WHAT SETS THE G&T TRAVEL CLUB APART?
“Travel Without Judgement”
There are some great tour companies out there, but they all tend to follow the same path and the same style. We are not re-inventing the wheel but feel that our ‘product’ has some very distinct differences and some personal touches that make our travel experience quite unique…
We “Travel Without Judgement”. Gools and Thommo will let everyone enjoy the experience on their own level. We often offer free time and encourage those who care to, to branch off and explore on their own.
G & T will take you to some excellent restaurants in the most amazing locations but also show you the very best places to try the local street food. We are there with you every step of the way. Sharing with you the best ways to negotiate the traffic, the language, the menus, and the different shopping experiences while having fun.
Gools and Thommo are quality control to make sure that your holiday well and truly exceeds your expectations.
WHAT MAKES THE G&T CLUB SPECIAL?
Each, and every itinerary has personally been researched and designed by G & T (Gools and Thommo AKA Cheryl and Wayne)
Accommodation selections are chosen for their great location, view, style, feel and facilities, not just to a Star Category or as suggested by our ‘ground operators’. We make sure to use fantastic hotels that will add to your holiday experience. Some hotels are set inside a Colonial Residence and others are slick modern boutique style. All are hand-picked and researched personally by us! All the accommodation options include a great breakfast so you can start each day with a good healthy meal. Most breakfasts have both western and local foods available to suit your taste.
You will have an option to eat at some of our favourite restaurants within close proximity to our accommodation. You can choose to join us and eat out or simply stay and eat in, it’s up to you! Funnily enough some of the best restaurants are within our chosen accommodation anyway. We have also personally checked many restaurant menus to make sure that they can cater for most of the obvious dietary requirements. We also have a good variation between set menu, buffet and ordering from the menu with both western and local choices. The restaurants for our Special Farewell Dinners have both been chosen for the amazing food and the experience, which all adds to a night to remember. NB: Some destinations warrant an ‘all meals inclusive’ package.
Having both Gools and Thommo along as hosts gives you something no one else can match. We will be with you the whole time looking after you personally. On top of that we will also have Local City Guides throughout the tour. You are in a small group environment which is great and with so many support staff on hand you can create your own travel experience. You may have had a ‘group tour’ experience before where you felt rushed and dragged along by your guide. We make sure that everyone gets to walk at a comfortable pace and have time to have a good look at things along the way. If you are a keen photographer, then you will have time to get the shot without losing the group. If you need to buy something special while we are out and about then we can make this happen without making the group wait. In our opinion, this is really important in a group environment.
Maximum group size will differ depending on the destination. Often a smaller group will warrant a much smaller vehicle like a coaster bus (this can mean that luggage travels separate from the group) NOT IDEAL!! Sometimes by adding just one extra guest we can then utilise a larger vehicle which then gives us all more leg room with some spare seats. G&T Travel Club sometimes secure an entire accommodation place for exclusive use which does in turn limit the number of rooms available. Often, we are running with just 10-12 rooms per tour departure. This is what creates our maximum group size. In boutique style accommodation, rooms can be limited and with our solo travellers taking up the single room option, this can decrease the total group size. Sometimes a fleet of individual 4WD vehicles are used to allow us to get off the beaten track & offer a much more flexible itinerary. Every tour has been designed to provide the ultimate travel experience.
Most importantly we made sure we put together a ‘Great Value’ product, not necessarily the cheapest but well worth the few extra dollars for an amazing experience! We have chosen our dates and itinerary for each country, with consideration given to the best possible weather, the lesser crowds and the best cultural and wildlife experiences.
THE WORLD AWAITS…
Each destination for G&T Travel Club tours is highly researched. We test drive all itineraries where possible before releasing the tours, ensuring the smoothest and most enjoyable experience possible.
It is important to us to offer new destinations where we already have great relationships with our local ground operators. These relationships have been built over many years of us both being involved in the International Travel Industry. This gives us the opportunity to maintain our quality and control the ultimate G&T travel Club experience.
When considering any new destination, we like to involve our Clubbers in the decision making process. This has now developed into an additional style of travel for our business model.
ONTRACK ADVENTURES is new and the concept of offering more activity based tours, and more exploratory tours with more remote regions has come about due to some of our Clubbers requests. NB: The more activity based tours are still perfect for everyone as you can choose to participate or not in the hikes/walks.
Exploratory tours are a true adventure that have been highly researched but not ‘pre run’.
So, we will all travel, learn and experience together.
Incredible Kenya
Join Gools and Thommo as we visit Lake Naivasha, then Nakuru National Park and the Masai Mara for some unforgettable wildlife encounters!
Join Gools and Thommo as we visit Lake Victoria and the Mwabulugu fishing village to learn about the local culture, then the Serengeti National Park for some unforgettable wildlife encounters!
