| Hi, From cherry blossoms and chocolate to jazz performances and Easter parades, April is alive with the colour and chaos of wonderful celebrations around the globe. Planning your trip to coincide with a local festival can be your ticket to enjoying real life experiences that you'll always remember. After all, who could forget the amazing masked antelope dancers of the Mali Festival, the huge street party that is Seville's La Feria de Abril and the eyebrow-raising Kanamara Matsuri, or 'Festival of the Steel Phallus', which takes place this coming Sunday in Japan! This week Intrepid Express joins in the fun in Morocco, Thailand and the Czech Republic. Find out how you can get the party started with 15% OFF Europe and the Middle East, plus you'll have lots to celebrate if you WIN this week's fantastic trip in Vietnam! Happy festive travels!
Sue Elliot
Intrepid Express Editor, Intrepid Travel
Celebrate with 15% off!  Photo: Chiara Chiarello, Italy Stop dreaming and start living, because now is your chance to get 15% OFF Europe and the Middle East! Sighing at the thought of hearing Mozart played at the Salzburg Festival or being in Fez for the Sacred Music Festival? Imagining joining the revellers at Germany's legendary Oktoberfest or rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous at the Cannes Film Festival? Celebrate the real Europe and the Middle East with Intrepid and book now to SAVE 15% on Intrepid Europe and the Middle East! read more... back to top  A top trip - Spirit of the South  Photo: Paul Fountain, Argentina With Easter treats everywhere we turn, we simply had to find you a top trip this week that hits a sweet spot. Spirit of the South does just that! Not only because you get to marvel at mighty Iguazu Falls, see the stunning Chilean Lake District, sip wine in Santiago and live it up in Rio, but it also takes you to one of the world's top choc spots! Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina. Famous for having the world's most chocolate shops on one street, there is a permanent whiff of sweet cocoa in this stunning lake-side town. So if you'd love to wander Mitre Street, the "Street of Chocolate Dreams", we'll sweeten the adventure and give you more chocolate spending money. Right now you can SAVE 20% on Spirit of the South Westbound trips in May, but be sure to book before this last-minute special melts in your fingers! read more... back to top Whipping up a Czech Easter  Photo: Tess Follett, Czech Republic There are so many great traditions connected with Easter celebrations around the world, but Intrepid's Petra Palkovicova sheds some light on an unusual ancient ritual that has girls on the run in the Czech Republic... "Easter is one of our most important feasts in the Czech Republic. We send cards to our friends and relatives, decorate eggs and eat lots of chocolate. Almost everything is the same as you probably know it in your country... except one thing... there is the Easter whipping. On Easter Monday, Czech men and boys give women and girls a so called 'Easter birching'. Some people say it's only a gentle slap on the bottom with a bunch of birch sticks. But if you ask me, it's not that gentle!... read more...
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15% off Europe and the Middle East!
Choose from the adventures below and many more trips to discover how you can live the European life in 2010. Offer ends 9 April, so what are you waiting for? -
Berlin to Rome - 21 days - from ?2315
Unearth the secrets of Germany and Poland, live it up in the Czech Republic and Austria, see history come to life in Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. -
Road to Budapest - 15 days - from ?1570
Discover Austria's superb musical heritage, step through time in the Czech Republic, wander Krakow's Old Town and hike in Slovakia's Tatra Mountains. |  |
back to top Land of smiles and splashing  Photo: Natalie Clark, Thailand If you will be in Thailand between April 13-15 this year here's a simple tip: only wear and carry what you are happy to get wet. And prepare yourself for some special festival fun, as Intrepid Express reader Lorna Steenberg explains... "Thailand is often referred to as the 'Land of Smiles' and that couldn't be more true than during the Songkran Festival - I cannot remember experiencing more smiles in one day! It started when the joyful smiling face of a young Thai boy approached me and with a burst of laughter I was suddenly soaked by a bucket of cold water. Before I knew what had happened he disappeared with nothing but a cheeky giggle carrying him off into the distance... the celebrations had begun. As we made our way along the dirt tracks of Ko Tao towards the beach on the back of a rickety old truck, water was being flung into the air all around us; it was a sea of colour, dewy faces full of laughter and splashes of water shimmering in the sunlight - it was the most magical and harmonious sight in the world, where people young and old, irrespective of their language, colour of skin or cultures became one and enjoyed in the water games that brought fun, happiness and magic to everyones souls that day."
