and thank you for your understanding at this time.
Chris Prior – Kerala and Tamil Nadu
We went on a two-week motorcycle tour around the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. From the coastal town of Cochin we rode 1950s Indian-built Royal Enfield 350cc Bullets to Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. We passed through tea growing areas to Madurai, famous for it highly decorated temples.
Dr Emma Roberts – From Shanghai to Xian, Futuristic and Ancient China
Dr. Emma Roberts is Associate Dean for Global Engagement at Liverpool John Moores University and also heads the BA (Hons) History of Art & Museum Studies degree course at this organisation. Emma’s academic research is largely based in China as she works with Chinese partner universities to advise on how former industrial sites can be revitalised as hubs for the creative industries.
This talk begins in Shanghai and discusses some of the delights and highlights that travellers may experience in this cosmopolitan, vibrant city. Following this, we move to Xian, the home of the iconic ‘Terracotta Warriors’. The history, meaning and creative processes behind these mysterious statues will be explored. Our ‘travels’ in this talk will therefore move between the absolutely new and the very ancient that China has to offer.
Doors open 1pm for 1:30pm Start till 4:30pm Entrance Fee £3.00 includes refreshments and two talks Grosvenor Museum 25-27 Grosvenor Street, CH1 2DD Enquiries to Hanna tel: 01244383392 or Angela tel: 01244 629930
The UK’s only event dedicated to travel experiences off the beaten track returns to Olympia London from 18-19 January 2020.
The London Branch will again be running a travel advice clinic at the show, why not come along and see us as well as catching some of the over 70 FREE Talks and Workshops. You can use the code below to get 10% of tickets.
With 130 specialist adventure travel companies from across the world, over 70 free inspirational talks, one-to-one seminars and a series of beautiful adventure travel films, the show is sure to whet even the most adventurous appetite.
Over 70 FREE Talks
Intrepid adventurers and travel writers will share their incredible stories, leaving you inspired, informed and raring to go on your next trip.
Plus…
Sir Ranulph Fiennes – “Living Dangerously”
Saturday 18 January 11:30 – 12:45
‘The World’s Greatest Living Explorer’ as quoted by The Guinness Book of Records will be returning to the show on Saturday 18 January. Fiennes will be talking about his life’s expedition work and record-breaking achievements.
Tickets are limited and can be booked now for £22.50
ADVENTURE TRAVEL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 LONDON PREMIER
Make the most of your visit to the show on Saturday 18th January and enjoy an immersive evening of independent adventure travel films curated by Austin Vince from the Adventure Travel Film Festival.
Premiering some of the best independent travel film shorts from across the adventure travel spectrum, the night concludes with a full-length film ‘Going The Distance’ by newlyweds Mike and Alanna Clear. The Clears will introduce their film and take Q & A’s after the showing.
Screening time: Saturday 18 January 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm in the Adventure Auditorium.
SEMINARS
There are over 70 free talks at the show but if you want more in-depth, one-to-one advice then the paid-for seminars are for you. These seminars are delivered by explorers, film-makers, photographers, expedition leaders and travel writers, all with authentic first-hand experiences waiting to be shared with you…
CICERONE’S TREKKING SEMINARS
The team from Cicerone return to the show to deliver some inspiring trekking and cycle touring seminars, delivered by an experienced team of authors and professional ambassadors.
ADVENTURE PLANNING SEMINARS – Overlanding with Chris Scott
This seminar is designed to provide practical advice for those planning an overland trip from experienced overland planner, expedition leader and author, Chris Scott.
ADVENTURE BY MOTORCYCLE SEMINARS
Austin
Vince and Lois Pryce give the low- down on taking your motorcycle adventures
beyond home soil into Europe and beyond.
WANDERLUST’S MULTI-MEDIA SEMINARS
Whether you’re looking to get into travel writing, make travel videos, or improve your photography, join Wanderlust’s Multi-Media Seminars for insider tips and expert advice…
During these 6 seminars, Wanderlust Magazine editors and leading industry experts will offer an introduction to the key areas of travel writing, travel photography and film-making. The seminars offer a mixture of informative lectures and open group discussion. Each 2-hour seminar has a limited number of participants to ensure you get the best learning environment possible – plus this gives you a brilliant chance to question the experts themselves.
The London GT Branch are once again running the “‘The Globetrotters Travel Advice Centre” at the Adventure Travel show in London on 18th and 19th January 2020.
Now in its 24th year, the Adventure Travel Show is the UK’s only event dedicated to adventure travel, with 120 specialist adventure travel companies providing expert advice and once in a lifetime trips for people who like to travel outside of the mainstream, whether it be on small-group adventures, exclusive expeditions or solo adventures.
Our volunteer travel advisors can :-
Give general advice for anxious travellers making their first major trip.
Share in-depth knowledge of countries they have visited in the past.
Share current experience gleaned during recent travels.
The show is the UK’s only event that is dedicated to off the beaten track experiences, featuring once in a lifetime adventures, wildlife encounters, eco travel, remote discoveries and more.
If you are interested in volunteering please email us to find out more.
Travelling by Tandem from Chester to Istanbul”
speakers: Simon Brown and Diana Wilderspin-Jones
“National Parks of the USA and Canada”
speakers: Kevin Jones and Hanna Bastiaansen
Doors open 1pm for 1:30pm Start till 4:30pm Entrance Fee £3.00 includes refreshments and two talks Grosvenor Museum 25-27 Grosvenor Street, CH1 2DD Enquiries to Hanna tel: 01244383392 or Angela tel: 01244 629930
1st. Jacqui Furneaux – Seven years from India to Bristol on an Enfield bullet!
