Three-Month World Tour For City Girls

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30191, 24 July 1963, Page 2

Three-Month World Tour For City Girls

Two members of the sales staff of the Government Tourist Bureau in Christchurch will leave Christchurch on Saturday on a world tour to see as many places as possible in the limited time.

The girls, Misses Maureen Thctnpaon and Althea Rigby, have been planning the trip for some time, but decided to go only two months ago They applied for and were granted three months' leave of absence to make their inde. pendent trip, which is taking them to more than 30 places in Australia, Europe. Britain, and America, for a coat of about £7OO each. Planning the tour did not take very long, they said. •‘We made a list of the places we wanted to see and then fitted them to the various airline schedules. There were a few places we couldn't fit in. but there is not much that we had to mtos." they said. The tour comprises most of the world's Largest cities The girls will spend up to a week in each. The longest stay will be in Britain, where they will spend a week in London and go on a conducted tour.

“We are lucky to have so many contacts. We shall stay with several including former staff mates.” said Miss Rjgby

While in Rome, the girls will visit five-year-old Franca

ZeoH. one of the two children sponsored by their office through the New Zealand Save the Children Fund. “We have Ixen given introductions to the Save the Children Fund people in Rome and they will arrange the visit for us? said Miss Thompson Along with their luggage, the girls are taking a small Maori doll for Franca and a £5 gift which has been contributed by the bureau staff. “One of the girls married recently and we wrote and told her. Franca replied that she wished she could have been there as in Italy brides hand out sugared almonds, and she loved sweet things So we shall probably buy her some when we get there,” they said.

Although the girls have been warned that they are trying to see too mudi in such a short time, both feel that it is better to be kept busy than to be lonely with too much tame to fill in.

“We are going purely tor pleasure, but it is an experiment that will help us to give better advice to people who are planning trips overseas.” they said.