AITO HOLIDAY INSPIRATIONS WEEK 2nd - 9th October

Come in and see what we have in store and help us celebrate our 21st birthday

As founder members of AITO Specialist Travel Agents were keen to show off the wide range of holidays that we can offer and which are not available in high street travel agency chains. This wide range of product, combined with our own in-depth knowledge and expertise in travel planning means that we are the travel agents who can offer you more.

During AITO Week we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who is looking for ideas and inspiration or has specific travel plans to discuss, to join us for a coffee or a glass of bubbly (the choice is yours) here in our offices in Park Street. Please give us a call on 0117 929 4123 or email us to arrange an appointment.

Client Evening on Thursday 21st October
Marco Polo has been in business for 21 years and to mark this special occasion we are holding a Client Evening, in conjunction with Explore Worldwide, at the University of Bristol, School of Chemistry. Please join us to meet the Marco Polo team and to launch Explores 2011 brochure. Award-winning travel writer, Matthew Teller, will give a lively presentation about the Middle East, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

Come and talk about your holiday plans with an experienced member of our team and benefit from our in depth knowledge to find the holiday that suits you.

Why you should book through a travel agent
In recent years the trend has been towards booking your own holidays online, by finding the cheapest flight and online special offers from hotels and accommodation providers in order to possibly save a few pounds. Such arrangements do not benefit from the bonding offered by travel agents and tour operators and if a flight is cancelled then you are committed to paying for the accommodation, even if you are unable to use it. If you saw the October issue of the Sunday Times Travel Magazine (page 34), the article discussed DIY vs package holidays and the conclusion was to book through a travel agent, in particular an AITO Specialist Travel Agent, in order to get the best possible choice and value for money. We are delighted to be recommended by such a well respected magazine.

Consumer protection is particularly strong in the travel industry provided you are booking through an ABTA bonded agent and an ATOL bonded tour operator. Independent arrangements do not have any cover so you are at risk of losing your money should there be a problem with the holiday arrangements or the holiday company goes out of business. So, for your own peace of mind, book through Marco Polo Travel, an ABTA-bonded company. After 21 years in business our expertise extends from Mongolia to Mozambique and the Azores to the Antarctic.

NEW BROCHURES AND EARLY BOOKING OFFERS

Polar
The splendid new Exodus Polar brochures are hot off the press and the two Arctic charters lead by the legendary Paul Goldstein, are being sold. These will be on the outstanding Vavilov - and having experienced this ship ourselves we know that the staff, crew, food, activities, engine capacity, quiet nature of the ship and vantage points are far superior to anything else. This year Marco Polo passengers reported that the wildlife encounters were absolutely outstanding.

Thursday 16th June - Sunday 26th June 2011 - £3349   or    Sunday 17th July - Wednesday 27th July 2011 - £3599
Dates and prices are excluding flights and joining in Longyearben.

Quark Expeditions, formerly operated by Peregrine, are offering 20% discount off the ship only price on the following trips. Also past clients receive a free cabin upgrade and new clients a 5% discount until October 29th on the new season Arctic 2011 and Antarctic 2011/12.

• In The Wake of Shackleton - 5/11/2010
• Antarctic Explorer - 19/12/2010, 01/01/2011, 11/01/2011 and 16/01/2011.
• Antarctic Circle Quest - 26/01/2011 and 21/01/2011

Small Group Family Adventures
The new Families brochures are arriving - we have Explore, The Adventure Company and Families Worldwide. We were the first travel agency to offer this style of family holiday, over 12 years ago, and we have had many happy families repeating the experience in different destinations around the world since. You choose a destination and itinerary and then meet up and travel with other families. These holidays work very well for sociable, active families. Families Worldwide are offering 10% off all child prices, whilst Explore, Exodus, and The Adventure Company all offer previous client discounts.

Europe
We have some excellent Early Booking Offers for next summer to Sardinia, Turkey and Greece with up to 25% off hotels plus an extra 5% previous client discount.

Late Offers
We have some good quality late availability for Greece from £309 for a week self catering, with flights from regional airports. The Autumn is one of the nicest times to be in Greece.

Hurtigruten - the Norwegian coastal voyage
The Classic Round Voyage - pay for the Voyage north and get the Voyage south free. From £941 for bookings made now for departures until 30 DEC 2010. Also 30% off the Classic Voyage North and Classic Voyage South so the cost is an amazing £518 on selected dates for bookings made now. This is the cruise only price and does not include flights.

Saturday appointments
Please note that Marco Polo Travel is open 0930-1230 on Saturdays by appointment only. As Saturdays can be busy we would advise making an appointment as early as possible.

READ OUR 2009 NEWSLETTER           READ OUR 2008 NEWSLETTER           READ OUR 2007 NEWSLETTER