Jacqui Furneaux reveals the story of her unexpected and unplanned lengthy journey through 20 countries with her trusty 500cc motorbike. It tells the reasons for this epic trip and how a six-month holiday became a seven year way of life in Asia, Australasia and the Americas. Hear how a 50 year-old nurse becomes a mechanic and adapts to life on dusty roads and goat tracks from the mountains to the sea, through barren deserts to lush jungles.
Topics covered include:
How it all started;
the 500cc Enfield Bullet motorcycle;
the travel method and tips on how to do it;
benefits and disadvantages of being female in this activity;
2nd. Zara Taylor – Anhui Province – Home of the Four Treasures of Chinese brush painting
As a practitioner in the art of Chinese brush painting, this is a journey to explore the province renowned for its manufacture of the materials for painting – the 4 treasures. Still being produced today by artisans, using ancient and secret methods passed down through the generations. With few foreign tourists, a hidden gem, a region with many ancient villages, water towns and unique Hui merchant architecture to discover.
By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and wine or soft drinks (we are not allowed beer or spirits) and participate!
Admission costs, we charge a small cash fee of £3 for Globetrotters members and £6 for non-members on the door to cover our expenses, tea/coffee and biscuits are included free in the interval between the talks.
You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.
London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.
There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here
This meeting will be held online in zoom in line with UK Covid-19 regulations.
Speaking this month we have:
1st. Janet Parsons – Palestine: Beyond the Wall
Palestine is a land of striking contrasts, from its ancient limestone hills crowned with scattered villages and more recently dense clusters of Israeli settlements, to the vast stretches of the Judean desert, rich in remarkable sites and buildings. Very few tours visit places like Mar Saba, Hisham’s Palace and the palm shaded oases of this beautiful landscape.
Jan travelled through Palestine in 2017 with the Palestine Exploration Fund, meeting some of the hospitable Palestinian people across the West Bank including Bedouins and the Samaritan community with their ancient customs. We will visit the holy sites in Hebron, a volatile city where tensions run high, Qumran, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Temple Mount in Jerusalem – a significant site to the three major world religions. Jan’s talk will also address the impact of the Separation Wall in the context of the more recent history of Palestine.
Jan Parsons was Chairman of Guildford Travel Club from 2013 – 2019. A keen photographer, her particular interest is visiting ancient and remote sites away from the tourist trail where travel, history, culture and archaeology meet.
2nd Luke Ripley – Nil by Air: London to Sydney without flying
Globetrotters member Luke Ripley will attempt to dispel the myth that intercontinental travel necessitates flying by describing the journey he made last year from London to Sydney, entirely by surface transport. Setting off from London’s St Pancras station, he travelled by rail to China, via the Trans-Siberian Railway, before joining a container ship for the two-week voyage to Brisbane, crossing the Philippine, Solomon and Coral Seas. Once ashore in Australia, he continued by rail to Sydney, with a few stops and side-trips en route. Not an aircraft in sight!
While aviation remains massively dominant in the travel industry, among those seeking to limit the environmental impact of their travels, and for whom the journey is at least as important as the destination, there is perhaps a growing awareness of the land transport alternatives. However, with the almost total demise of “proper” deep-sea passenger shipping, a voyage by freighter is now often the only practical means of crossing oceans for those determined to avoid air-travel, yet remains relatively little-known.
Luke is a railwayman first and foremost, but has considerable experience of cargo-ship travel, having made numerous voyages (inc. trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific, Europe – S. Africa, Europe – E. Africa via Suez, and in the Med). As well as focusing on his own recent journey, his talk will touch on some of the joys, practicalities and obstacles involved in this form of travel more generally.
Luke Ripley – Nil by Air
Luke Ripley – Nil by Air
For forthcoming meetings we have
a suggested donation £2-3 for members to help with our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
a donation of £5-6 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.
a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders. (Members can also watch the previous online talks)
Brian Andersons’s talk has had to be postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Brad Parsk’s talk has had to be postponed as the expedition was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
This meeting may be postponed to a future date or take place online due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing.
This meeting will be held online in zoom in line with UK Covid-19 regulations.
Speaking this month starting at 1pm (UK time) we have:
1st. Som Tamang – Take on Nepal)
Take on Nepal are one of the only trekking companies training and hiring a team of women in Nepal, In the mountain villages of Nepal, opportunities for women are few. Many young girls have little or no education, and marriage at an early age is still common. Take on Nepal and FHC have been working to change this for many years. As Take on Nepal has grown, we’ve begun hiring young women and girls from Batase — first to work as porters and then as guides, roles that up to now have been seen as exclusively male. For young village girls, early exposure to paid work as porters and the experience of interacting with Western women is an eye-opener. It provides them with a glimpse of other possible futures, futures far different from the lives their mothers lived and to the lives they may have thought they were going to live.
2nd. Dan Evans – Simplicity, Serenity and Sincerity across the world
The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams once referred to the three great ‘S’s’ as Simplicity, Serenity and Sincerity.
However, these principles stretch far beyond the concert hall. In this talk, join me on a journey around the world as I go in search of these three facets of life. I shall showcase the simplicity of life in a Moroccan desert and an Italian harbour.
With words, I shall convey the serenity of the Alaskan wilderness and a twilit UK city. And I shall whisk you to a lakeside property in Brazil where sincerity is most certainly moored. I’ll conclude with some musings on how Simplicity, Serenity, and Sincerity have come to the fore over the past year.
By tradition we follow this meeting with a New Year Party post-meeting – everyone is invited to bring food and wine or soft drinks (we are not allowed beer or spirits) and participate!
For forthcoming meetings we have
a suggested donation £2-3 for members to help with our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
a donation of £5-6 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.
a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders. (Members can also watch the previous online talks)