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Siam Sunset - 24 days - from ?1030
Experience traditional cultures of the north, explore Chiang Mai, spot wildlife in Khao Sok rainforests and enjoy the beautiful Gulf of Thailand. -
Bangkok Urban Adventures - day tours with a difference
Really get to know Bangkok by having a local guide show you their home town. Explore the Chao Phraya River canals by longtail boat, take a tuk tuk around town or cycle the city for a more tranquil experience. Bangkok Urban Adventures are a special way to feel like a local for a day! | |
back to top Music of an alternative Morocco  Photo: Sabine Molter, Morocco For four days in June a laid-back harbour town in Morocco grooves to an international beat, and as Intrepid Express reader Natalia Rosenberg discovered, this festival embraces the real rhythm of life... "Travelling to Morocco was so synchronistic I knew it would change my life. Meeting a fellow Aussie who became my travel companion from Spain, meshing into a mixed bag of 10 Intrepid travellers in Marrakech then, thanks to divine timing, making a convoy to the Gnaoua World Music Festival in Essaouira, it was meant to be. In this old hippy, seaside town where Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and other rockers once lived, I saw the world through new eyes, full of awe and appreciation. This was the alternative Morocco where the next generation come out of the woodwork..." read more...
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Colours of Morocco - 15 days - from ?990
From the Atlas Mountains to endless Sahara and from medieval Fes to Marrakech spice markets, the rich history and natural beauty of this ancient land await.
Special deals: 20% off April 25 or 28 trips if you act fast! Essaouira Escape - 3 days - from ?175 per person twin
This is a beach getaway unlike any other, resonant with the cries of gulls as fishermen haul their catch and alive with the gentle magic of Morocco. | |
back to top Down the Ganges for Deepalaya Intrepid travellers keep coming up with fantastic ways to support the Intrepid Foundation's Community Projects. Sue Coggins is a very keen photographer so decided to put her great images to good use... "I was so deeply moved by the wonderful people I met on my Slowly down the Ganges trip to India with Intrepid that I have produced a calendar of my photographs as a momento of the trip. All proceeds from this calendar will go towards the work of Deepalaya in India, via The Intrepid Foundation. The calendar runs from April 2010 - March 2011 and costs £20 (+ postage outside the UK.)." Deepalaya support former street and working children, helping them with accommodation, education, health care and counselling, giving them much improved opportunities for a happy, fulfilling and independent future. Intrepid Travel matches all donations received for Deepalaya, so the calendar sales contribution will be doubled in value. The photographs in the calendar superbly capture the evocativeness, warmth and mystique found on a marvellous journey in Northern India. To order a copy of Sue's Slowly Down the Ganges calendar, please contact Sue Coggins directly - sue@jbcommunications.co.uk. For more information on The Intrepid Foundation and Deepalaya, please see India projects at www.theintrepidfoundation.org. read more...
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The Intrepid Foundation - for conservation and communities
Want to give something back to the wonderful places you have travelled and people you have met? Help us support a Community Project and we guarantee that 100% of your donation will get to the local charity! -
Intrepid Peru Floods Appeal - your donations are making a difference
We have kicked off the appeal by making a donation of AU$20,000 to Plan and our aim is to raise at least another AU$20,000. Plan Peru desperately still need your donations to help the hundreds of affected communities. | |
back to top Win a trip - Vietnam!  Photo: Sarah Moore, Vietnam This week is your chance to WIN a trip in a country so rich in cultural traditions it's no wonder that their year is filled with fantastic festivals. You could WIN a place on Spirit of Vietnam Northbound, departing Ho Chi Minh City on 12 May 2010! Discover the real spirit of Vietnam as you travel from south to north, taking in all the attractions in between. From the fast-paced excitement of Ho Chi Minh City, to the ancient streets of Hoi An, the history-soaked monuments of Hue and the undeniable charm of Hanoi, experience beautiful landscapes, delicious cuisine and the renowned friendliness of the Vietnamese people. Top it all off with an overnight cruise on mystical Halong Bay and you won't want to leave! read more...
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You could WIN Spirit of Vietnam Northbound, departing Ho Chi Minh City on 12 May 2010:
Simply match the festival with the coinciding Intrepid trip...
1. Nadaam Festival, 2. Pushkar Camel Fair, 3. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
A. Wild Mongolia, B. La Dolce Vita, C. Classic Rajasthan -
How to enter:
Type your answers in the SUBJECT LINE of a new email, with your name and address in the body of the email.
Email your one entry to win@intrepidtravel.com before 06 April 2010. -
Winning this trip is a great holiday head start for Intrepid Express subscribers who are able to travel on the specified date and trip, as the prize is not transferable. Please read the full terms and conditions before you enter. -
The lucky winner will be notified by email and will have 7 days to confirm their booking. | |
Last week's winner... We randomly picked a winner from correct entrants and that Intrepid Express subscriber is David McClenaghan. David has won one place on Western Sun Southbound, departing San Francisco on 22 May 2010! back to top Banner photo: Jana Shaffner, Latvia | 
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