Tloma Village Visit
Join Gools and Thommo as we visit Tloma Village near Karatu in Tanzania. We walk through the village with Paschali and learn about his families small scale coffee production. Tloma Vllage is home to the ‘Iraqw’ people and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about their daily life.
A Day in Jaisalmer
Join Gools and Thommo as we spend a day in and around the incredible Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan, India! Jaisalmer Fort is the 2nd oldest fort in Rajasthan. Construction began in 1156 AD and it is believed to be one of the few ‘living’ forts left in existence today. It is a must see if you ever choose to visit amazing India!
ON LOCATION WITH G&T
“Thanks Gools & Thommo for the great tour of India. The attention to detail and care your guys provided for us for the trip was superb. You both have cheerful personalities and show such care to the group, which means everyone on the tour are relaxed and were so happy, John & I feel we made so many new friends. We are so looking forward to our trip in Africa next year with you and a chance to catch up.”
“Although having previously avoided group tours, we chose this option and G&T Travel Club for our next adventure to Rajasthan, India. G&T came on the back of a strong recommendation by friends who had also travelled with them. We were so pleased with every aspect of our India experience.“
“Everything about our Indian tour, in January 2018, was so well organised, from airport transfers, to stunning accommodation, to a great local guide & bus driver & bus (it was the best bus ever!), to fantastic restaurant recommendations, and of course to Thommo & Gool’s wonderful friendship. It is their personal approach, prior research and genuine love of travel that allowed us to experience India, in all its colour and chaos, while still feeling safe and comfortable. We will look forward to future adventures with G & T Travel Club!.“
“I have no hesitation in recommending travel with G &T Travel Club particularly given their attention to detail, types of accommodation, variety of opportunities and experiences offered on their tours. Thank you Gools and Thommo!”
“Thank you so much Gools and Thommo for an amazing time in India. I’m sure I would never have made it here without you as I’m not a ‘group’ type traveller and solo travel here would be way too scary. It was everything I wanted and more. I will certainly join you in 2020 for a South East Asia adventure”.
“Dear Gools and Thommo. Many thanks for guiding us through the sights and sounds of India. Such a vibrant and colourful place to visit. We suffered from sensory overload at times but enjoyed this trip beyond expectations. Your attention to detail has once again made us feel very lucky to be on a G & T Travel Club tour. We are going home to look at our photos and re-live the experience.”
“If you are looking for travel that ensures your safety, is trouble free, lots of fun, provides adventure and ensures you eke the most out of your dollar & available time, YOU MUST TRAVEL WITH GOOLS & THOMMO.“
TOUR GALLERY
See where we have been, learn where we are going.
‘Ancient Kingdoms’ Thailand & Laos + Vietnam & Cambodia
Our 2020 South East Asia program has now launched and open for bookings! We spent time in all countries over the course of two separate research trips during 2018. We are very excited for you to join us and feel we have created an itinerary that is extra special.
‘Nepal – Research Trip’
We get the most enjoyment out of our travels when we are ‘off the beaten track’. Gools and I just spent a few days in a couple of great Nepalese villages, Bandipur and Nuwakot, as part of our seek & discovery research for a new tour. These villages ooze charm and allow travellers to stay in small heritage style inn’s and farmhouses. This is great for the community as the money we spend stays local. The food has been great and the hospitality just incredible! Check out the view from the breakfast table.
‘Savannahs’ & Sunsets of Kenya & Tanzania’
We were overwhelmed by the response to the new 2019 Kenya & Tanzania program. So much so, that we doubled our departures to 4 tours that departed in February/March 2019. We were blessed with the array of African wildlife we encountered on our tours and enjoyed very special accommodation along the way.
‘Colour, Culture & Contrasts of Rajasthan’
2017 & 2018 saw us visit the iconic Agra and the incomparable Taj Mahal, along with Rajasthan’s capital the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur. We saw turbaned men, snake charmers, blue painted houses and vibrant markets while visiting all the major towns of Rajasthan. Jaisalmer with its fairy tale fort, Jodhpur, the ‘Blue City’ and Udaipur ‘Venice of the East’. We discovered amazing palaces, deserts and temples of Northern India.
‘Sri Lankan Colonial Circuit’
On our 2017 & 2018 tours of Sri Lanka we began in the modern city of Colombo before venturing north towards the cultural triangle. Here we found a treasure trove of ancient ruins and will visit Mihintale, the birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhism. We will witnessed the life of the colonial tea plantations as we rose out of the plains into the rugged mountains. Experiencing a cooler climate we will learned about the pioneer’s legacy that is now left in the architectural style of the homes and buildings. Leaving the largest population of Asian elephants behind we eventually descended to the coast to find the beautiful palm fringed beaches that are the epicentre of a thriving fishing and tourism industry. Here we explored the fortressed old city of Galle still standing much like it did in its day.