All Aboard the Rocky Mountaineer

Melissa Topp

House of Travel Christchurch City

Travel really is my passion and I perhaps love organising it just as much as the actual travelling. Being able to open up options for people they had no idea they could accomplish is truly exciting. I love the scope of what we can accomplish as a travel agent; our systems, knowledge and relationships with the right people all add up to being able to organise a truly memorable trip. I’ve done it all from tours, safaris, ocean and river cruises, adventure travel, self-drives, rail journeys, family travel specialising in all things Disney and I love to share my knowledge to help you achieve the trip of your lifetime.

Outside of the office I like to spend my time skiing, horse riding, tramping, scuba diving, getting outside on our lifestyle block with my two little girls or enjoying a glass of pinot with a side order of chocolate mousse.

Years in the Industry: over 20

No. of countries visited: 50+

Favourite place to visit: Niue, no wait Cuba, hmm no maybe it’s Egypt….. Or Italy….

Next place on the list to visit: Disneyworld

· “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Augustine of Hippo

Why I love travel?

Travel gives us our greatest stories, our most cherished memories and countless irreplaceable learnings that we can choose to pay forward to others. It teaches us about ourselves and each other, it broadens our horizons and, just like a reset button, it forces us to refocus on what really matters.

My travel tips:

Pack your patient pants; Don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. Your trip is much too short to stress. Did you miss your bus? No worries, there will be another one.. ATM out of money? Great! Take an unplanned road trip over to the next town and explore. I know it can be hard sometimes, but just take a deep breath and remind yourself that it could be worse.
Focus on value over deals. It’s so easy to not look past the initial $ signs when organising your trip but how much extra will there be in added costs once you are at your destination, lost time or enjoyment is that initial saving really going to cost you once you are there.
Wake Up Early To Avoid Crowds. Rise before sunrise to have the best attractions all to yourself while avoiding large tourist crowds. It’s also a magical time for photos due to the softer light and often providing great opportunities to interact with locals getting ready for their day. Sketchy areas are less dangerous in the morning too. Honest hardworking people wake up early; scammers and criminals sleep in…

My top 5 favourite destinations:

Rio De Janeiro – Such an incredibly vibrant city. Imagine, having dinner in a local favela, no other tourists in sight and locals from ages 1-99 all together, laughing, dancing to the live music, everyone talking to everyone. A local group of young people came down the street performing the traditional capoeira martial art/dance and everyone heads outside to watch and cheer them on. It is always the people that make the place and Brazil’s people are very bit as colourful as this amazing city.
Europe River cruise – A true holiday. Pull up each day in a different location, right in the heart of things, wander off the boat and go for it. Return when you feel like it to every luxury you could want, top class food and drink and every room has a front row view. No crowds, most ships have under 200 passengers and a great option for both first time travellers and more experienced as you tend to visit many of the smaller and often less visited towns.
Rocky Mountaineer train journey – Starting in Banff, which really feels like the Queenstown of Canada and ending in Vancouver, a stunning city just a few minutes’ drive and from the beautiful redwood forests this train journey is must do travel experience. Seeing the spectacular scenery of the Rockies from the comfort of your warmed up spacious leather seat, the mountains are not just to either side but also above you through the glass roof of the train.
Borneo – Here you can combine stunningly beautiful beach resorts with a visit to the jungle; see the Proboscis monkeys, baby turtles being released into the ocean and one of the only places in the world to see Orangutans in their native habitat. One of the least explored areas on the planet with many adventures to be had but you don’t need to skimp on luxury.
East Africa Safari – It is a strangely exciting experience to be told not to wander too far from your tent at night because wild animals are really all around you. From elephants wandering through our camp one evening, to hearing bison grazing in the grass around us while sleeping, Africa really is as wild as you hope it will be. So many travel experiences these days are replicas – shows put together for your enjoyment. Africa definitely is not; it could not get much more real. Seeing orphaned baby elephants playing football with each other, wandering over to you reaching out their trunk so smell you as you stand behind only a rope fence watching their antics is just one of the incredible experiences on offer in this amazing location.

What’s in my suitcase?

A dog bed. I kid you not. These days I’m travelling with two little ones in tow and as strange as this sounds it’s a life saver on long haul flights-pair it with one of those big inflatable pillows that go where your legs usually do and you have a comfortable bed for the little ones to curl up in.
A dirty laundry bag. One easy spot to place all the worn things and easy to take to the laundry with you while travelling or dump in the machine when home.
Earplugs. I need a good nights sleep be ready to do everything I have planned for the next day on my holiday and you just never know what noises you might want to shut out while travelling.

Melissa