Checking out tour destinations

Press, 2 March 1977, Page 14

Checking out tour destinations

Before Ayline GallagherDrewitt escorts a tour overI seas she checks out the destinations herself. She inspects the hotels, eats out at the restaurants, does the sightseeing tours, checks out the shopping with a keen eye on the prices, studies the arts and entertainment calendar [to see what will be on in town . . . ■ “I check out everything, and it takes a woman to do that,” she said in ChristJchurch yesterday. “For travLellers, time wasted is money wasted.” Mr s Gallagher-Drewitt understands the frustrations of spending precious time •trying to find a shop or restaurant recommended by f friends. Or of returning! fhome to cries of: “Oh, you! [missed that, what a shame.” I i She specialises in escort-, ing tours for Dalgety Travel. [Mostly the destinations are: unfamiliar places where lan-i guage or custom could be difficult for tourists. A much-travelled woman, she is aware of the problemstravellers commonly encoun-| Iter. And she is convinced, i'group travel is the answer, 1 “unless your money is unlimited and you have friends everywhere.” i This is her tenth year escorting tours, a career which began with American Airlines. In spite of the growth (of package tours, she believes escorted tours have added advantages for many people.

“You can go on a package lour and still be very: •lonely,” she said. . Mrs Gallagher-Drewitt hasi [maintained a genuine con-i cern for people. She wants [them to have a good time, free of worries. Although: [she is careful they are not over-organised — “I always, let them have a choice” — she makes sure no-one is left out. Unlike many tour guides she goes everywhere with her party, evenings as well if they want an escort. In an emergency she knows how to get the right person at the right time. “Many people save all’ jtheir lives for their trip,” Ishe said. “It’s their first [time out of the country, and Ithey should have the best' possible time.” But many other travellers, are veterans. She has people who go into her Wellington; office and ask: “Where are you taking us this year?” This year she and 25 New. Zealanders are taking off to South America. It is the first’ time the company has run a [Latin American tour. Mrs [Gallagher-Drewitt did her advance trip last year. She. has come back with two convictions. No-one, she believes,; should “gallop” through that

-vast and varied land on - their way to Britain, and -INew Zealanders who keep s returning to Europe without ;; seeing more exotic locations -; are missing the treat of a ji life-time. i The 33-day tour departs 5 for Chile in May, with a r two-day rest stop in Tahiti. i and a visit to Easter Island ion the way. “Everyone /needs a rest after the rush t to get away.” The tour takes in Chile, • Peru, Brazil, and the Argentine. It is a carefully planned mixture of history,, ’ culture, spectacular sight- > seeing, and lively night life. A visit to the lost Inca ■ citv of Machu Picchu in the

Andes, is followed by a trip io the Iguazu Falls, on the border of the Argentine and Brazil — “much more magnificent than Niagara” — then a stop at Manaos, one of the British settlements in Brazil, and on up the Amazon for a twoday cruise among the jungle and bird life “beautiful beyond words ...” Mrs Gallagher-Drewitt has carefully selected the things she considers most worth while doing. She has also paid due regard to the need to rest and relax. “When 1 got tired I wrote in my diary: time for a stop.” So she has scheduled eight days in Rio de Janerio. staying at the luxury resort of Copacabana, about 12 miles out of the city. Nothing if not an enthusiast for her job, Mrs Gallagher-Drewitt was captivated by Rio. “Notone should die without having seen Rio.” She considers it the most beautiful city in the world, and she is familiar with most of them. “It's exquisite day and night.” she said. “There is Latin American music all the time, everyone is brightly dressed and cheerful, the people are handsome, and hat is more it. ■ is all so

:t clean. You can drink any.l thing, eat anything.” si While in the city she t found it possible to eat oat, s 'and drink “that super Brai zilian wine" more cheaply than in New Zealand. s The tour includes th? _ontrast of a visit to Brazilia, the architectural and landj: scaping development of , which she foui d most im- , pressive. “The modern sculpture is delightful to look at too. not like our stuff in Wellington,” she said. On this trip, Mrs Gallag-het-Drewitt intends to take a, ’ little more spending money. She found the suede and leather gear in the cosnio- ‘ politan city of Buenos Aires particularly tempting. Coats she had seen for $2OO and $3OO in Europe were selling for SoO to $6O. Ayline Gallagher-Drewitt got the travelling bug young. Because she wanted to I travel she became a beauititican, travelling around the , icountry for several cosmetic. | companies. Laughingly she, [recalls bringing the Tonee ; | home perm to New Zealand ; [“Remember—which twin' [had the perm? I lugged twins ■around with me promoting ; that perm.” s l, e said. She opened beauty shops in Wellington, and took an interior decorating course. Il j was while she was decorating the Hotel St George, six years after her husband's death, that she met Mr Frank Drewitt, who managed the hotel for more than 30! years. They were married! later, and he is now sales manager for the James Cook' Hotel.

In between touring Mrs Gallagher-Drewitt designed ■the interiors of Newman's • luxury touring coaches, [“from the chassis up.” After ; studying coach design in -Italy and West Germany Ishe devised the aeroplane in- | terior for the coaches. i When American Airlines •stopped flying into New • Zealand, she joined Dalgety, • Travel. She takes overseas, [touring in her stride, and is' iaway several times a year. I Last year she also did an' “educational” tour of Russia. In spite of all that eating out' she stays slim. “I walk it. off.” Her advice to anyone con-' sidering travel is to “go now. it won’t get any cheaper.” And the cost of the South American tour —$2800.